If the pessimists are right about the immediate outlook for the British economy, corporate social responsibility – in all its manifestations – is in for a testing time.

Businesses where responsible corporate citizenship has been adopted as a marketing device rather than being mainstreamed will no doubt revert to exclusive preoccupation with short-term profitability to survive the downturn. But even those with corporate social responsibility in their DNA will find it hard to maintain their commitments as they struggle to weather the economic storms ahead.