1. Corporate Social Responsibility
Chapter 3
Corporate Social Responsibility
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2014 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. Ch. 3: Key Learning Objectives
Understanding the role of big business and its responsible use of corporate power in a democratic society
Knowing when the idea of social responsibility originated and the phases through which it has developed
Investigating how a company’s purpose or mission can integrate social objectives with economic objectives
Examining the key arguments for and against corporate social responsibility
Defining a social enterprise and understanding its role in solving social problems
Evaluating business’s social obligations to help the world’s poorest members
Recognizing socially responsible best practices
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3. Corporate Power and Responsibility
Corporate power refers to the capability of corporations to influence government, the economy, and society, based on their organizational resources
The tremendous power of the world's leading corporations has both positive and negative effects
Positives include commanding more resources, producing at lower costs, planning further into the future, and bring new products, technologies, and economic opportunities to developing societies
Negatives include disproportionate influence on politics, shape tastes, dominate public discourse, divide markets, and squash competition
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4. Corporate Power and Responsibility
Iron law of responsibility says that in the long run, those who do not use power in ways that society considers responsible will tend to lose it
Given the virtually immeasurable power in the hands of the leaders of large, global corporations, stakeholders throughout the social system expect business to take great care in wielding its power responsibly for the betterment of society
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5. The Meaning of Corporate Social Responsibility
A corporation should act in a way that enhances society and its inhabitants and be held accountable for any of its actions that affect people, their communities, and their environment
It implies that harm to people and society should be acknowledged and corrected if at all possible
It may require a company to forge some profits if its social impacts seriously hurt some of its stakeholders or if its funds can be used to have a positive social impact
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6. The Origins of Corporate Social Responsibility
In the United States, the idea of corporate social responsibility appeared around the start of the 20th century
Faced with social protest, a few farsighted business executives advised corporations to use their power and influence voluntarily for broad social purposes rather than for profits alone
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7. Phases of Corporate Social Responsibility
Frederick provides expanded framework for understanding the evolution of CSR concept
Divided into 4 phases:
Corporate social stewardship, 1950s – 1960s
Corporate social responsiveness, 1960s – 1970s
Corporate/business ethics, 1980s – 1990s
Corporate/global citizenship, 1990s – 2000s
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8. Balancing Multiple Responsibilities
Multiple responsibilities of business include
Economic responsibilities
Social responsibilities
Legal responsibilities
Challenge is to balance all three
Successful firm is one which finds ways to meet each of its critical responsibilities and develops strategies to enable the obligations to help each other
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9. Enlightened Self-Interest
Economic and social goals come together in companies that practice enlightened self-interest
Means firm leadership can see it is in the company’s self-interest in the long term to provide true value to its customers, to help its employees grow and behave responsibility
Scholars have debated the related question: Do socially responsible companies sacrifice profits by promoting the social good?
Studies comparing CSR with firm performance shows there is a moderately positive association between the two factors
Corporate social and environmental responsibility is likely to pay off
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10. The Corporate Social Responsibility Debate
Figure 3.3
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11. The Social Enterprise
A business that adopts social benefits as its core mission
An organization that uses business strategies for the purpose of improving human and environmental well-being
Its primary purpose is not to maximize returns to shareholders
It can be large and established or small and new
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12. Social Entrepreneurship
Individuals who—like traditional entrepreneurs—act boldly to pursue opportunities, attract support, and build new organizations to create and sustain social rather than economic value
When a person or group of people identify a social need and use their entrepreneurial skills to address this need, this process is called social entrepreneurship
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13. The B Corporation
Also called a “benefit corporation” - a new type of corporation that seeks to blend its social objectives with financial goals
A B Corporation must prove its socially responsible by meeting the B Lab standards
B Lab is a non-profit organization that assesses a corporation’s social and environmental performance standards
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14. Serving the Bottom of the Pyramid
The term bottom of the pyramid refers to the poorest people in the world—nearly 4 billion who earn less than $2.50 per day
Business can carry out its responsibility to society by bringing products and services to these underserved people
Example: Grameen Bank uses microfinance to serve the bottom of the pyramid
microfinance occurs when financial organizations provide loans to low-income clients or solidarity lending groups who traditionally lack access to banking or related services
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