The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has launched a series of training seminars designed to increase corporate social responsibility (CSR) among small businesses. BCC, which describes CSR as 'how a business can make a positive contribution to its local area', has joined forces with the CSR Academy to deliver these courses in six English regions over the next few months.

BCC Director General, David Frost, claims that many small firms believe CSR activities of any kind are too expensive to conduct and take up valuable time that could be spent on 'more important' things. In response to this, the courses aim to show how getting involved in local community activites can in fact reduce costs for firms, improve partner relationships and boost staff morale.

Several useful case studies have been produced to demonstrate how CSR works in practice.