Development of a cost model of corporate social responsibility : implications for issues management

The literature on corporate social responsibility has been researched for information vital to corporate decision makers in their quest to integrate organizational and societal objectives. Results of the research culminated in the development of two models useful to policy planners and issues managers charged with positioning their corporation as a responsible member in the social system. One model, the Issue Planning Variables Model, illustrates the interdependent nature of seven socially-oriented variables which a corporation must address in executing its primary economic goals. The second model, a Cost-based Decision Matrix, permits a non-quantitative calculation of the various costs associated with different response options when making issue-oriented decisions. This thesis can be used to guide empirical studies on the relationship between corporate social responsibility and economic performance.