Over the last decade of the 20th century, the question of the relationship between organisations and society was subject to much debate, often of a critical nature. The decade saw protests concerning the actions of organizations, exposures of corporate exploitation and unfolding accounting scandals. At the same time, ethical behaviour and a concern for the environment have been shown to have a positive correlation with corporate performance. The nature of corporate social responsibility is therefore a topical one for businesses and academics. There are, however, many different perspectives as to what is meant by corporate social responsibility and how this might be applied within organizations. This book explores some of these perspectives, based upon the experiences of people in different parts of the world. The authors involved are respected academics from a variety of disciplines and from a number of different parts of the world. The contributions to this book investigate theoretical perspectives on the topic, the application in practice of socially responsible behaviour and the ethical dimension of such behaviour.
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List of Contributors
1 Introduction: Perspectives on Corporate Social Responsibility by David Crowther and Lez Rayman-Bacchus 1
2 Assessing Trust in, and Legitimacy of, the Corporate by Lez Rayman-Bacchus 21
3 Limited Liability or Limited Responsibility? by David Crowther 42
4 The Power of Networks: Organising versus Organisation by Branka Mraovic 59
5 Social Performance in Government: Choosing Fiscal Health over Physical Health? by John Mahon and Richard McGowan 85
6 Corporate Social Responsibility: Exploration Inside Experience and Practice at the European Level by Rute Abreu and Fatima David 109
7 Corporate Social Reporting: Genuine Action or Window Dressing? by David Crowther 140
8 The Impact of Socially Responsible Investment upon Corporate Social Responsibility by Thomas Clarke and Marie de la Rama 161
9 Bioengineering and Corporate Social Responsibility by R. Seminur Topal and David Crowther 186
10 Social Responsibility is Free - How Good Capitalism can Co-exit with Corporate Social Responsibility by John Peters 205
11 Management by Love and Kindness and the Consequent Implications by Roger Haw 217
12 The Future of Corporate Social Responsibility by David Crowther and Lez Rayman-Bacchus 229