|
Corporate Social Responsibility |
|
This is modern phraseology for an old concept that suggests a company is not just responsible to its shareholders, but also to its employees, customers, suppliers, investors, the local community etc. In plain English, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the art of balancing business needs with good employee relations, environmental awareness, playing fair with suppliers, playing an active part in the local community and making regular donations to charity - i.e. a return to having corporate values to be proud of, and a desire to 'put back in' as well as 'take out'.
The original corporate social responsibility companies in Britain were founded by the Quaker families. They ran businesses such as Rowntrees, Cadbury, Fry's, Terry's etc and were also the founders of Lloyds and Barclays Bank. These Quaker business owners are famous for having looked after the families of their employees as well as their employees, for having ethical employment and business practices and for having invested greatly in their local communities in the areas of housing and education etc.
|
