Title: European Union's policy on corporate social responsibility and opportunities for the maritime industry

Authors: Jan Skovgaard

Addresses: Copenhagen Business School, Denmark Kilevej 14, 3th floor, DK-2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark; Copenhagen School of Marine Engineering and Technology Management, Akademivej byg. 358, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark

Abstract: The European Commission encourages EU member states to promote corporate social responsibility (CSR) among national industries. Several EU member states have responded by legislation on CSR reporting and CSR action plans and strategies. This paper discusses the profitability of CSR and addresses the two following issues. To which extent has the EU CSR policies created opportunities for competitive advantage in the post-2008 maritime world and to which extent did the shipping industry utilises on these opportunities in 2008 to 2010 by implementing CSR policies compared to other industries.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility; business case; ethical profit maximising; strategic CSR; European Union; EU CSR policy; shipping; maritime industry; competitive advantage; post 2008 crisis.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSTL.2014.064572

International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics, 2014 Vol.6 No.5, pp.513 - 530

Accepted: 30 Sep 2013
Published online: 13 Sep 2014 *

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