Jake's View | Moral hubris drives talk about corporate social responsibility

"Currently in Asia, there is a lack of understanding about what [corporate social responsibility] really is"

He's right. I don't understand what CSR really is, and I live in Asia. What is more, I don't think you have to live in Asia to lack understanding of what CSR really is. Any place will do when everyone has a different definition and it changes daily.

Here is Mr Welford's own definition from a special report on corporate social responsibility, which we recently published: "CSR is about companies achieving commercial success in ways that honour ethical values and respect people, communities and the natural environment."

This describes most companies I know or have ever researched as either an investment analyst or a journalist. I am aware of shady operators, but they tend to operate as small, one-boss shops or as individuals within larger companies.

To the extent that corporations can be likened to individual humans, the large majority honour ethical values and respect people, communities and the natural environment, which says that Mr Welford's definition doesn't really mean much.