Corporate Social Responsibility from the Chinese Perspective

A. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Social Problems in China In recent years, several serious incidents causing numerous deaths have garnered special attention from the Chinese Central Government. Coal mines are dangerous in China, and accidents frequently occur throughout the provinces. These accidents, which have resulted in thousands of deaths, have been due to the neglect of safety standards by coal mine owners in favor of economic profit.1 Moreover, in September 2008, several large milk and formula companies in China were involved in a notorious product quality scandal known as the "Milk Powder Scandal" or "Infant Formula Scandal." Over 1,200 children were sickened, hospitalized, and some even died, after being fed formula contaminated with melamine, an industrial chemical that can cause kidney stones and other complications in infants.2 Major newspapers in China have also frequently reported social problems such as physical abuse of workers, dangerous working conditions, unfair wages, product quality scandals, and industrial pollution. All of these problems involve a fairly new issue in China: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).