Corporate Social Responsibility, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation (Routledge Studies in Business Ethics)

Despite its recent popularity in literature, theory, and practice, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) remains a vague concept that struggles to define itself beyond the confines of corporate philanthropy or sustainability. In some circles, it is a response to the present and anticipated climate change challenges, while in others it focuses on fair trade, corporate governance, and responsible investment. What then is CSR, and how do we understand its purpose? In Corporate Social Responsibility, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation, authors Kenneth Amaeshi and Paul Nnodim consider the governance of corporate externalities (positive and negative impacts of firms on society and the environment) as the main thrust of the CSR discourse – a field that hitherto only the state has regulated, with sometimes coercive actions.

This book contributes to the theorization of CSR by presenting the meaning of CSR in a clear and distinct manner, giving the ongoing CSR debate a new direction anchored on a firm economic philosophy. It reinforces the view of firms as social institutions as well as economic actors, establishing CSR as a form of justice rather than philanthropy. Articulating CSR as private governance of corporate externalities, for the first time, this book provides researchers with a new paradigm to translate knowledge into action and offers reflective managers an alternative framework in which to explore their corporate strategies and decisions.

Kenneth Amaeshi is Reader in Strategy and International Business at the University of Edinburgh, UK, a Visiting Fellow at the Doughty Centre for Corporate Responsibility, Cranfield University of Management, UK, and a Visiting Professor at the Lagos Business School, Nigeria.

Paul Nnodim is an Associate Professor and the Chair of the Department of Philosophy, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Modern Languages at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (Massachusetts State University System), MA, USA.

Onyeka Osuji is Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Exeter, United Kingdom.