More recent incidents and scandals such as Sweatshops by different sports equipment and electronic devices producers and finally the financial crisis which made the headlines among many others, which did not make it to the front page, have forced companies to consider CSR way more than in the past. But also other issues such as climate change and global warming, human rights situation and terrorism affect how companies conduct their strategies and operational practices today. Almost every large corporation in the western world makes some effort to communicate how it is committed to social issues that lie beyond its basic profit objectives – even in controversial industries such as the tobacco and petroleum industry. The industries claim to produce healthier food more fuel-efficient vehicles, conserve energy and other resources in their operations to make the world a better place. CSR often begins to be wishful thinking to hide the true face of a business. Doubtless what has come to be called responsibility of companies for ecological and social issues besides economic issues is now a sales and branding instrument for many companies. Hence, numerous other companies, also small and medium sized companies are currently asking themselves the questions: Shall we also invest in CSR initiatives? Why should we do that – just to do something? Is this still an instrument to gain a competitive advantage? Especially the last question implies the question, if consumers still believe in the basic idea of CSR initiatives, or with the overload of CSR initiatives, if they even show reactance and mistrust against such issues.

More recent incidents and scandals such as Sweatshops by different sports equipment and electronic devices producers and finally the financial crisis which made the headlines among many others, which did not make it to the front page, have forced companies to consider CSR way more than in the past. But also other issues such as climate change and global warming, human rights situation and terrorism affect how companies conduct their strategies and operational practices today. Almost every large corporation in the western world makes some effort to communicate how it is committed to social issues that lie beyond its basic profit objectives – even in controversial industries such as the tobacco and petroleum industry. The industries claim to produce healthier food more fuel-efficient vehicles, conserve energy and other resources in their operations to make the world a better place. CSR often begins to be wishful thinking to hide the true face of a business. Doubtless what has come to be called responsibility of companies for ecological and social issues besides economic issues is now a sales and branding instrument for many companies. Hence, numerous other companies, also small and medium sized companies are currently asking themselves the questions: Shall we also invest in CSR initiatives? Why should we do that – just to do something? Is this still an instrument to gain a competitive advantage? Especially the last question implies the question, if consumers still believe in the basic idea of CSR initiatives, or with the overload of CSR initiatives, if they even show reactance and mistrust against such issues.

Master's Thesis from the year 2013 in the subject Business economics - Business Ethics, Corporate Ethics, grade: 1,5, University of applied sciences Dortmund, course: BWL - Unternehmensethik, Wirtschaftsethik, Marketing, language: English, abstract: The term and concept of "Corporate Social Responsibility" (CSR), which generally means that companies' voluntarily takeover responsibility for different social, economic, ecological, and culture issues, has gained such popularity among academics and the popular media that it seems to be ubiquitous nowadays. More recent incidents and scandals such as "Nestle - Powder Milk," "Shell - Brent Spar," "Enron," "Parmalat," Sweatshops by different sports equipment and electronic devices producers and finally the financial crisis which made the headlines among many others, which did not make it to the front page, have forced companies to consider CSR even more. But also other issues such as climate change and global warming, human rights situation and terrorism affect how companies conduct their strategies and operational practices today. It is observable that almost every large corporation in the western world makes some effort to communicate how it is committed to social issues that lie beyond its basic profit objectives. Only a brief glance at the websites of multinational companies is enough to notice that companies of many different industry sectors make much effort to present their corporate responsibility initiatives - even in controversial industries such as the tobacco and petroleum industry. The industries claim to produce healthier food more fuel-efficient vehicles, conserve energy and other resources in their operations to make the world a better place. In view of this, CSR begins to be wishful thinking or even propaganda to hide the true face of the business. Doubtless what has come to be called corporate social responsibility is now a key-marketing and branding instrument for many companies. Hence, numerous othe

Diploma Thesis from the year 2008 in the subject Business economics - Marketing, Corporate Communication, CRM, Market Research, Social Media, grade: 1,0, University of Applied Sciences Bremen, language: English, abstract: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is defined as "achieving commercial success in ways that honour ethical values and respect people, communities, and the natural environment" and is the topic of interest for this research paper. The aim of study was to investigate CSR communication and how it is perceived with a view to identifying how CSR can be communicated more effectively to consumers. The focus in this context was on relational CSR potentials and the effect of consumer-company identification as a main driving force behind relational CSR effects. In order to achieve this aim a comprehensive literature review was conducted to conceptualise the ideas on CSR, the CSR communication challenge as well the link between CSR information and consumer-company identification. Further, primary research was undertaken in terms of a consumer survey among German students in order to gain an understanding of consumer perceptions as well as to identify critical aspects of CSR communication. Results indicate that in spite of a general tendency of scepticism towards companies, consumers do accept and expect companies to communicate on their CSR activities. It also became apparent that interest in and support of the subject clearly exceed the awareness level, which suggests an unmet receptiveness regarding CSR information. In this context, women showed significantly more support and interest in the topic corroborating the established hypothesis of respective gender differences which was established within the theoretical discussion. As a conclusion of this study female consumers have to be considered as particularly receptive towards CSR information and as a particular valuable target for CSR communication. The high level of support in general and especially am

