Corporate social responsibility - part 1

In this lesson

1. 0:00 Corporate social responsibility explained
2. 1:07 Four levels of CSR pyramid
3. 2:48 Cadbury case study in practice
4. 5:11 Social responsiveness and disaster response
5. 6:04 BP Deepwater Horizon reaction approach
6. 6:26 BP defensive and accommodation responses

About this lesson

You'll also discover how organisations respond when things go wrong, using the Deepwater Horizon disaster as a real-world example of reactive, defensive, accommodating, and proactive approaches. This content is essential for understanding the Strategic Business Leader (SBL) module and demonstrates how CSR connects to broader business strategy and stakeholder management. The lesson starts by mapping out the CSR pyramid, showing how organisations can progress from simply meeting basic economic and legal obligations toward ethical practices and genuine philanthropic commitment. You'll see how each level builds on the previous one, and why moving up the pyramid generally reflects stronger corporate values. The Cadbury case study brings this to life, illustrating how a business can invest in employee welfare, workplace safety, and community development while still operating profitably. The second part focuses on social responsiveness—how organisations handle crises and setbacks. You'll learn the four response strategies: reaction (denial), defensive (minimal action), accommodation (accepting responsibility), and proactive (going beyond expectations). The Deepwater Horizon oil spill provides a detailed example of how BP moved through these stages, from initially blaming contractors through to paying substantial settlements and accepting accountability.

Duration: 8m