Corporate Digital Responsibility: The Key to a Sustainable and Ethical Digital Society

Authors

  • Ekkawit Thopurin Department of Innovation and Educational Technology, Faculty of Education, Burapha University

Keywords:

Corporate Digital Responsibility, Ethics, Sustainable Development

Abstract

Corporate Digital Responsibility (CDR) has emerged as a critical framework for organizations navigating the ethical, legal, and social implications of digital transformation. Expanding upon Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), CDR addresses four key dimensions: Digital Ethics & AI Responsibility, Data Privacy & Cybersecurity, Sustainable Digital Development, and Inclusive Digitalization. These pillars guide organizations in integrating ethical digital practices into their operations, ensuring compliance with regulations, fostering consumer trust, and promoting sustainability. This article explores the importance of CDR in mitigating risks associated with data privacy violations, cybersecurity threats, algorithmic biases, and lack of digital transparency. The discussion highlights real-world applications by leading global companies such as Google LLC (AI Ethics), Apple Inc (Privacy Policy), and Microsoft Corporation (Sustainable Digital Strategy). Additionally, it examines the CDR landscape in Thailand, focusing on compliance with the Personal Data Protection Act, digital sustainability initiatives, and the adoption of CDR principles by major corporations, including The Siam Commercial Bank Public Company Limited (SCB), Kasikornbank Public Company Limited (KBank), PTT Digital Solutions Company Limited (PTT Digital), True Corporation Public Company Limited (True), and Advanced Info Service Public Company Limited (AIS). Furthermore, this paper analyzes the long-term impact of CDR on corporate reputation, legal compliance, and sustainable digital growth. The future trajectory of CDR is also considered, with an emphasis on stricter global AI regulations, ethical data governance, and digital responsibility in the emerging metaverse economy. As organizations increasingly integrate digital solutions, establishing a strong CDR framework is no longer optional but essential for ethical business practices and long-term resilience.

References

กระทรวงดิจิทัลเพื่อเศรษฐกิจและสังคม. (2566). แผนพัฒนาดิจิทัลเพื่อเศรษฐกิจและสังคม พ.ศ. 2566–2570. กรุงเทพฯ: สำนักงานปลัดกระทรวงดิจิทัลเพื่อเศรษฐกิจและสังคม.

สำนักงานพัฒนาธุรกรรมทางอิเล็กทรอนิกส์. (2566). รายงานพฤติกรรมผู้ใช้อินเทอร์เน็ตในประเทศไทย พ.ศ. 2566. กรุงเทพฯ: สำนักงานพัฒนาธุรกรรมทางอิเล็กทรอนิกส์.

สำนักงานคณะกรรมการคุ้มครองข้อมูลส่วนบุคคล. (2566). รายงานผลการดำเนินงานประจำปี 2566 ตามพระราชบัญญัติคุ้มครองข้อมูลส่วนบุคคล พ.ศ. 2562. กรุงเทพฯ: กระทรวงดิจิทัลเพื่อเศรษฐกิจและสังคม.

Alkredes, A., Dennehy, D., Dwivedi, Y., & Roderick, S. (2024). Corporate digital responsibility: A preliminary review. In SaudiCIS 2024 Proceedings. Association for Information Systems. https://aisel.aisnet.org/saudicis2024/48

Carl, K. V., & Hinz, O. (2024). What we already know about corporate digital responsibility in IS research: A review and conceptualization of potential CDR activities. Electronic Markets, 34(27). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-024-00708-0

Cheng, C., & Zhang, M. (2023). Conceptualizing corporate digital responsibility: A digital technology development perspective. Sustainability, 15(2319). https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032319

Elliott, K., & Copilah-Ali, J. (2024). Implementing corporate digital responsibility (CDR): Tackling wicked problems for the digital era: Pilot study insights. Organizational Dynamics, 53(101040). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2024.101040

European Commission. (2021). Proposal for a Regulation laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (Artificial Intelligence Act). Retrieved from https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52021PC0206

Federal Trade Commission. (2019). FTC Imposes $5 Billion Penalty and Sweeping New Privacy Restrictions on Facebook. Retrieved from https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/07/ftc-imposes-5-billion-penalty-facebook

Floridi, L., & Cowls, J. (2019). A unified framework of five principles for AI in society. Harvard Data Science Review, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.1162/99608f92.8cd550d1

