What is Corporate Social Responsibility?
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has deep intellectual roots that date back to the 1950s and 1960s, when economists such as Howard R. Bowen and William C. Frederick completed an in-depth reflection on the social responsibilities of businesses and their executives. Their reflections emerged in response to ethical questions raised by the professionalisation of management and the rise of large corporations. By the 2000s, CSR had become a widely recognised concept and since the early 2010s, the percentage of major companies publishing CSR reports has consistently remained above 90%, illustrating its global adoption.
CSR is typically defined as a business model where companies address social and environmental concerns in their operations and interactions with stakeholders, rather than focusing solely on economic profits.
One of the most prominent CSR standards, the ISO 26000 norm, explicitly connects CSR to Sustainable Development. This aligns with the definition proposed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development: ‘CSR is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large.’
What does Corporate Social Responsibility Mean for Pharmalys?
In health research
Marieme Ba, founder and CEO of Pharmalys, is an advocate for inclusivity in health research, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the region continues to lag behind. Recognising the continent’s inadequate research infrastructure, which hinders evidence based policymaking for better health outcomes, Marieme and the Pharmalys team have spent years strengthening the ecosystem. Their efforts aim to position health research as a cornerstone of a robust health sector.
At Pharmalys, we focus on building both research and healthcare capacity, knowing that this approach strengthens health systems, expands programming, and provides essential evidence for managing health crises. For over a decade, we’ve collaborated with health research authorities, Ethics Committees, commercial and academic sponsors, product development partners, research centres, researchers, students and learners, funders, and non-profits. Together, we’ve worked to raise awareness, identify gaps, build skills, strengthen infrastructure, and establish standards for data excellence among those who undertake, regulate, conduct, and manage clinical trials.
In the clinical research workforce
Africa faces the challenge of building a critical mass of researchers. At Pharmalys, we believe that action is needed to inspire younger generations to pursue science and to retain existing scientists within the field. Without job opportunities, many scientists leave the profession, preventing the continent from realising its immense research potential and its benefits for African populations.
For students in science who don’t pursue medical studies, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, or engineering, research remains a viable career path. Clinical research professionals, who are key to managing and delivering research projects, are another vital part of the ecosystem. However, if Africa is to attract more clinical trials, including commercially sponsored studies, the continent will require a significantly larger and better trained workforce.
Globally, the clinical research sector is grappling with chronic staff shortages and skill gaps. Challenges include the rapid expansion of clinical trials, increasingly complex protocols, more stringent regulations, and underinvestment in education and training.
To address these challenges, we launched the Pharmalys Academy of Clinical research Excellence (PACE). PACE is a professional training programme designed for young science graduates and clinical research professionals, curated by industry experts with multinational experience.
Training young graduates
The PACE curriculum for young graduates includes over 300 hours of classroom instruction in English and a 6 month internship (for more information: https://pace-cr.com/pace-live-the-learning-experience/#programme). This programme bridges the gap between academic learning and practical work, producing job-ready clinical research professionals.
Through PACE, we aim to:
1. Raise standards in the conduct of clinical trials.
2. Build a skilled workforce to ease resource constraints.
3. Create attractive career paths in science and research, significantly increasing job opportunities for young scientists.
Following the graduation of the pilot PACE cohort in April 2024, nine learners were hired by Pharmalys, with several earning promotions for their exceptional work.
Training clinical research professionals
PACE also offers an apprenticeship programme tailored for professionals already working in clinical research (for more information: https://pace-cr.com/pace-live-the-learning-experience/#). This programme involves attending courses one week per month over a year, with a curriculum adapted to their practical experience. Unlike the graduate programme, the apprenticeship does not include the 6 month internship, focusing instead on enhancing the apprentices’ existing skills.
The modules are designed based on the practical experience apprentices have already acquired while working in the clinical research sector. The courses are both practical and directly relevant to their work, helping apprentices become more efficient and compliant in their roles.
Conclusion
CSR has often faced criticism for being:
1. Marginalised, remaining too far removed from a firm’s core business activities.
2. Perceived as merely compensating for the negative externalities generated by businesses.
3. Treated as a constraint rather than a catalyst for innovation.
In response, several scholars have advocated for more ambitious approaches. For example, the Creating Shared Value (CSV) model reframes social and environmental challenges as business opportunities and potential drivers of innovation. Similarly, proponents of the CSR 2.0 approach emphasise addressing the root causes of today’s challenges through innovative business models and a fundamental transformation of corporate practices.
At Pharmalys, we view CSR as essential and strive to align with this societal shift by actively contributing to strengthening the clinical research ecosystem wherever it is most needed.
Bibliography
1- Porter, M. E., and Kramer, M. R. (2011). Creating Shared Value. Harvard Business Review, Vol. 89(1), 2-17.
2- Visser, W.(2011). The age of responsibility : CSR 2.0 and the New DNA of business, Journal of Business Systems, Governance and Ethics, 5, 7-22.
3- Lyon, T. P., Delmas, M. A., Maxwell, J. W., Bansal, P., Chiroleu-Assouline, M., Crifo, P., Durand, R., Gond, J. P., King, A., Lenox, M., & Toffel, M. (2018). CSR needs CPR: Corporate Sustainability and Politics. California Management Review, 60(4), 5-24.
4- What is corporate social responsibility? HEC Paris, December 2024.
5-United Nations – Global Compact. Website consulted in December 2024.
6- Lance Moir, Senior Lecturer in Finance and Accounting at Cranfield School of Management. Corporate Governance 1, 2 2001, pp. 16 – 22 , # MCB University Press, 1472 – 0701.
