This book forms a conceptional analysis of and an empirical study on the business case for corporate social responsibility (CSR). CSR is understood as a multi-dimensional and multi-relational concept which relates to the responsibilities ascribed to companies by various stakeholders. In contrast to the mainly normative discussions on CSR in Germany, this study analyses empirical antecedents and financial impacts of corporate social performance (CSP). It adds to the long lasting research tradition on the business case for CSR by employing hitherto unused data on CSR. The study proposes additional statistical analyses to account for the widely neglected econometric problem of endogeneity due to simultaneous causality. Although the results indicate that CSR can be in line with economic goals in some cases, they do not support the assumption of a causal relation between social and financial performance.

• Profound and conceptual analysis of linkages between CSR and financial performance
• Overview of recent empirical studies in CSR
• Econometric analysis of relation between corporate social and firm performance