Book Review: Corporate Social Responsibility & International Development: Is Business the Solution?

Abstract

Hopkins, M. 2008. Corporate Social Responsibility & International Development: Is Business the Solution? London: Earthscan. In this book, the terms of “Corporate Social Responsibility” and “International Development” have critiqued with the clearly important statements of business strategies and management solutions. The literature reviews within this book are very readable and well referenced, which includes the evolving literature on the business management subjects. It also highlights the strategic ways to deals with the arena of thought for enhancing the state-of-the-art of development studies: how the private and investment sectors work together in collaboratively ways through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which can be fostered social and economic development. However, in the blur lines of rhetoric and practice of CSR, very little research has dealt with the standardization of CSR practices due to the differentiation of contexts and perceptions among multi-faceted development economist, rural and urban development practitioners and environmental conservationist. Consequently, the effective CSR needs to include the more incisive examination of current ideas and trends of CSR and should be discussed among institutions, local administrative organizations, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), the governmental and international organization as the way of preparation in the variety of practices to meet the challenge of 21st century.