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This chapter is excerpted from ‘Corporate Social Responsibility: A Strategic Perspective'. The goal of this book is to detail the core, defining principles of strategic corporate social responsibility (strategic CSR) that differentiate it from related concepts, such as CSR, sustainability, and business ethics. The foundation for these principles lies in a pragmatic philosophy, oriented around stakeholder theory and designed to appeal to managers skeptical; of existing definitions and organizing principles of CSR, sustainability, or business ethics. It is also designed to stimulate thought within the community of academics committed to these ideas, but who approach them from more traditional perspectives. Most importantly, the goal of this book is to solidify the intellectual framework around an emerging concept, strategic CSR, which seeks to redefine the concept of value creation for business in the twenty-first century. Ultimately, therefore, the purpose of this book is radical'it aims to reform both business education and business practice. By building a theory that defines CSR as core to business operations and value creation (as opposed to peripheral practices that can be marginalized within the firm), these defining principles become applicable across the range of operational functions. In the process, they redefine how businesses approach each of these functions in practice, but also redefine how these subjects should be taught in business schools worldwide. As such, this book will hopefully be of value to instructors, as a complement to their work; students, as a guide in their education; and managers, as a framework to help respond to the complex set of pressures that they face every day.