Giving Compass' Take:

• Dan Pontefract, writing for Forbes, discusses the crucial differences between a company's purpose and corporate social responsibility. 

• Why is it important to understand how the two concepts differ? 

• Read more about the conflations between these two terms. 

It's happening again. Companies are confusing important terms. In doing so they are taking advantage of you, the consumer.

Corporate Social Responsibility. CSR for short. Sounds good. If done right it is good. CSR ought to be a critical component to an organization's operating ethos, its values, and its purpose. Every organization should be 'doing' CSR. Many are doing it exquisitely well.

But CSR is not purpose.

Using Corporate Social Responsibility as a substitute for purpose is Corporate Social Irresponsibility. It's the dark side of CSR.

The purpose of an organization is different than CSR. It ought to be thought of as how it provides its various services in totality. Why is it in business? Why does it serve its stakeholders? Stakeholders include the gamut of employees, customers, partners, community members, environment/planet and those seeking a fair, financial return.

While CSR can positively affect all stakeholders it is not to be confused with an organization's purpose.

Read the full article on CSR and purpose by Dan Pontefract at Forbes.