Confronting the Corporate Citizen : Expanding the Challenges of CSR

Abstract

For many large, global corporations, such as Nike, The Gap, etc. public criticism of their environmental and labour practices has highlighted the importance of protecting the global brand-image, and the need for a socially responsible attitude in its interactions with consumers. The development of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies has become a vital part of this process. These new developments within corporate strategy have created significant amount of research into both the positive and negative business impact of CSR. In particular, research has focused upon management approaches towards the initiation, implementation and auditing of CSR strategies, and as such they have largely been examined as a method for corporations to remodel themselves as global Corporate Citizens through greater interaction with civil society, the adoption of more ethical business strategies and the provision of greater openness and access to information. This article argues that CSR has broader implications. It argues that the evolution of CSR has become a two-way process of interaction between business and civil society. The increased strength and popularity of environmental/social movements has led to demands for greater transparency into the activities of global companies. As companies place increasing emphasis upon their ability to act responsibly as Corporate Citizens, CSR provides new opportunities for social actors to assimilate these strategies; enabling them to scrutinise, question and oppose the business practices of global corporations and challenging them to prove that there is more to CSR than merely corporate rhetoric.