Describe Corporate Social Responsibility.

“Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)” is a topic that can create significant debate in both the proverbial “C-Suite” as well as academic institutions today. Looking at this topic as a spectrum, on the one end some traditional thinkers and theorists will posit that CSR is not and should not be within the purview of a corporation because the corporation, by definition, has an obligation to increase shareholder value and lawfully conduct its business, leaving it to the government and regulators to create the rules & boundaries within which a corporation conducts its affairs. On the other hand, there are activists and others who feel that corporations are global “citizens” and therefore have a fiduciary obligation to the people, environment and communities in which they operate, independent of government oversight. This has created a significant ethical dilemma for organizations.

Text: Wren, D. Bedeian, A. (2018). The Evolution of Management Thought. Seventh Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Hoboken, NJ.