ABSTRACT
Consultants have come to play an increasingly important role within the evolving field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) (Windell 2006; Dubbink et al. 2008). One reason for this is that consultants have benefited from the vagueness and flexibility of the concept of CSR. The possibility of framing the concept according to business logic—making it a necessary condition for better and more profitable business—has been central for the acceptance of CSR as a management idea (Sahlin-Andersson 2006; Rurucz et al. 2008). As such, it has been developed and diffused by consultants on the basis of knowledge and expertise. As Windell (2006: 135) notes, CSR has become 'a proactive management idea that would not only minimise the risks of corporations being scrutinised by their stakeholders, but would also contribute to increased profitability'. In this sense, CSR has come to resemble other management ideas such as total quality management or business process re-engineering (Ghobadian et al. 2007; Sahlin and Wedlin 2008).
