ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on how the integration of strategy and corporate social responsibility (CSR) can be concretely executed. It investigates the mechanisms, conditions and processes through which CSR can be progressively integrated into business strategies and activities, and focuses on the role played by firm resources and resource management. The reference frame used is the model developed by Burke and Logsdon, who suggested five strategic dimensions of CSR projects—centrality, specificity, proactivity, voluntarism and visibility—that may contribute to improving the impact of these projects on value creation. The chapter describes that their model is applied to the analysis of a reference case regarding a company that adopts a strategic approach to CSR: the Beghelli Group, an Italian firm producing emergency and energy-saving lighting, electronic safety and security systems and renewable energy products. It reviews how this company has created a link between competitive advantage and corporate social responsibility, by focusing on a specific social issue.
