May 20, 2010

Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS) has progressed from purely philanthropic activities to functions that are ingrained in many aspects of business practice.  

CSR permeates all aspects of business, from written principles and reporting to public relations and branding, according to a report from Oxford Analytica, an independent strategic-consulting firm. 

The acceptance and implementation of CSR principles and practices is most prevalent in large corporations.  In addition, investors widely accept CSR, even though it implies that companies will have to take into consideration issues other than corporate profits. 

Pressure from institutional investors has resulted in more serious consideration of CSR issues, including the formation of funds that seek to maximize profit while following social and environmental criteria.  A total of 10-18 percent of investment funds in the United States and Western Europe are managed taking into account CSR criteria and some stock exchanges have indexes aimed at companies with strong CSR activities.

Full article