Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Economy: an interaction towards sustainability

Abstract

Corporate Social Responsibility is an undisputed part of business discourse and, at cases, pragmatic action. Since the 1950s, vast amounts of literature, theories and propositions have been posited but they are mainly concerned with business: what it stands to gain or loose; how it should act, if it should act at all; who should play a role in the process and how; what values and ethical principles should it follow. These and other questions are all asked from a company's viewing point, but we propose a different perspective. Knowing that companies often find in not for profits1 a vehicle for their Corporate Social Responsibility actions, how can these charitable entities organize themselves in order to benefit from responsible business? We propose that not for profits can be proactive partners, in a win-win relationship that may provide them with much needed resources, especially at a time of receding welfare state and mounting social vulnerabilities. In this paper, we intend to demonstrate that Corporate Social Responsibility's body of knowledge already discusses some tools that may be used in this shifted viewing point. They need only be adapted to allow for this new approach to emerge.