(From OneWorld)

This story on AlterNet raises some questions about Business Ethics magazine's ratings of the 100 best corporate citizens, one of the leading scorecards in the field of corporate social responsibility. How responsible do companies actually have to be to make the list?

Yet when one looks at the companies on the Business Ethics list, it is easy to be baffled at the real meaning of CSR. Some of the firms may have done laudable things, but the list is riddled with companies that have significant blemishes on their record when it comes to environmental matters, labor practices or treatment of customers. The likes of Wal-Mart and Big Oil have not yet made the cut, but that may be only a matter of time.

More in CSR news ...

*At the New York Times, an interview with Sister Patricia Wolf, executive director of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility on why corporate boards should listen up more to religious organizations.

*Eight Indian companies get CSR awards for environmental excellence.

*Delhi celebrities respond to the news of Warren Buffett's $44 billion dollar giveaway.

*Three-part reporting (triple-bottom-line), on economic, environmental and social performance, should be the rule rather than the exception, writes Judy Henderson at The Age.

*How responsible is Skype being about accusations of aiding censorship in China?

*UPS commits to a fleet of alternative fuel vehicles which have recently logged their 100 millionth mile.