Paper Title
The Long-Term Implications of Corporate Social Performance

Abstract
An extensive body of research has studied the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and corporate financial performance. More recent studies have found a strong positive correlation. Research has even found that social responsibility supports crisis management of certain isolated negative events. While these findings have proven both interesting and useful, questions remain regarding the long-term financial impact of having a reputation for CSR. More specifically, does the length (over time) and strength of a firm‟s commitment to CSR impact it‟s performance and reputation. Drawing upon stake-holder, resource-based, and social responsibility literature, we posit that CSR offers protection (maintain performance) from economic downturns. In addition, we theorize that accumulation of this capability over time is not only beneficial but that particular forms of CSR implementation methods will be more likely to offer long-term financial benefits than will others. Keywords - CSR, Economic Cycles, Firm Reputation