Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as defined by The World Business Council for Sustainable Development is "the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large. CSR centres around the relationship between business and society and how business behave towards their key stakeholders such as employees, customers, investors, supplier, communities, and special interest groups.(Hick, 2000) In today’s business practice, CSR is entwined in it business planning due to its increasing importance to both employees and stakeholders. This essay will look at the driving forces behind CSR from the perspectives of various stakeholders and discuss the possible conflict between these stakeholders when implementing CSR initiatives.
The drive behind CSR has often been questioned by critics. Is it based on genuine interest or having other ulterior motives? Becker-Olsen, Cudmore and Hill, 2006, views CSR activities can be motivated by the sole purpose of doing good and not only as a means to make profits. People, who form part of the organization, view CSR as an opportunity to do something morally right and contribute to the good of the public. This is possible as generally people strive to achieve congruence among their values in the different roles they have to fulfill. Thus, they appreciate the opportunity to align their private values in their professional life (Ulrich, 1999). From the perspective of environmentalists and human rights groups, who does not benefit personally or financially, this viewpoint seems to be true.
However, according to Werther and Chandler 2006, corporations are more likel ...