Corporate Social Responsibility in Finland

This book introduces a Finnish approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and embeds it within a broader discussion on the Nordic roots of business responsibility and stakeholder thinking. The first part of the book traces the origins of Finnish CSR from paternalism at the beginning of industrialization to the start of the welfare state. The second part discusses the characteristics of Finnish CSR in light of the cultural and societal context and structure, and the third part introduces current trends and challenges. Each section of the book includes case examples that illustrate Finnish CSR from different perspectives. The book will be of use to scholars and students with an interest in the Nordic approach to CSR.

• corporate social responsibility
• CSR
• business and society
• Scandinavian culture
• Finland
• corporate activism
• CSR history
• stakeholder approach
• sustainability

• LUT School of Business and Management, LUT University, Lappeenranta, Finland

  Laura Olkkonen, Anne Quarshie

Laura Olkkonen is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the School of Business and Management at Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT, Finland. She is an expert on business-society relations and CSR communication. She teaches sustainable business and stakeholder relations, and acts as a local coordinator of the UN’s Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) at LUT.

Anne Quarshie is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the School of Business and Management at Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT, Finland. Her main research interests include cross-sector social interactions, transformational and systemic change processes, and sustainable supply chain management. She teaches corporate social responsibility, sustainable business, and sustainable supply chain management at LUT and the Finnish Doctoral Program in Business Studies.

Policies and ethics