The Status of CSR in Corporate America: A Content Analysis of the Organizations with the Top-Performing CSR Programs Within the Fortune 500

Corporate social responsibility has become an accepted part of business for organizations of any size. Organizations are not only expected to be profitable and successful, but they are also expected to be responsible global citizens. However, though this has become an accepted part of business, there remain many areas of CSR research that are under researched. This study examined the top 16 CSR programs of organizations headquartered in the United States to better understand what they communicate about their programs, their relationship with both the news media and government entities, which issues they address the most, and where they implement their programs throughout the world. This study found that the organizations examined concerned themselves the most with stakeholder involvement and engagement. It also found that nearly half of the initiatives analyzed centered around environmental issues. These organizations implemented programs that had a strong fit both with what they as an organization do well and also with issues that align with their corporate values.