The business of business is business. So why should corporations be involved in development? This groundbreaking new book makes the case that governments and their international agencies, grouped under the umbrella of the United Nations, have failed in their attempts to rid the planet of underdevelopment and poverty. If development is the objective then it seems that the solution and the responsibility lies with the private sector - particularly through the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes of large corporations, with their tremendous power and economic strength.

Written by noted CSR practitioner Michael Hopkins, this book is the first to explicitly link CSR with development. It spells out what corporations are doing on development, what more they could do and how CSR can be a useful tool to promote economic development via corporations. This is important and challenging reading for all of those in government, business and NGOs who think that there must be a better, more effective and dynamic way to kick-start development and eradicate poverty.

About the author(s)

MICHAEL HOPKINS is CEO of MHC International Ltd (London and Geneva), a research and service company that specializes in social development issues for the public and private sector. He is also Professor of Corporate and Social Research at Middlesex University Business School, UK, Visiting Professor at Brunel University, UK and author of The Planetary Bargain (2003, Earthscan).

Contents

Can CSR Pave the Way for Development? * What is CSR all About and Where is it Going? * Corporate CSR Development Case Studies: Failures and Success * Failures of Development: A Global View * Corporations Should Abandon Philanthropy and Concentrate on CSR * A Critique of CSR and Development * CSR and Poverty * Supply Chain Issues * CSR in developing countries * Limitations of International Agencies * Socially Responsible Investment in Developing Countries * Main Actions for Companies Involved in Development * Index