This article highlights the opportunities and consequences of the Fourth Industrial Revolution for business management daily. The primary objective of the research is to comprehend how the economy has evolved over the last two centuries and the implications for business and market competition. Contemporary events have contributed to the continued evolution of the opportunities and adaptability that the Industrial Revolution offered the business community. These two concepts have enabled a much more appropriate risk management approach. Many businesses have begun to utilize their resources in novel and innovative ways, allowing them to remain afloat even during the current global pandemic. The authors have found that with the help of the tools provided by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, businesses and business owners can better navigate these trying times and have been permitted to reinvent themselves easier. Thus, this article presents a theoretical framework for analyzing how the Industrial Revolutions have been perceived throughout history, emphasizing the most recent one. A formulation of the most pervasive features and the aspects associated with them would be derived as an outcome of the existing literature review, allowing space for further analysis in future studies in which one can elaborate on each aspect presented in this current paper. The findings indicate that the Fourth Industrial Revolution is a vast subject that can be approached in various ways. The business perspective allows the reader to dive into the current economic situation and helps provide a broad picture of all the sectors affected by this global crisis, be it political, geographical, or cultural. The results of the research can be used to gain a better understanding of the position where the business world finds itself, and the importance of adaptability and innovation in this scenario.

This paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the issue of stakeholders, the drivers of business ethics and corporate social responsibility for companies nowadays. The main purpose of the research is to comprehend how integrating corporate social responsibility in the core of business may contribute to the creation of a positive organization image among stakeholders. Systematization literary sources and approaches for establishing ethical business indicate that integrating corporate social responsibility in the business strategy may ethically influence stakeholders’ perception. The relevance of the decision of this scientific problem is that companies worldwide are facing a challenging period as the interests, expectations and needs of individuals are changing. Firms should embrace and adapt to the new reality to survive and function properly. For instance, besides economic objectives, organizations should strive to achieve social goals. Hence, companies should act based on fairness, responsibility, honesty, equity and morality. Investigation of the topic stakeholders, the drivers of business ethics and corporate social responsibility for companies nowadays in the paper is carried out in the following logical sequence: firstly, the theoretical concepts have been defined (ethics, business ethics, stakeholder theory, corporate social responsibility). Then the interdependency between business ethics and corporate social responsibility has been presented briefly. The methodological research was based on a quantitative method: the investigation and analysis of secondary data from 2016-2021. The paper presents the results of an empirical study focused on identifying how companies might create and maintain relationships with parties of interest in a responsible manner, which showed that in the initial phase of the process, corporate social responsibility should be integrated into the core of the business. The research empirically confirms and theoretically proves that an organization that develops positive relationships with its internal and external environment may benefit from credibility among stakeholders and a positive company image. The results of the research can be useful for practitioners or researchers interested in the responsible management of businesses.

Strategic CSR may be described as an ongoing and complex process. Some strategic CS initiatives may be successful since the beginning while others may require improvement in order to contribute to goals achievement. A certain fact is that a responsible company should constantly learn, improve and adapt their practices considering the dynamic of markets and changing expectations of stakeholders. The journey made by Unilever, up to this point, in terms of sustainable value creation following strategic CSR approaches sustains both the concept's complexity and the company's willingness to constantly development and improve in order to remain a leading organization in the industry of fast moving consumer goods. The objective of this paper was to analyze the performance of Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan from a strategic CSR and sustainable value creation perspective, following a qualitative approach. The findings of the study revealed that even though the organization did not managed to achieve of all the stated USLP's objectives, during these 10 years plan, the firm has grown based on sustainable, durable, people-driven principles, gain competitive advantage and achieve to some extent, both economic and social goals. In addition, the results showed that Unilever should improve its ability to retain employees. Thus, the company should further consider focusing more on educating consumers regarding the implications and overall benefits of responsible consumption and behavior in order to increase the value of the brands and of the company.

Due to the ascending responsible trends, companies, institutions and even individuals have the opportunity, nowadays, to reconceive their practices and, therefore, contribute to the development of collective wellbeing. In this regard, corporate social responsibility may be perceived as an appropriate instrument. Corporate social responsibility extends beyond traditional business practices by establishing a positive behavior based on ethical, legal, and philanthropic principles, willingness to educate individuals, to support and sustain the environment, society and future generations. Universities and businesses alike should be able to provide coherent explanations to the emerging realities of the environment and society. The higher-level educational institutions’ primary function is to consider and fulfill the expectations of the society in which it operates. Hence, forming professionals in a responsible manner has to become one of the main objectives of the academic environment. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the social responsibility of a reputable university located in Bucharest, from a legitimate stakeholder perspective, respectively, the student. Hence, a quantitative approach, namely a questionnaire, has been used in order to collect primary data. Findings reveal that an effort has been made in the Romanian academic context to promote and encourage responsible practices.