While the number of publications on corporate social responsibility has skyrocketed since the last economic crisis that began in 2008, challenges still remain in the modern economy that make socially responsible business a leading topic both in the field of science and business practice. The concept of corporate social responsibility covers not only practices implemented by enterprises but also attitudes represented by consumers and other market entities. Though much has been written about corporate social responsibility and the potential benefits it offers businesses, there remains a misunderstanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR), responsible management (RM) and responsible consumption (RC). Examining the level of responsible management practices implemented by Polish enterprises and assessing consumer attitudes in the field of corporate social responsibility will serve to identify best business practices and enhance management theory. Because this research examines both sides of the market, companies and consumers, it offers a more holistic view on social responsibility, responsible management and responsible consumer behaviour. The contribution of this book is the development of the assessment tool for measuring social responsibility of every enterprise – Enterprise Social Responsibility Index (EnSRI) and Consumer Social Responsibility Index (CnSRI). This book is written to meet the needs of academics, students, company owners and managers. It also provides an integrated view of responsibility from the point of view of both enterprises and consumers.

Seminar paper from the year 2016 in the subject Business economics - Business Ethics, Corporate Ethics, grade: 1,0, University of Applied Sciences Essen, language: English, abstract: The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) becomes more and more important, as overcoming “the increasing environmental and social problems is one of the biggest challenges of this century”. Over the last years the discussion about the duty of companies to assume responsibility for society is well underway. Not only in executive boards, politics or science the concept in gaining in popularity, also the media addresses the subject with increased regularity and presents responsible companies with its management approaches. On the other hand, hardly a day will pass without having to deal with headlines of large organizations who have crossed borders of business ethical behavior and moral acting. One example is the electronics manufacturer “Foxconn”, one of Apple’s former suppliers and a big player in its branch: 2010, the suicides of 18 young employees, as a result of the bad working conditions at the Foxconn factory plants in China, shook the employer giant and the international community. The illustrated dichotomy is a matter for reflection and therefore well suited for the present seminar paper. The following pages now then deal with the these main questions: - What is the purpose of CSR and is it suitable for the intention of business? - Do companies use CSR only as a calculated strategy to survive in this complex marketplace? If so – is this morally right? - How much worth do the CSR promises of companies in terms of today’s times of globalization and growing competition actually have? The first chapters will give an overview on CSR as a theoretic basis for the following pages, referring to different concepts and definitions that exist. After that, chapter 3 deals with the applied example of Foxconn. First there will be given some facts and figures about Foxconn and the occurrences in the year 2010 in particular. In the next step the CSR activities will be shortly analyzed in order to contrast the applied CSR intention of Foxconn and the actual outcome.

This book provides an overview of the application of Corporate Social Responsibility in businesses and corporations around the world. Primarily based on real cases, it focuses on different approaches to CSR from a global perspective. It provides a critique of the “wrong” practices often employed even by multinational organizations, and highlights the resultant negative effects. On the other hand the book demonstrates good examples that can help multinationals or even entire countries to achieve both a better reputation and increased profitability. “CSR in the Global Business World” is a rich resource of illustrative cases, serving both as a basis for ongoing research as well as for teaching purposes at the business school level.

The goal of this project is to detail the core, defining principles of strategic CSR that differentiate it as a concept from the rest of the CSR/sustainability/business ethics field. It is designed to be a provocative piece, but one that solidifies the intellectual framework around an emerging concept--strategic CSR.The foundation for these principles comes from my perspective as a management professor within the business school. As such, it is a pragmatic philosophy, oriented around stakeholder theory, that is designed to persuade business leaders who are skeptical of existing definitions and organizing principles of CSR, sustainability, or business ethics. It is also designed to stimulate thought within the community of intellectuals and business school administrators committed to these issues, but who approach them from more traditional perspectives. Ultimately, therefore, the purpose of the strategic CSR concept (and this book) is radical--it aims to redefine both business education and business practice. By building a theory that defines CSR as core to business operations and value creation (as opposed to peripheral practices that can be marginalized within the firm), these defining principles become applicable across the range of operational functions. As such, they redefine how businesses approach these functions in practice, but also redefine how these subjects should be taught in business schools.