Gartner. (2022). Top Strategic Technology Trends for 2022: Digital Responsibility. Retrieved from https://www.gartner.com/en/articles/top-strategic-technology-trends-for-2022

Hartley, N., Kunz, W., & Tarbit, J. (2024). The corporate digital responsibility (CDR) calculus: How and why organizations reconcile digital and ethical trade-offs for growth. Organizational Dynamics, 53(101056). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2024.101056

Herden, C. J., Alliu, E., Cakici, A., Cormier, T., Deguelle, C., Gambhir, S., Griffiths, C., Gupta, S., Kamani, S. R., Kiratli, Y.-S., Kispataki, M., Lange, G., Moles de Matos, L., Tripero Moreno, L., Betancourt Nunez, H. A., Pilla, V., Raj, B., Roe, J., Skoda, M., Song, Y., Ummadi, P. K., & Edinger-Schons, L. M. (2021). Corporate digital responsibility: New corporate responsibilities in the digital age. NachhaltigkeitsManagementForum, 29(1), 13–29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00550-020-00509-x

Katenova, M. (2023). Corporate digital responsibility: Benefits and new opportunities. East-West Journal of Economics and Business, XXVI(1 & 2), 77–85. https://www.u-picardie.fr/eastwest/fichiers/art273.pdf

Keskin, H., & Esen, E. (2024). Guideline for corporate digital responsibility (CDR) in global environment. In TUBA (Ed.), Corporate digital responsibility and sustainability: Emerging issues and future perspectives (pp. 589-600). Turkish Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.53478/TUBA.978-625-6110-04-5.ch33

Kunz, W. H., & Wirtz, J. (2024). Corporate digital responsibility (CDR) in the age of AI: Implications for interactive marketing. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 18(1), 31–37. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-06-2023-0176

Kunz, W. H., Wirtz, J., Hartley, N., & Tarbit, J. (2024). The importance of corporate digital responsibility in a digital service world. In L. Matosas-Lopez (Ed.), The impact of digitalization on current marketing strategies (pp. 183–193). Emerald Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83753-686-320241011

Lobschat, L., Mueller, B., Eggers, F., Brandimarte, L., Diefenbach, S., Kroschke, M., & Wirtz, J. (2021). Corporate digital responsibility. Journal of Business Research, 122, 875–888. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.10.006

Merbecks, U. (2024). Corporate digital responsibility (CDR) in Germany: Background and first empirical evidence from DAX 30 companies in 2020. Journal of Business Economics, 94(1025–1049). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11573-023-01148-6

Mihale-Wilson, C., Hinz, O., van der Aalst, W., & Weinhardt, C. (2022). Corporate digital responsibility: Relevance and opportunities for business and information systems engineering. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 64(2), 127–132. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-022-00746-y

Oduro, S., Haylemariam, L. G., & Umar, R. M. (2024). Influence of corporate digital responsibility on financial performance: The mediating role of firm reputation. Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, 0(0), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12766

OECD. (2019). OECD Principles on Artificial Intelligence. Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Rugeviciute, A., & Courboulay, V. (2024). Empowering organizations for sustainable digitalization: A corporate digital responsibility maturity model approach. ICT for Sustainability (ICT4S) 2024 Conference Preprint. HAL Archives. https://hal.science/hal-04554663v1

Scarpi, D., & Pantano, E. (2024). “With great power comes great responsibility”: Exploring the role of Corporate Digital Responsibility (CDR) for Artificial Intelligence Responsibility in Retail Service Automation (AIRRSA). Organizational Dynamics, 53(1), 101030. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2024.101030

Shaw, P., Price, R., Elliott, K., Copilah-Ali, J., Huntingford, J., & Ionescu, O. (2024). Corporate digital responsibility (CDR): Securing our digital futures. IEEE Standards Association White Paper. https://standards.ieee.org

UNESCO. (2021). Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Wirtz, J., Kunz, W. H., Hartley, N., & Tarbit, J. (2022). Corporate digital responsibility in service firms and their ecosystems. Journal of Service Research, 0(0), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/10946705221130467

World Economic Forum. (2022). Digital Responsibility: A framework for ethical technology use. Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/05/framework-for-digital-responsibility/

Downloads

Published

2025-06-20

How to Cite

Thopurin, E. (2025). Corporate Digital Responsibility: The Key to a Sustainable and Ethical Digital Society. HRD Journal, 16(1), 6–23. retrieved from https://so01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/HRDJ/article/view/279061