20 chapter 1 to it that crude work conditions, exploitation of the natural environment and outsourced corruption are veiled by enchanting ethical declarations, selective reporting of good performance and carefully managed spin. Proponents of the “civilised capitalism” thesis, and business consultants in particular, have argued that there is a so-called “business case” for CSR where environmentally and socially benign business strategies are driven by self-interest. The best illustration is eco-efficiency, where more efficient use of resources reduces expenses and increases profit. The same argument is made for improved work conditions, where workers, in return for job safety and more respectful treatment, engage constructively in productivity improvement. A third, “critical CSR” position, concurs with the greenwashing critique, but is founded on the belief that civic engagement and media pressure may be sufficiently powerful to counteract misleading corporate PR and force industrial change. Its proponents argue that, as civil society organisations reach out and acquire moral bargaining rights through media, their exposure of unacceptable behaviour and demands made on industry to stand by its CSR promises often lead to improvement. Brand-sensitive industry, which is particularly vulnerable to business reputation loss, is especially exposed to morally justified, critical media campaigns. The three positions on CSR might be seen to represent expectations at different stages of CSR evolution. The greenwashing thesis, which clearly indicates the “mockery stage”, reflects general opposition and scepticism. However, it indicates that the new business outlook had gained a certain momentum. The civilised-capitalism thesis envisages a further development, where CSR becomes a viable force and leads ahead to concrete practice. The critical position, also leading beyond “mockery”, makes CSR tangible by the involvement of critical stakeholders rather than reliance on initiatives from within the firm itself.
Liberalisation and Globalisation The CSR boom in the late 1990s and early 2000s is not incidental. It came in the wake of two decades of privatisation and deregulation, when liberalisation and internationalisation rolled back tariff barriers and other forms of political control and boosted business and markets. In Europe, the opening of the internal market for goods and services, followed by the dismantling of public management of infrastructure services, greatly expanded the competitive pressure. State protection of “national corporate champions” in return for national solidarity in
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