Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility in Practice (2nd Edition)

Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility in Practice: Institutions, Strategy, Innovation, Marketing, and Global Legitimacy offers a comprehensive, contemporary examination of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a central feature of modern business strategy and governance. Moving beyond narrow views of CSR as philanthropy or public relations, the book presents CSR as a dynamic, institutionally embedded practice shaped by power, legitimacy, regulation, and market forces.

Drawing on nearly two decades of scholarship, teaching, and professional experience, the book integrates ethical theory, stakeholder management, strategic management, innovation, and governance into a unified framework. It traces the evolution of CSR from its moral origins to its present entanglement with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing, mandatory regulation, and political contestation. Particular attention is given to how corporations navigate competing expectations from investors, regulators, employees, communities, and civil society in a globalized economy.

The book examines CSR as a strategic capability that influences risk management, long-term value creation, innovation, and organizational learning. It analyzes the role of CSR in marketing and communication, highlighting issues of reputation, greenwashing, and corporate legitimacy. Through in-depth discussion of multinational corporations, global supply chains, small and medium-sized enterprises, and comparative regional contexts, the book demonstrates how CSR practices vary across institutional environments while remaining subject to shared global pressures.

A distinctive contribution of this volume is its emphasis on governance and accountability. Boards of directors, measurement systems, incentives, assurance, and regulatory frameworks are treated as core elements of responsible business practice. The book also engages critically with contemporary challenges, including climate risk, technology and data ethics, political backlash against CSR, and the financialization of responsibility through ESG metrics.

Designed for MBA programs, upper-level undergraduate courses, and practitioners, Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility in Practice combines conceptual rigor with applied insight, offering readers the tools needed to understand, evaluate, and lead CSR initiatives in complex and contested business environments.