Samsung – Stages of Corporate Citizenship

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as part of business strategy has shown increased prominence in contemporary business world. On a daily basis the roles corporations play in society are scrutinized by the media who constantly lookout to report on scandals, corporate misbehavior or, the positive contributions businesses have on society (Crane, 2008). Induced by this, corporations are facing increasing pressure to legitimate their practices and take account of the impact they have on society, which has led to the emergence of what Crane (2008) refers to as a ‘CSR Movement’.

The concept of CSR emerged in the 1960/70’s as an American Doctrine that has popularized in recent decades due to the emergence of factors including globalization and the rise of global/transnational corporations (Jenkins, 2005).
Attitudes around this concept have also altered from viewing CSR as a philanthropic exercise to a concept/practice necessary for corporate survival. The latter point can be supported by a numerous examples of organizations that have not complied with ethical/socially responsible standards, such as Nike, who faced numerous allegations of unethical conditions at its overseas suppliers in the 1990’s (Zadek, 2004).

It is virtually impossible to define CSR due to the every-evolving nature of the concept. Various sources including academics, articles, and websites tackle, and all produce unique definitions of the concept. Crane, Matten and Spence (2008) however focus on the characteristics CSR displays. They established that CSR encompasses 6 core characteristics that are evident and should be considered: Voluntary (activities beyond the legal requirements of a business), Internalizing or managing externalities (accounting for the positive and negative side effects the business has on society), Multiple Stakeholder