What are the most common CSR models for businesses to implement?

1 The Carroll model

The Carroll model, proposed by Archie Carroll in 1979, is one of the earliest and most influential CSR models. It suggests that businesses have four levels of responsibilities: economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic. The economic responsibility is the basic obligation to generate profits and provide goods and services to the market. The legal responsibility is to comply with the laws and regulations that govern the business. The ethical responsibility is to act in a fair, honest, and respectful manner towards all stakeholders. The philanthropic responsibility is to contribute to the well-being of the community and society through voluntary actions and donations. The Carroll model implies that businesses should balance and fulfill all these responsibilities simultaneously.

2 The Porter and Kramer model

The Porter and Kramer model, developed by Michael Porter and Mark Kramer in 2006, is a more strategic and value-oriented CSR model. It argues that businesses should focus on creating shared value (CSV), which means generating economic value in a way that also creates value for society by addressing its needs and challenges. The Porter and Kramer model identifies three ways to create shared value: reconceiving products and markets, redefining productivity in the value chain, and enabling local cluster development. The Porter and Kramer model emphasizes that businesses should leverage their core competencies and competitive advantages to create positive social change and long-term growth.

3 The ISO 26000 model

The ISO 26000 model, published by the International Organization for Standardization in 2010, is a global and comprehensive CSR model. It provides guidance on how businesses can operate in a socially responsible manner based on seven core principles: accountability, transparency, ethical behavior, respect for stakeholder interests, respect for the rule of law, respect for international norms of behavior, and respect for human rights. The ISO 26000 model also defines seven key topics that businesses should address in their CSR practices: organizational governance, human rights, labor practices, the environment, fair operating practices, consumer issues, and community involvement and development. The ISO 26000 model aims to help businesses align their CSR actions with international standards and best practices.

5 The Visser model

The Visser model, devised by Wayne Visser in 2010, is a critical and evolutionary CSR model. It challenges the conventional CSR models and proposes that businesses should move from a narrow and defensive approach to a broad and transformative approach. The Visser model outlines five stages of CSR maturity: defensive, charitable, promotional, strategic, and transformative. The defensive stage is when businesses deny or avoid their social and environmental responsibilities. The charitable stage is when businesses donate or support social and environmental causes. The promotional stage is when businesses use CSR as a marketing or public relations tool. The strategic stage is when businesses integrate CSR into their core strategies and operations. The transformative stage is when businesses innovate and collaborate to create systemic and sustainable solutions for social and environmental problems. The Visser model encourages businesses to progress from the lower to the higher stages of CSR maturity, and to become agents of change and value creation.