CSR Core Issues

Today we will discuss about the core issues of CSR. Practically, four main aspects are emerging out of the diverse approaches to CSR:

1. Human rights
2. Labour (rights)
3. Community (stakeholder involvement is only one part of the company’s responsibility to the community) and
4. Environment.

It is also obvious that the social responsibility of a company cannot be limited to only internal affairs. In a world facing rapid globalisation, actors and institutions have a responsibility that goes far beyond their own home ground. Large multinational corporations as well as small and locally based businesses cannot close their eyes to human rights violations and unacceptable working conditions among suppliers or contract workers in distant parts of the world.

The same is the case for environmentally damaging operations.
The division between internal and external can be somewhat difficult to capture. In our understanding ‘internal’ is related to the condition in the company, while ‘external’ refers to a company’s responsibility within its “sphere of influence”. This might not be a good division for all companies. Many companies operate only in one country and have few relations to other parts of the world. Even if this is the case, there is hardly any company that does not buy raw materials or products from suppliers in other countries. However, the responsibility for the local community in which the company operates should not be forgotten and is a central element of corporate social responsibility. Therefore, the internal-external dimension is relevant also for businesses based in a western country with few ties to third world actors.