Sustainable development through corporate social responsibility

In the 21st century, business and society demonstrate a stronger strive for achieving a stable balance between social, economic and ecological goals, which is the basis of the concept for sustainable development. In the context of “Europe 2020,” the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) affirms its role as one of the most effective strategies for achieving this kind of development. The aim of this article  therefore , is to clarify the conceptual nature of CSR by putting an emphasis on the Carroll’s pyramid, and  its  importance to the corporate social initiatives as an expression of company’s commitment to CSR. This article is a qualitative article that gives an exposition on the implementation  of CSR and its  communication effect. This exposition  proves that  CSR offers many other positive effects for the companies apart from the strong communication effect to their current and prospective clients. By examining the six types of corporate social initiatives and their main characteristics and by putting a strong em phasis on the benefits that their implementation has in marketing and especially in branding aspect, this article attempts to outline the marketing perspectives of CSR considered as strategy for sustainable development   Keywords: Branding, Corporate social initiatives, Corporate Social Responsibility, Marketing, Sustainable development