The Market For Virtue

The principles and practices of corporate social responsibility date back more than a century , but the current wave of global interest is unprecedented. With The Market for Virtue, David Vogel has provided the most comprehensive analysis to date of the contemporary CSR movement in both the United States and Europe. Growing awareness of CSR is evident in the growth of social and ethical investment funds, voluntary codes of corporate conduct, and companies' self-reporting on social and environmental practices. Deep grassroots interests can be seen in boycotts, protests, and the growing number of organizations monitoring corporate social and environmental performance. A renowned authority on business-government relations, Vogel offers a thoughtful and balanced appraisal of the movement's accomplishments and limitations, including a critical evaluation of the business case for CSR. While acknowledging the movement's achievements--most notably in labor, human rights, and environmental conditions in developing countries--Vogel also demonstrates that CSR's potential to bring about a significant change in corporate behavior is exaggerated. While corporate social responsibility can be a us