Good intentions are worth little if not reflected in actions. If a corporation announces aspirations to be socially responsible, it must follow up with the hard work of building those aspirations into its operations. To implement social strategies it must use the same managerial tools and levers that are required to implement business strategies. No social policy of any significance will be successfully carried out without coordinated use of most of these tools and levers.

Corporate philanthropy, while not a management method, is a long-standing way of implementing social responsibility. Public expectations of charitable giving have grown. Recently, corporations have shifted from a tradition of altruistic giving to a new style of philanthropy that aligns giving with business strategy. Some critics attack this new approach as too self-interested. However, strategic philanthropy may be a promising development because it injects thinking about corporate social responsibility into the strategic mainstream. Of course, in most companies business strategy will drive contributions to social needs rather than the other way around.