Corporate Social Responsible Definition

GSB WORKING PAPER NO.62

Corporate Social Responsibility: A definition by Gail Thomas Graduate School of Business Curtin University of Technology Margaret Nowak Graduate School of Business Curtin University of Technology
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© Graduate School of Business, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia, 6001. Telephone [phone], Fax: [phone] ISSN 1323-7853 ISBN 1 74067 514 2 December 2006
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Working Paper Series 62

Corporate Social Responsibility: A definition I

by Gail Thomas Graduate School of Business Curtin University of Technology Margaret Nowak Graduate School of Business Curtin University of Technology

Working Paper Series No. 62 (Curtin University of Technology, Graduate School of Business)

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Corporate Social Responsibility: A definition
Introduction
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has variously been described as a ‘motherhood issue’ (Ryan 2002, p. 302) ‘the hot business issue of the noughties’ (Blyth 2005, p. 30) and ‘the talk of the town in corporate circles these days’ (Mees & Bonham 2004). There seems to be an infinite number of definitions of CSR, ranging from the simplistic to the complex, and a range of associated terms and ideas (some used interchangeably), including ‘corporate sustainability, corporate citizenship, corporate social investment, the triple bottom line, socially responsible investment, business sustainability and corporate governance’ (Prime Minister 's Community Business Partnership). It has been suggested that

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