The Seemingly Inexorable Force of Business Driven CSR: From Do-Gooding Sideshow to Mainstream? 1

DRAFT Please do not cite or quote without permission This memo examines the impact of the seemingly inexorable force of business driven CSR on the organization of corporate functions. Has CSR evolved from a “do-gooding sideshow ” to mainstream? The memo argues that a shift has occurred from CSR as philanthropy to CSR as image-making. While companies also have begun to use CSR as a means of improving operations and in a few cases even the overall business strategy, at this stage in the CSR movement, the notion of so-called business driven CSR should not be exaggerated. Using data from the 20 largest Danish companies, corporate variation in CSR interest can be partly explained by sectoral factors and by individual corporate history. The shift from philanthropy to CSR as image-making is to a large extent driven by new governmental regulation intended to encourage companies to strive to meet international CSR standards, most notably the UN Global Compact, in order to improve their international competitiveness