A Conceptual Framework of Corporate Social Responsibility and Innovation

Abstract

Innovation and sustainable development are major contemporary issues. Innovation represents an important tool for achieving corporate social responsibility while sustainable development is a challenge for business and emphasises the direction that innovation activities can take. The objective of this contribution is to specify innovation and social responsibility outlines and to propose a conceptual framework of their complementarity in a small and medium enterprise perspective. This approach enables us to reflect on the role of innovation in responsible entrepreneurship by illustrating a scheme which brings together these concepts in an integrated approach.

Keywords: Sustainability, CSR, Innovation, Small business

JEL Classification: M10, M14, O32