Definition: Corporate social responsibility "has been defined by the World Business Council as ‘the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and to contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families, as well as of the local community and society at large’. The intention of companies adopting a socially responsible corporate attitude is to ensure a positive social, environmental, and economic impact on the communities within which they operate and on all other stakeholders."
Typically corporate social responsibility focuses on improving the environmental and social impact an organization has within its community and the world.
Search Tip: If "corporate social responsibility" is not coming back with relevant results, try "social responsibility business" or "social responsibility" or "social issues" or even by specific issue: "human rights", "labor relations", "sweatshops", "green", "environmentally friendly" or "health", or "safety".
1. In the first search bar, type in the company's name. (To do an even more specific search, change the drop-down menu to show CO Company Entity)
2. In the second search bar, type in "corporate social responsibility." Using the quotations will force the database to search this entire phrase in this order.
To find CSR news articles on a company:
1. Under the main search box, click Advanced Search.
2. Under the main search box, now click Select a different content type.
3. Click News
4. Under the Terms section, add keywords like "corporate social responsibility" or "triple bottom line" (in quotation marks if you want it searched as a specific phrase).
5. If you are looking for information on a specific company, under Document Segments/Fields, enter the company into the Company Name or Ticker boxes. Note: it is important to enter the official company name.
6. Use any other advanced search fields and press Search.
Provides "access to codes of ethics for U.S. companies and trade and professional associations, ethics sites at college and university business programs, industry information resources, and company promotion of social responsibility."
Search for reports on businesses or charities (BBB Wise Giving Alliance)
Provides a fast way to find information about the exploitative practices of 4,000 businesses worldwide. Search by company name, issue, country or topic.
A business ethics manual from the US International Trade Administration.
Search this global directory of CSR reports on sustainability and the environment, covering thousands of companies.
A non-profit center that researches and analyzes companies and industries.
Find a B Corp
"B Corps are for-profit companies certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency."
Created by Michigan State University, they maintain a list of web resources on CSR.
Provides articles on current trends in business, technology, and sustainability.
Evaluates companies based on their record on human rights, social justice, environmental sustainability and more.
Global Reporting Initiative provides users with sustainability reports and other information.
Ranked by environment, climate change, employee relations, human rights, corporate governance, financial performance, philanthropy & community support. There is a link to access the full report near the bottom of the page.
Ranked by performance in citizenship, governance, and workplace dimensions.
A list of the world's most ethical companies according to ETHISPHERE. Check under Scoring & Methodology for information on the process.
A company's website should provide some information on ethics and social responsibility. Social or Corporate Responsibility refers to the company's efforts to be good citizens of the world.
Companies may have links under About Us or they may have links on their homepages. Look for terms such as: responsibility, sustainability, community, social impact, etc.
If not, do a search on the company website for corporate or social responsibility to see what they are doing to respond.
Here are some examples from Starbucks' website.
Clicking on social impact leads to a wealth of information.
Each link will give further information on the company's initiatives in those areas.