Corporate social responsibility across Europe : a good example from the nordic countries?

Abstract

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) gains special relevance during last years, due to the modification of the international framework that business must deal with. It is considered as a particular business attitude, but from the European Union CSR is presented as an opportunity for businesses competitiveness at the same time they contribute to sustainable development, so they try to create a European reference framework. In this article we will analyze the situation of CSR in several European countries, not only from the point of view of business behaviour, but including the possible strategies and regulatory or guidance public frameworks of the countries considered, and we will wonder about the convenience or not of the existence of these common frameworks. We will review the different initiatives being developed at international level, paying special attention to actions by Northern European countries, which are obtaining very positive results, although still limited.