ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses how consultants contribute with ideas, knowledge and tools within the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR). It focuses on the capacity of consultants to develop new knowledge that materialises into products or tools useful for clients in their development of responsible business. One of the striking aspects of business in recent decades is the tendency to adopt new management ideas, concepts or tools that diffuse rapidly across the globe. The process where consultants are active in expanding and diffusing new knowledge shows some characteristics that are highly relevant in the discussion about innovation. Basically, two elements tend to be seen as central for innovation. The first element is novelty. The second element in an elaborated understanding of innovation is what one could call applicability. The chapter ends with some tentative ideas on the significance of consultants for innovation within corporations.
