It’s a crucial question, one that so intrigued author Christine Arena that she set out to answer it by challenging the conventional wisdom and launching two of the most provocative studies ever conducted on the topic of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Five years of research, thousands of hours of team analysis and hundreds of in-depth interviews with corporate leaders, conscientious consumers, vigilant watchdogs and controversial whistleblowers, get to the heart of the matter.

The crux of her findings, and arguably the definitive business case for CSR, plays out in Arena’s books: The High-Purpose Company: The Truly Responsible (and Highly Profitable) Firms that are Changing Business Now (Collins, 2007), a Harvard Business Review Reading List selection, and Cause for Success: 10 Companies that Put Profits Second and Came in First (New World Library, 2004), a Nautilus Award-winner. Both books reframe an ongoing debate and separate winning from losing CSR approaches.

The bottom line? According to Arena, shareholder interests lead, not follow, great CSR strategy. Conversely, when CSR is approached merely as a peripheral form of philanthropy or marketing, then it’s neither authentic nor effective.

This finding contradicts the popular notion that CSR is a cosmetic exercise that companies ought to invest in just to set their brands apart. "Differentiation isn't the top benefit of corporate responsibility," says Arena. "Innovation is. Although many companies still approach CSR as if it were a popularity contest, smarter firms make wise investments in solutions that meet unmet human needs. The point isn’t to be well liked, but to make a real difference."

Prior to entering the corporate responsibility field, Christine served as managing director of Polese Clancy, a Boston-based communications firm. Before that, she ran her own brand strategy firm, IF, while fresh out of graduate school Christine cut her teeth at Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve. She holds a masters degree from New York University and lives in San Francisco with her husband.