Technology & CSR Technological growth is fueled by a number of factors. The most important is changing conditions in the external environment. As new challenges arise, new technologies must be developed to meet those challenges. Another factor is competition. In many industries, business is so competitive that new technology is required to give companies competitive advantage, so they develop it. Another factor is increasing wealth in the world. Nations are contributing to the growth of technology that have not been able to make contributions in the past. All of this has an impact on corporate social responsibility. However you define CSR and whatever types of new technologies are created, companies must always keep in mind that they need to be ethical and remember their responsibilities to society.

Any number of corporate social responsibility issues can arise out of the use of technology and scientific research, since all three terms are broad and vague. For one, there are issues with respect to informed consent...

Another issue is related to whether or not the usage of such things is for the greater good. If one takes a consequentialist view of things, then any use of technology, research, etc. needs to be evaluated for its potential outcomes (Sinnott-Armstrong, 2011). That many of these outcomes are either unforeseen or indirect makes it difficult to conceptualize for the purposes of evaluating whether such usage conforms to the norms of corporate social responsibility.
There is also the question of whether corporations can be relied on to self-regulate, or whether they need to be subject to government regulation. In the West, it is generally viewed that corporations have a social responsibility to earn profit for their shareholders (Friedman, 1971). While most companies everywhere have some understanding of CSR, the interpretations vary wildly. This is true for governments as well -- contrast environmental…