A series of global challenges means doing business is becoming much more complex than it used to be. How can we face up to these new challenges and deal with them in the context of CSR? Events like the recent uprisings in North Africa or environmental disasters such as the Japanese earthquake mean that geopolitics now occupies a central place in business strategy.

Doing business round the world, respecting the globe or doing business with the world? Three different viewpoints, three different approaches representing the three stages through which the relationship of business with society and the environment,centered on respect, has moved till now: From the concept of just “being”, to an approach centered on respect and now, finally, one that is focused on cooperation.

Document prepared by Corporate Excellence – Centre for Reputation Leadership with reference to, among other sources, the intervention of Mike Rosenberg (Assistant Professor of the Strategic Management Department at IESE) during the sessions of the Executive Education Program “Making Social Responsibility Work: The Cornerstone of Sustainable Business” organized by IESE Business School in Barcelona in July 2011.