When budgets shrink and companies look to cut costs, what gets the axe first? This question is particularly relevant during difficult economic times as procedures are streamlined and excess spending is trimmed. It would be easy to brush off public relations and marketing as expendable luxuries which are not intrinsic to a company's bottom-line. But in a recent study by [...]
"As long as any business depends on its customers, their concerns, at whatever level, should also be the concerns of the business." This quote from Forbes magazine succinctly describes the philosophy behind corporate social responsibility, or CSR. Proponents of CSR laud its capacity to combine success in business with sustainable practices. Yet despite these positive associations, CSR is often criticized [...]