Corporate social responsibility and ethics

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the meaning of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its relationship with the subject of ethics to provide a backdrop for a discussion of dilemmas that multinationals and their expatriates face in managing international business. The chapter begins with an introduction to the meaning of CSR and discusses various aspects of ethics that form the basis for CSR today. It then shows the links between CSR and business ethics. The chapter illustrates the different approaches taken to discern right from wrong and the problems associated with coming to a common understanding of ethical behaviour in different cultures. It also shows the lack of ethical business practices and considers the difference between the concepts of universal ethics and ethical relativism in two separate case studies.