The article attempts to trace the recent development of the concept of good corporate citizenship and its impact on evolving standards of socially responsible corporate behavior. It seeks to differentiate opportunistic and responsible patterns of corporate behavior. It also attempts to place the issue of corporate social responsibility within the broader context of social, political and economic governance. Furthermore, it suggests future empirical work to determine if sustainable businesses are those that follow higher standards of corporate social responsibility. It discusses the recent growth of international corporate codes of conduct. It concludes by attempting to anticipate some of the social and political consequences of future universal governance regimes and codes of corporate conduct for both the advanced and emerging economies.
Governance; corporate citizenship; behavior; codes; stakeholders