Definition(s):

“The belief that companies need to take an active responsibility for their employees’ lives and that corporations have social responsibilities even when meeting those responsibilities may cost money.” (Stebbins, 2001, p. 232).
“Corporate Citizenship is a recognition that a business, corporation or business-like organisation, has social, cultural and environmental responsibilities to the community in which it seeks a licence to operate, as well as economic and financial ones to its shareholders or immediate stakeholders. Corporate citizenship involves an organisation coming to terms with the need for, often, radical internal and external changes, in order to better meet its responsibilities to all of its stakeholders (direct or indirect), in order to establish, and maintain, sustainable success for the organisation, and, as a result of that success, to achieve long term sustainable success for the community at large.” (CCRU (Corporate Citizen Research Unit) at Deakin University in Australia)

Stebbins, L.F. (2001). Work and family in America. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, Inc. CCRU (Corporate Citizenship Research Unit) at Deakin University in Australia (n.d.). Retrieved August 16, 2005, from http://www.deakin.edu.au/arts/ccr/index.php.