Opinion: Corporate Social Responsibility Doesn’t Pay Off

Contrary to the belief that companies that demonstrate strong corporate social responsibility enjoy stronger profits as a result, evidence that corporate virtue is rewarded and corporate irresponsibility punished is rather weak, says an opinion article in Forbes.

In a special section on corporate social responsibility, David Vogel, professor at the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley, writes that only a handful of consumers know or care about corporate social practices and records, and that most goods and services are purchased on the basis of price, convenience, and quality, rather than ethical appeal.

Plus: The magazine ranks the most-generous companies in America, based largely on data supplied by The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s annual survey of corporate giving.

(A paid subscription or short-term pass is required to view the Chronicle survey.)