The case for being a socially, economically and environmentally responsible business has gained significant ground in the past ten years. But what exactly are the benefits to business? ‘The Business Case for Being a Responsible Business’ sets out to answer this very question and succinctly articulate why companies stand to gain from adopting responsible practices.

Published by Business in the Community (BICT) and the Doughty Centre for Corporate Responsibility (Cranfield School of Management), this study presents a concise list of arguments for why long-term vision and sustainability should shape business models and drive operations, rather than being separate, add-on considerations.

To help businesses identify what areas they can look at to assess their impacts and become more responsible, the benefits are grouped into seven useful clusters (brand value and reputation; employees and future workforce; operations effectiveness; risk reduction and management; direct financial impact; organisational growth; business opportunity). By providing a clear set of arguments and examples, this report contributes to strengthening the case for responsible business.