NGOs and Social Responsibility

It is quite noticeable how much more prominent CSR has become - not just in the academic world and in the business world but also in everyday life. There are obviously a lot of factors that have led to this increasing interest - things such as poor business behaviour and the issue of climate change. Another thing that has become prominent is a concern with the supply chain of business; in particular, people are concerned with the exploitation of people in developing countries. Equally the concept of sustainability has suddenly become so common as to be ubiquitous for business and for society. At the same time, it has been recognised that a large number of nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) exist around the world and that these are increasing in influence. Many commercial businesses are recognising this and are forming alliances and other relationships with NGOs. Some people have suggested that this is just for PR purposes, but if both parties gain from such a relationship, then it is difficult to suggest that there is a problem. It is also becoming more apparent that NGOs are important in their own right and not just through any association with commercial organisation. The retreat of the state is also raising their importance and influences as they seek to fill the gaps left by this retreat.

NGOs themselves are also changing in many ways. It needs to be remembered however that there are many forms of NGO and that they seek to fulfil many diverse roles in society - to such an extent that generalisations can be difficult. The contributions in this volume seek to explore these issues to arrive at some conclusions regarding the relationship between NGOs and our understanding of CSR. The various contributors speak from different perspectives and different locations around the world and have different experiences and interpretations to offer. The results therefore present a diverse but balanced picture of the potential of any relationship between NGOs and social responsibility.