The Case for Corporate Social Responsibility

Professor Aneel Karnani’s article, “The Case Against Corporate Social Responsibility” in The Wall Street Journal, takes a position that goes squarely against the merits of CSR. Digging deeper, we see that Professor Karnani believes “social responsibility is a financial calculation for executives, just like any other aspect of their business.” If socially responsible business practices must positively contribute to the bottom line, proof of their ability to do so is, quite literally, in the numbers. 68 percent of companies generate revenue through CSR activities, according to IBM’s Institute for Business Value. The Economist’s Economic Intelligence Unit found that 69 percent of CEOs say there is a strong correlation between a company’s financial performance and its commitment to sustainability goals.

However, when Professor Karnani reprises Milton Friedman’s 1970s-era position that the primary purpose of business is to make money, we must caution against myopically focusing on accounting ledgers. The road to profitability includes many checkpoints. While they may not have immediate quantifiable financial benefits, corporate reputation, talent recruitment, brand equity and differentiation, license to operate in global markets, among others, are critical to long-term profitability. In fact, as stated in Jeffrey Hollander’s The Business Case for Sustainability, reputation accounts for 75 percent of the total value of the average US business. Other indicators of CSR’s impact: during the recession, 65 percent of people have remained loyal to a brand or company because it supports a good cause (Edelman goodpurpose™ Consumer Study); 90 percent of people are more likely to work for a company that is viewed as socially responsible (Kelly Services); the perception of “doing good” raises the premium consumers are willing to pay for a brand by six percent (World Bank’s Independent Evaluation group).

A company cannot simply decide to be socially responsible and begin touting itself as such. Social responsibility must be embedded within sound business strategy. By approaching CSR in the same way that other business problems are addressed, Harvard Business School professor, Michael Porter, states that “[it] can be much more than a cost, a constraint, or a charitable deed – it can be a source of opportunity, innovation, and competitive advantage.” Companies that get this right have aligned public and private interests and are, by their very existence, socially responsible. While Professor Karnani seems to assert that these examples are rare, we would assert the opposite. Today there are countless examples of socially responsible companies large and small – from Nike and SC Johnson to TOMS Shoes and Method – addressing a myriad of social, environmental and economic issues locally, regionally and globally. They embody the future of business.

Social responsibility is the new business paradigm. 95 percent of CEOs, according to McKinsey, believe that society expects business to tackle social problems more so today than it did five years ago. The Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship found that 74 percent of American consumers believe, in the current economic climate, companies must keep their “commitment in keeping corporate citizenship among the top business priorities.” So, when Professor Karnani states that the effort of companies to solve societal issues is irrelevant and that these tasks are better handled by governments and NGOs, executives and their customers would likely disagree. Perhaps business’ ability to be innovative and use its power for good is best stated by Virgin CEO, Richard Branson: “Business is the force of change … because problem-solving is what business is best at: innovating, changing, addressing risks, searching for opportunities.” In this regard, Branson asserts, “there is no more vital task.”

In short, it only benefits corporations to be socially responsible, and to not treat CSR as separate but incorporate social responsibility into the very fabric of the organization. The payoffs of doing so will be triple-fold: social, sustainable and fiscal.

 

Carol Cone
Managing Director, Brand & Corporate Citizenship
Edelman

Comments

[Courtlandsmith]

Great post Carol! Completely agree. Very confused as to why wsj picked up an article with such flimsy logic.

[carol cone]

I agree with you. Is it being contrarian that caused this to get picked up? Who is reviewing submissions for content???

[Laura Ferry]

Yes, I would agree Carol. Seems like a strategy to get attention rather than a strong editorial opinion....which it did! I'm surprised an academic would present a case with so little basis. I wonder what his students are learning in class?

[nancy longacre]

Perfect response, Carol! The facts that you provided are certainly very compelling to strengthen and support the case for corporate social responsibility.

[oil mill]

Thumbs up to your creativity, your way of writing, your narration, your intelligence and lastly your decision to write on this topic! Hats off man…keep it up.y

[small business consulting]

I don't see any problems with the CSR activities done by companies. Most of them benefits from these activities and helps them in a lot of ways.

[actiemarketing bureau]

This blog shares some good thoughts about business. It is really important for a businessman to know more facts about the field of business before entering into it. Skills and knowledge will be their armor on this world.