EVOLUTION OF THE CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CONCEPT: FROM ORIGINS TO THE SHARED VALUES ORIENTATION IN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABILITY

Abstract

The role of business in society is extremely important. Business responds to urgent problems and falls under socio-political influence. As a result, conceptual approaches to corporate social responsibility are dynamic, lively and actively developed under the influence of many factors, including public expectations. The article considers the development of corporate social responsibility concept in the period from the 1950s to the present. The theoretical analysis provided an opportunity to single out the differences in the target orientation of corporate social responsibility in the conceptual approaches of outstanding scientists to this issue. The study uses a chronological systematic approach to the evolution of conceptual approaches to corporate social responsibility. Due to the dynamism of the corporate social responsibility conсept, the study of its features at different stages is extremely relevant. The concept of corporate social responsibility is associated with a wide range of issues: motivation of companies to be socially responsible, groups of stakeholders on which companies are guided, incorporation of social responsibility into company strategies, performance of socially responsible initiatives, regulation of responsible behavior by society («soft») and by the state, etc. The obtained results allow to make conclusion that the scope of social responsibility has expanded over time: from the overwhelming focus on the company’s employees to a wider group of internal and external stakeholders and even the planet in general. Because global problems make the sufficient impact on the modern approach to the corporate social responsibility.