For Business or the Good of All? A Finnish Approach to Corporate Social Responsibility

Abstract

Abstract The study suggests that the prominent driving force behind corporate social responsibility (CSR) is companies long-term profitability, supported by company leadership and efficiency, competitiveness, and the ability to anticipate the future. The long evolution of Finnish companies since the 18th century has created fertile ground for responsibility. Despite the absence of significant moral or ethical guidance, the thinking of the participating companies was for the most part business-oriented. The present status of CSR seemed to exist more on the theoretical then the practical level. The jungle of standards and measurement instruments is a serious problem. Communication was narrowly viewed and technical, and the prevailing paradigm was rather mechanistic.