Corporate Social Responsibility

In a well-written, 2- to 3-page paper, evaluate a scholarly article related to CSR, and
discuss the merit of the article for today’s organizations.
Keys to the Assignment
Visit the library, and find a scholarly article related to Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR).

1. In 1-2 paragraphs, define what is meant by CSR.
2. Briefly summarize the article (1-2 paragraphs).
3. Discuss the contribution of the article to our knowledge of CSR i.e., discuss why the
   article is important to our understanding of CSR. In short, why does this article matter?
4. Be sure to use at least one additional source from the library (other than your chosen
   article) to support your discussion and analysis (choose a source that is not included in the
   Background section of Module 2).
5. Follow the guidelines in The Student Guide to Writing a High Quality Academic Paper
6. You are expected to demonstrate evidence of critical thinking as defined in the Module 2
   background materials and the grading rubric.
7. Save your completed paper, and upload your assignment before the due date.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is defined as a business approach that is
implemented to achieve sustainability while at the same time delivering social, economic, and
environmental benefits for stakeholders (Rangan, Chase and Karim, 2012). It is a broad term that
encompasses some concepts including environmental impacts, human rights, corporate
governance, and health and safety, and their contribution to economic growth. Modern
corporations are called upon to engage in activities that promote economic growth without
compromising the needs of stakeholders and the natural environment. Although Corporate Social

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Responsibility has been defined differently by various authors, its main goal is to drive change
towards the achievement of sustainability (Rangan, Chase and Karim, 2012).
In “Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Business: A Guide to Leadership
Tasks and Functions,” D’Amato, Henderson, and Florence (2009) explore the relationship
between leadership and corporate social responsibility. The authors have acknowledged current
publications by examining an annotated collection of literature on sustainability and corporate
social responsibility. To maximize the relevance of publications reviewed, the authors have
utilized literature that was published between 2000 and 2009. The key themes addressed by
D’Amato, Henderson, and Florence (2009) include corporate social responsibility
implementation strategies. Also significant are- the relationship between corporate social
responsibility and economic development, the role of corporate social responsibility in
promoting corporate identity, the relationship between corporate social responsibility and
accountability, and the importance of stakeholder involvement during the implementation of
corporate social responsibility.
In the article, D’Amato, Henderson, and Florence (2009) conclude that the approach of
CSR implementation applied by corporations depends on organizational structure and type of
business that they are carrying out. Also, there is a direct relationship between corporate social
responsibility and economic development in organizations. Furthermore, companies can achieve
maximum sustainability from their corporate social responsibility strategies if they pay attention
to accountability and stakeholder involvement. To respond to corporate social responsibility
requirements, D’Amato, Henderson, and Florence (2009) advise modern leaders to approach
their corporations regarding sustainable development.

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This article is critical to the understanding of corporate social responsibility in the sense
that, it helps readers to appreciate the role of leadership in the implementation of corporate social
responsibility in their efforts to achieve sustainability. In today’s business environment,
organizations are required to meet the needs the current generation while at the same time
ensuring that they do not compromise the ability of the future generations to respond to their
needs (Ridurnolu, Prhalad, and Rangaswarni, 2009). In this respect, D’Amato, Henderson, and
Florence (2009) are urging leaders to take full responsibility of how their business activities
affect their stakeholders as well as the natural environment. They advise leaders of modern
organizations to select the right corporate social responsibility strategies that will enable them to
achieve sustainability.
Furthermore, the article makes a significant contribution to the knowledge of corporate
social responsibility by explaining various approaches to corporate social responsibility
implementation. For several years, many organizations fail to successfully implement corporate
social responsibility because they do not know what will work for them as far as CSR
implementation is concerned (Rangan, Chase and Karim, 2012). Furthermore, some companies
find it difficult to weave together all the drivers of corporate social responsibility, especially
when they have some initiatives to execute. D’Amato, Henderson, and Florence (2009), through
their article, offer the best solution to such companies by guiding them through the concrete
actions that they can take to become socially responsible organizations. Specifically, these
authors explain that for modern leaders to realize the best from their corporate social
responsibility strategies, they must first conduct a thorough analysis of their financial situations,
the status of the national economy, and the existing regulations. They further assert that every
leader must involve all stakeholders and maintain high levels of accountability to realize positive

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 4
results from every CSR approach. The article stresses on the idea that organizations must
produce ethical behaviors to their stakeholders and the natural environment for them to achieve
sustainability in today’s business environment (D’Amato, Henderson, and Florence, 2009).
In conclusion, it is against business ethics for an organization to experience economic
growth while at the same time exposing its stakeholders to dangerous conditions. For this reason,
modern leaders are encouraged to focus their attention on increasing profits as well as on
protecting their stakeholders and the natural environment from harm. Several organizations have
failed to achieve sustainability despite putting extra efforts in corporate social responsibility
implementation. One of the possible reasons behind such as an experience is the failure by these
organizations to select the right corporate social responsibility strategy. D’Amato, Henderson,
and Florence (2009) offer direction to leaders of modern organizations on the best approaches
that they can utilize to implement corporate social responsibility strategy successfully. The
article is useful to both current and future leaders because its authors have incorporated
globalization trends in explaining CSR issues.
References

D’Amato, A., Henderson, S. & Florence, S. (2009). Corporate social sustainability and
sustainable business: A guide to leadership tasks and functions. North Carolina: Center
for Creative Leadership Press.
Rangan, K., Chase, L. A. & Karim, S. (2012). Why every company needs a CSR strategy and
how to build it. Harvard: Harvard Business School.
Ridurnolu, R., Prhalad, C. K. & Rangaswarni, M. R. (2009). Why sustainability is now the key
driver of innovation. Harvard Business Review, (September 2009): 57-58.