For instance, the CSR definition used by Business for Social Responsibility is:
Operating a business in a manner that meets or exceeds the ethical, legal, commercial and public expectations that society has of business. On the other hand, the European Commission hedges its bets with two definitions wrapped into one:
A concept whereby companies decide voluntarily to contribute to a better
society and a cleaner environment. A concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis. When you review each of these, they broadly agree that the definition now focuses on the impact of how you manage your core business. Some go further than others in prescribing how far companies go beyond managing their own impact into the terrain of acting specifically outside of that focus to make a contribution to the achievement of broader societal goals. It is a key difference, when many business leaders feel that their companies are ill equipped to pursue broader societal goals, and activists argue that companies have no democratic legitimacy to take such roles.
