Religion and Belief Discrimination at Work: Legal Challenges in the UK

The importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities has increased in recent years. More undertakings active on different markets are becoming aware of the importance of improving labour policies, investing in safety training of employees, environmental protection, local community-related projects, volunteering, and charitable activities. At issue is whether higher degrees of competition associated with periods of economic crisis will affect the degree of competition on the market in a favourable or a non-favourable manner. Based on statistical data currently available, this paper will analyse whether higher levels of competition will increase investments in CSR activities to create trustworthy firms that will survive even in economically harsh periods, or will otherwise reduce the aforementioned types of investments and thereby facilitate the flourishing of anticompetitive practices on the market. This paper will first start with a short presentation of the concept, importance and meaning of corporate social responsibility, followed by considerations related to the importance of ethics in competition law. Finally, the author will analyse the impact of competition on CSR-related activities and the ways in which the pressure of competition can impact on CSR investments. Keywords: Corporate social responsibility; Competition; Anticompetitive practices; CSR activities; CSR investments