Organisational Learning and Chance

Overview

Recognition of this linkage, and acknowledgement of a vested interest in the sustainability of the contexts in which businesses operate, is the cornerstone of what has come to be known as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), or simply Corporate Responsibility. Broadly, CSR is the moral and practical obligation of market participants– producers, as well as suppliers, investors, consumers and mediators– to consider the effect of their actions on collective or system-level outcomes and to regulate their behaviour to promote systemic sustainability. Sustainability is broadly defined as strategy that promotes the satisfaction of needs in the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This unit discusses the debates, policies and strategies concerning CSR in terms of sustainable development, and the role of large and small-to-medium enterprises, consumers and other stakeholders in promoting sustainable business practices. Particular attention is given to the relationship between globalisation and environmental sustainability, and the emergence of social reporting, accounting and investment initiatives as part of a focused CSR agenda aimed at achieving realistic and significant long-term sustainability outcomes.

Key Features