Defining CSR and Corporate Obligation?

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) may be defined briefly as the responsibilities of corporations towards actors other than their shareholders, including human rights, environmental and other areas.

CSR has entered the discourse of governments, corporations, activists and public relations folk. This site is all about determining the content of responsibilities, identifying the stakeholders to which corporations are responsible and strengthening enforcement mechanisms whether legal or extra-legal. We also hope to move beyond CSR towards Corpobligation (Corporate Obligation). Corporations have obligations under the law and under customs of the market and their codes of conduct. The nature and boundary of these obligations are set by international organizations, governments, corporations, NGOS, unions, civil society, and you!

• The International Organization of Employers states that “CSR…is a business decision to move beyond compliance and is done for business reasons alone and is contingent upon the economic health of the business and its needs. It is, therefore, voluntary and varied by nature.” (International Organization of Employers, “The Role of Business within Society – Position Paper” (2005, May) at 2 .)

• The recent Canadian National Roundtables on the Extractive Industy, which included representatives from industry, civil society and government, defined corporate social responsibility as “the way firms integrate social, environmental and economic concerns into their values, culture, decision-making, strategy and operations in a transparent and accountable manner and thereby establish better practices within the firm, create wealth and improve society.” (Advisory Group: National Roundtables on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the Canadian Extractive Industry in Developing Countries, “Advisory Group Report” (Mar. 29, 2007))
• The World Business Council for Sustainable Development in its publication "Making Good Business Sense" by Lord Holme and Richard Watts , stated that "Corporate Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large"

Other CSR definitions:

• The Global Compact sets out a list of 10 principles that corporations commit to respecting

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