This chapter will analyze the links between a typical sociological concept, which is Social Capital, and a business management notion, that is Corporate Social Responsibility. Cooperation, trust, information flows and norms of reciprocity are considered key factors in the promotion of a sustainable development, and both the concept of SC and CSR, even from different perspectives, refer to these elements. In particular, the idea of SC underpins the necessity to analyze the role of social network in influencing economic actions and cooperation. On the other hand, CSR represents the cognizance that economic organizations are part of complex social networks which they cannot disregard, in order to achieve a sustainable success - both in terms of quality and durability.
In order to theoretically and empirically canvass the links between these two concepts - SC and CSR - we will describe two different case studies: the first one, regarding the case of SC nourished in small and medium enterprises clustered systems; and the second case study explores the path taken by a co-operative firm to recover its original presence of SC through the use of CSR.
The research will show a mutual link between the presence of Social Capital and the use of Corporate Social Responsibility tool and practice among firms.