The fundamental study Corporate Digital Responsibility (CDR) develops a research-based concept for the social responsibilities of business in the context of digitalization. The CDR concept has a broad claim to validity, i.e. it serves as an orientation for companies in all sectors, not just IT companies. The concept takes an integrative approach by embedding CDR in the established fields of corporate responsibility. The result is a system of six areas of responsibility and action, each of which covers areas specific to digitalization.
This study examined how 62 major German companies address the aforementioned aspects of Corporate Digital Responsibility in their sustainability reports. The results reveal focal points, gaps, as well as good and bad practices of CDR. The results allow conclusions to be drawn on how CDR should be further developed: For companies, CDR means reflecting more strongly on their role as consumers of digital services. Digital responsibility also means digitalizing accountability processes toward stakeholders. Finally, in order to support the assumption of digital responsibility by companies, political governance is necessary in which diverse stakeholder groups are involved (multistakeholder governance).
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