Social Responsibility and The Company: A New Perspective on Governance, Strategy and the Community is a major contribution to the Institute or Policy Studies programme on business studies.

It is not necessary to suppose that companies face an inherent conflict in the choice between the pursuit of commercial success and contributing to the goals of society and the communities in which they operate.

This book explores corporate social responsibility in New Zealand from a business perspective, placing it in the context of current policy settings and the changing demands of competition, both of which govern sustainable business performance and are changing the terms on which companies must manage their environments. Research carried out for the book into the direction which social responsibility is taking in New Zealand companies revealed that a number of companies are giving consideration to their interaction with their communities, seeing wider stakeholder relationships as important sources of value to the company.

Drawing on contemporary theories and developments in corporate strategy and management, and observed practices of companies in New Zealand, the book develops a framework which focuses on vaue creation and pulls together a range of considerations in corporate purpose, corporate governance and corporate strategy. This is a framework that helps to satisfy the apparent contradictions between social responsibiliy and the fiduciary responsibilies of those who manage the company, seeing social responsibility as one of the range of strategies and capabilities that supports the economic function of the company, at the same time recognising corporate social responsibilies are an important consideration in the future landscape of business and community life in New Zealand.