Corporate Responsibility and the Value of Value(s)

Abstract

In this book, we ask readers to consider what value means in CSR (for business and society, both by drawing from the past and by looking into the future), where it comes from and how it is enacted (organizational legacies or managers’ values) and its purpose (communicative value, co-operation, community). The chapter introduces the idea of value from an economic perspective and then explores the integration of values at the core of ethical business practice and CSR activities. It also provides an overview of the chapters, including historical developments of value in CSR, how value is linked to a positive vision of the future and how it is communicated by a range of private and public organizations to various audiences. Finally, it explains how leaders’ values can drive responsible business practice and enhance social cohesion, solidarity and resilience in fractured and unequal communities.