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Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, Sustainable Development and Corporate Sustainability: What Is the Difference, and Does It Matter?

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  • Benedict Sheehy

    (Canberra Law School, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2617, Australia)

  • Federica Farneti

    (Department Sociology and Business Law, University of Bologna, 40125 Bologna, Italy)

Abstract

The terms “corporate social responsibility” (CSR), “sustainability”, “sustainable development” and “corporate sustainability” (CS) are critical terms for developing, analysing and evaluating public and private policy goals. These terms are used to make decisions about investment, policy development, and strategy creation. The terms emerged in different fields of endeavour at different points in time. Accordingly, they have different meanings; however, over time they have come to be used interchangeably mixing up policy agendas, confusing managers, regulators, activists and the public at large. We demonstrate that CSR is the best term for focusing on individual business organisations, “corporate sustainability” is an organisation level environmental policy, “sustainable development” is a public policy, and “sustainability” is the broadest term encompassing global local and organisational levels.

Suggested Citation

  • Benedict Sheehy & Federica Farneti, 2021. "Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, Sustainable Development and Corporate Sustainability: What Is the Difference, and Does It Matter?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-17, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:11:p:5965-:d:562040
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    4. Yamina Chouaibi & Matteo Rossi & Ghazi Zouari, 2021. "The Effect of Corporate Social Responsibility and the Executive Compensation on Implicit Cost of Equity: Evidence from French ESG Data," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-17, October.
    5. Jane Boeske, 2023. "Leadership towards Sustainability: A Review of Sustainable, Sustainability, and Environmental Leadership," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-18, August.
    6. Ruixin Su & Bojan Obrenovic & Jianguo Du & Danijela Godinic & Akmal Khudaykulov, 2022. "COVID-19 Pandemic Implications for Corporate Sustainability and Society: A Literature Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-23, January.
    7. Wenjian Li & Yang Zhang & Yuanyuan Wu & Xue Han & Benhai Guo & Gang Xie, 2021. "Enterprise Reciprocity and Risk Preferences and the Sustainable Cooperation of Innovation Activities in Industrial Parks," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-22, August.
    8. Xiaozhen Wang & Mark Yang & Kihyun Park & Ki-Hyun Um & Mingu Kang, 2022. "Social Sustainability of a Firm: Orientation, Practices, and Performances," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-12, October.
    9. Xin Xu & Yi Xie & Feng Xiong & Yan Li, 2022. "The Impact of COVID-19 on Investors’ Investment Intention of Sustainability-Related Investment: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-37, April.
    10. Agnieszka Kwarcinska, 2021. "Scope of Activities as a Criterion Determining the Type of CSR Actions with Regard to Employees: A Case Study," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(4), pages 882-893.
    11. Susanne Freidberg, 2023. "Metrics and Mētis: work and practical knowledge in Agri-food sustainability governance," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 40(1), pages 245-257, March.
    12. Alla Mostepaniuk & Elsie Nasr & Razan Ibrahim Awwad & Sameer Hamdan & Hasan Yousef Aljuhmani, 2022. "Managing a Relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-23, September.
    13. Natalia N. Yashalova & Dmitry A. Ruban & Natalia A. Latushko, 2021. "Cultivating Patriotism—A Pioneering Note on a Russian Dimension of Corporate Ethics Management," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-9, July.
    14. Stanley Y. B. Huang & Kuei-Hsien Chen & Yue-Shi Lee, 2021. "How to Promote Medium-Sized Farms to Adopt Environmental Strategy to Achieve Sustainable Production during the COVID-19 Pandemic?," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-8, October.
    15. Krisztina Szegedi & Tamás Németh & Dorina Körtvési, 2023. "Employer Branding in the Fashion Industry: CSR Actions by Fashion SMEs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-18, January.
    16. Andrzej Janowski, 2021. "CSR in Management Sciences: Is It “a Road to Nowhere”?," Economies, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-15, December.

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