Representing corporate social responsibility. A case study of Romaniaʹs Top 100 companies

Tackling a field comparatively overlooked by sociological and marketing approaches in Romania, this article critically investigates the emerging corporate social responsibility discourse of Romaniaʹs top companies through the lens of their corporate websites. We aim at revealing the particularities of corporate social responsibility in a post-socialist business climate which is slowly being infused with Western-driven discourses of social engagement. The resulting corporate landscape is mostly populated by companies adopting a vision of corporate responsibility centered on the firm and the competitive advantages that derive from CSR activity which does little towards recognizing the embeddings of business in the very fabric of social life.