Social responsibility and social capital are high on the agenda of governments and corporations. But what of the small firm? Little is known about the small firm response to social issues, despite their domination of the business landscape. This book brings empirical research on social responsibility from Germany, the UK and the Netherlands together with the theoretical concept of social capital. It makes fascinating and sometimes surprising reading for all those concerned with the role business plays in society.

Modern business is obliged to meet increasingly demanding ethical, environmental, legal, commercial and public standards as defined by wider society. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has therefore become an important consideration for managers at all levels. This text introduces the key themes and issues in CSR.

This book is the first of its kind - a global overview of extant research on ethics in small and medium sized enterprises. While vast amounts of corporate money, government policy and media time are directed at the social and ethical activities of large corporations, small businesses don't generally attract the spotlight. This is wildly inappropriate, however, since upward of 90% of private businesses are small or medium sized. This book goes some way to helping us understand the social and ethical contribution of this majority organizational form. The first section of the book is a global...

Social responsibility and social capital are high on the agenda of governments and corporations. This book brings empirical research on social responsibility from Germany, the UK and the Netherlands together with the theoretical concept of social capital.