Responsible Competitiveness

This paper explores the issue of responsible competitiveness, understood as the process through which companies embed CSR policies in core business competitiveness factors for the organization. That is, the paper aims to investigate how companies understand CSR, how they turn CSR strategies into policies and practices, how such policies and practices impact business processes, and how such impact affects firm competitiveness. Responsible competitiveness is explored through a literature review and four qualitative case studies using in-depth interviews and secondary data. I conclude that there is a direct and positive relation between CSR and competitiveness, but different for each company and usually perceived rather than measured. Finally, I suggest that responsible competitiveness should not be confronted using the same tools and processes used to implement other business processes, as it requires a different management approach.