Open: NCIIA 14th Annual Conference

We provide a new conceptual model that has the potential to bridge the capacity of companies and the needs of the underserved by harnessing the opportunity of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Analysts have suggested that CSR initiatives have the potential to effectively address global poverty and economic development issues. This paper makes a business case for corporations to align their CSR strategies with core business activities, such as design, development, and dissemination, to encourage the availability of products to people in developing countries. While some companies are on the vanguard of the CSR movement, the majority of firms are seeking some form of tangible, convincing measure of the return on investment of CSR before moving forward with such activities. This report suggests a quantifiable solution to this end.