Corporate citizenship refers to a company’s responsibility towards society. It is expected by the public, all businesses have basic ethical and legal responsibilities. However, most businesses understand the need to go the extra mile, as they establish a strong foundation of corporate citizenship. They create a balance between the needs of shareholders and the needs of the community/environment.
CSR can be seen as a broad concept of Corporate Citizenship. It means that you operate in a way that enriches society, locally and globally. The (European) principle is based on three constructs: economic, legal and ethical responsibility [6]. It can include a broad range of issues, such as human resource management, economic development, fight pandemic diseases and environmental protection [7]. The goal is not to invest in every initiative possible, but to make changes in your organisation and community. CSR is important for the community, but it is equally valuable for a company.
It’s not a requirement, but there are several ways to show your Corporate Social Responsibility. For example with a donation to a chosen cause in response to every consumer purchase made [8] (Cause-related marketing), such as the Pampers 1 pack = 1 vaccine campaign. Another way is to focus on improving public health, safety, the environment or the community by supporting a behaviour change campaign (Corporate Social Marketing), such as the “Ben er weer” campaign by the Dutch phone company Ben. This campaign creates awareness for the fact that sometimes we’re so focused on our phone that we forget about our kids.
