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Article

20 Oct 2006

Author:
[opinion] Craig Smith - senior fellow in marketing & ethics, London Business School; Halina Ward - Intl. Institute for Environment & Development, in Financial Times

Business as usual is not the answer to society's problems

Britain is a leader in the field of corporate social responsibility [CSR]...Yet many of [its]...experts believe CSR is at a turning point and may be facing a quiet death. Worldwide practices have long been shaped, in good and bad ways, by the experiences of UK companies, non-governmental organisations and governments...Pressure has steadily built for responsible business practices, be it in the sourcing of clothes or the provision of essential medicines...Yet, for all its success, CSR has become a troublesome term that is actively avoided by many companies and campaigners...CSR is at a crossroads...Governments, in theory, prefer a "light touch"...Such a scenario seems unlikely for now. Examples of bad practice...show that the pure business case is still too weak...Many business leaders and non-governmental organisations are looking to the government to break this double bind by offering a clear policy framework...Leading businesses, in turn, need to raise their voices and act. [also refers to East India Company, Lever soap, Body Shop (part of L'Oréal), Shell]