Ten years ago, corporate social responsibility (CSR) was not a widely discussed subject in companies. Of course, the context was different. A decade ago, when the Rio Earth Summit happened, discussions were focused on environment and development, not sustainable development. From environment and development, we have moved to sustainable development.
Defining CSR for business
Although an increasing number of companies come to recognise that CSR goes beyond the 'good deeds in the community' and is a matter for strategic debate, there is no universal definition of corporate social responsibility because the concept is always being redefined to serve changing needs and times. It is up to each company individually to define the values and principles it stands for, its 'magnetic north' as we call it in the WBCSD.
While the fundamentals of CSR remain the same everywhere, different emphases are found in different parts of the world. The issues vary in nature and importance from industry to industry and location to location. The social issues faced by an energy company, for example, will be of a different magnitude compared to those faced by a pharmaceutical company, and tackling HIV/AIDS in the workplace will take on added intensity for operating units in Southern Africa, compared to those in Europe.
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