ABSTRACT
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a global phenomenon in both private and public sectors. In spite of its growing popularity in recent times, CSR remains a multifaceted and contested concept. At conferences on CSR, participants often take its meaning for granted. They freely talk about it, as if it had a homogenous significance. There are nearly as many definitions of CSR as there are writers in the field, leaving the construct nebulous (van Marrewijk 2003; Gobbels 2002; and Henderson 2001) and open to conflicting interpretations (Windsor 2001). This makes one wonder how actors in this field cope with such diversity of meanings and interpretations. Some scholars prefer to call it “corporate responsibility,” others “corporate citizenship.” It also figures under the names “corporate sustainability,” “corporate sustainability and responsibility,” and so forth. Nonetheless, “corporate social responsibility” is the term predominantly employed by most business scholars and professionals (see Table 1.1).
