Sustainable Corporate Responsibility - The Foundation of Successful Business in the New Millennium

Abstract

There are many reasons to reconsider the terms “corporate responsibility” and “sustainability”. Despite their infl ationary use, there is still no convincing concept, which combines these terms. This paper, for the fi rst time, presents a holistic model of “Sustainable Corporate Responsibility” (SCR) mirroring all its different scopes in space and time. It outlines a philosophically founded introduction into the terms of “corporate responsibility” and “sustainability” and how they are interlinked. It, furthermore, emphasises a holistic understanding for what and to whom one should take on responsibility: In order to realise sustainable success in business economic, social and ecologic responsibility has to be taken equally into consideration. The model describes the possible ramifi cations of SCR constructions, highlighting typical company-profi les and, eventually, allowing better comparability. This way, best practice can be determined and highlighted more comprehensively.