THE CASE AGAINST CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: CSR an illusion, even potentially dangerous because it distracts from the core responsibility towards shareholders? Aneel Karnami argues in WSJ 23/8 that the case for CSR is either irrelevant (there were business and and public interests are aligned) or ineffective (where shareholder interests are opposite to public interests). The issue is whether or not profits and public good are at odds.

Well, business can not be profitable without customers, business will fail in failed societies, ecosystem degradation has direct impact on the business performance, so does social unrest. Picturing the contradiction as in the WSJ is false: thriving businesses make sure that their mission is aligned with the realities, risks and opportunities in the societies in which they operate. So the case for CSR as "irrelevant" becomes increasingly relevant, mainstreamed. Those CEO's who do not embrace CSR as a fundamental driver for their business in the interest of their shareholders and stakeholders will face desertion by their stakeholders (incl talent, customers) and extinction over time. Those CEO's who adopt CSR as core to their business should consider being leaders, rather than adaptors.

So, the case for CSO: corporate social opportunity......it's really there!