What is Corporate Social Responsibility? - InnoTrain CSR

What is Corporate Social Responsibility?
1.6. Framework conditions for CSR in the company
In short
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a management strategy. Its purpose is
to permanently focus the core business of the company on the companyspecific
sustainability requirements. While the purpose of donations and
sponsoring is dealing with the distribution of profits, CSR in contrast
addresses the question on how the success of a company can be increased
with social, ecological and corporate commitment. However, in today's
economic practice, numerous companies are still applying CSR projects where
the actual business activity has already ended. Although well-meant CSR
projects are created as a result, they lack the CSR strategy and have little to do
with the company's core business. In critical cases, CSR is exclusively
subordinate to the public relations goals. Consequently, the value creation
potentials lie idle and the accusation of "greenwashing" will emerge sooner or
later.
Learning targets
� Get to know and discuss the correlation between CSR and core business
CSR learning contents
As long as CSR projects do not affect a company's business processes, they do not
represent a sustainable reorganisation of the core business. Such projects pass by
the criteria of CSR. Indeed, donations and sponsoring are commendable, but they fail
to achieve the foundation of responsible corporate management. The strategic reorientation
toward guaranteeing the future and sustainable corporate success
through CSR fail to materialise. Meanwhile, politicians and society acknowledge the
need for sustainable development. They consider companies to be part of society
and this attitude is associated with the corresponding corporate responsibility.
Companies can link this co-responsibility for sustainable development with their
economic goals by systematically managing social and ecological requirements in the
daily corporate routine through CSR.
CSR requires companies to pursue an approach with long-term focus. Similar to
quality management, this focus should not be subject to volatility, but it should be
unmistakably tied in with the company. CSR is a particularly driving force for
innovation and added value in the core business in the fields of research and product
development.
The project "InnoTrain CSR" is organized by GILDE GmbH and has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the
views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 12/2010
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