The CSR bottom line: Preventing corporate social irresponsibility

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a prominent topic. Researchers frequently understand CSR as the requirement for corporations to make additional contributions to the well-being of society. Accordingly, CSR is linked with the idea of “doing good.” However, beyond “doing good,” corporations also have the responsibility for “avoiding bad” in order to prevent corporate social irresponsibility (CSI), such as cheating customers, violating human rights, or damaging the environment. Thus, CSR entails both “doing good” and “avoiding bad.” Nonetheless, the issue of CSI and, accordingly, the responsibility for “avoiding bad” are not sufficiently addressed in the discussion of CSR. The article argues that the negligence of the issue of CSI constitutes a serious shortcoming of the current debate. The study here elaborates on the relevance of “avoiding bad” for the perceived social responsibility of corporations and provides a framework which captures the relationship between CSR (“doing good” and “avoiding bad”), CSI, and perceived CSR (pCSR).