The business case for CSR can be found in all kind of indicators which do lead (in)directly to a stronger financial performance of the firm.
Issues that are often discussed in academia as well as in practice are, for example:
access to finance, employee retention, employee satisfaction, new markets, new products and stakeholder satisfaction. While CSR implicates that firms take measurements that go above legal requirements, the specific issues differ for developed economies and for emerging markets. In emerging markets, issues like child labour and working conditions can be hard to address. The circumstances are so different in different countries - what is legally required in one country is high above standard in another country.
An example of the business case for CSR is the rising trend of firms developing strategies targeting the so-called Bottom-of-the-Pyramid (BoP).These firms distinguish themselves in that they seek to create new markets involving customers, employees, SUPPLIERS, and/or distributors at the Bottom of the Pyramid, which have an average daily purchasing power of $2 or less (Prahalad, 2005). It is argued that these initiatives can lead to profitable businesses and economic development for people living at the bottom-of-the pyramid as well as the multinational companies that serve them. An example is the production of affordable life-saving medicines for Africans.   _{Your Comment}