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Ye Olde CSR: The Historic Roots of Corporate Social Responsibility in Norway

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Abstract

This essay traces the roots of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Norway. It is argued that a basic tenet of CSR, an orientation toward the concerns of stakeholders, has a long history in Norwegian business, predating the modern CSR movement. The essay underscores certain qualities of the Norwegian business system and the Norwegian political culture in order to explain how this stakeholder orientation grew and how CSR is perceived and practiced today. Corporatism and dialog are traits which position Norwegian businesses well to address CSR in a globalized economy. Present-day examples of companies and practices are provided to illustrate key features of Norwegian CSR, as it has developed over the course of more than 150 years.

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Notes

  1. The movement took its name from its founder, Marcus Møller Thrane (14 October, 1817–30 April, 1890), a Norwegian author and journalist who emerged as a leader of the first Norwegian labor movement. It was this labor movement which later became known as the Thrane Movement (Norwegian: “Thranebevegelsen”).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Media and Communication, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Øyvind Ihlen

  2. BI Norwegian Business School, Oslo, Norway

    Heidi von Weltzien Hoivik

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  1. Øyvind Ihlen
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  2. Heidi von Weltzien Hoivik
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Correspondence to Øyvind Ihlen.

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Paper submission to “The Scandinavian Approach to Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability”, Thematic Symposium of the Journal of Business Ethics, June 1, 2012.

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Ihlen, Ø., von Weltzien Hoivik, H. Ye Olde CSR: The Historic Roots of Corporate Social Responsibility in Norway. J Bus Ethics 127, 109–120 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1671-9

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