Sustainability integration in corporate environments.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the concept that companies should pursue a role in society that is above just profits. Companies are seen to be socially responsible when they align themselves with values such as: ethical values, accountability and transparency, adhere to legal requirements and overall respect for the communities in which they operate. (Carroll 1991; Visser 2006). Companies are under pressure to adapt to these values due to the increase in awareness of the negative impacts of organizations, for example on the ecosystem. Social responsibility of organizations comprises of economic, legal, ethical, and altruistic expectations that society has of organizations at any particular time (Carroll 1991). It is expected that this attitude should go beyond the occasional community service activity. Furthermore, CSR is supposed to be a corporate philosophy that drives strategic decision-making, partner selection, hiring practices and, consequently, firm reputation is crucial. For instance, a lack of sensitivity of reputational risk led to the Shell Brent Spar case in 1995 which affected the profits and reputation of the company in continental Europe (Zyglidopoulos 2002)