A strategic approach to CSR: the case of Beghelli

This paper presents a case study regarding Beghelli, an Italian company that has adopted a strategic approach to CSR by integrating environmental issues into its competitive strategies. The paper investigates the mechanisms, conditions and processes through which CSR can be progressively integrated into business strategies and activities, focusing on the role played by firm resources. The five strategic dimensions of CSR projects identified by Burke and Logsdon (1996) – centrality, specificity, visibility, proactivity and voluntarism – are used as a reference frame. Findings reveal the importance of processes of innovation and learning that leverage on existing resources and lead to the development of new firm-specific resources that contribute to both solving a societal problem and creating competitive advantage for the firm. As regards the factors that facilitate the adoption of strategic CSR, this case is characterised by the central role of the entrepreneur.