From weak to strong CSR: the experience of the EoC (Economy of Communion) industrial parks in Germany and Italy

The aim of this paper is to point out some innovative dimensions of CSR (corporate social responsibility) which derive from an approach based on a charisma. This approach is applied to the economic life and in particular to the companies that are part of the Economy of Communion (EoC) project which involves more than 1,000 enterprises in the world. Specifically, we will analyse two industrial parks (or poles) of EoC companies, respectively based in German and in Italy, focusing the attention on their mission, governance and accountability models. We wonder if this category of network is important to shift from weak CSR to strong CSR and if the EoC parks play a significant role within the social and economic context. The reflections that derived from the study offer new interpretative perspectives for the understanding of the EoC project which attracts scholars belonging to different field of studies and research, and facilitates a fertile interdisciplinary exchange. However, social implications derive from the attention paid by EoC companies to create a society that is more civil, and to the fact that they are directly involved in combating poverty while in dialogue among different social, political stakeholders, in Germany and abroad.