ABSTRACT
Throughout history, societies have expected organizations to act responsibly. Nonetheless, the term corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a relatively new one. In 1953, the seminal book Social Responsibilities of the Businessman by Bowen heralded a shift in terminology from the social responsibility of business to CSR. Renewed interest in CSR has motivated alternative (but related) concepts, including that of corporate sustainability. 1 In 1991, Carroll proposed a comprehensive and (subsequently) widely adopted definition of CSR: 2 one that included the idea that a corporation’s obligations extended beyond economic and legal matters to also include ethical and discretionary (philanthropic) responsibilities. 3 Carroll argues that the four categories of CSR can be depicted as a pyramid, in which economic responsibilities are the foundation upon which all other responsibilities are predicated, and without which they cannot be achieved. 4 Discretionary responsibilities are at the apex. An important implication is that, contrary to common belief, “economic viability is something business does for society as well”. 5 Although the scope and nature of CSR activities has developed and changed in recent decades, the concept entailed remains “embryonic and contestable”. 6
