Cooper presented this paper on behalf of her PhD student Yoori Koo.
This study explores the perspectives of designers in terms of their perception of the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and design. A series of in-depth interviews with practising designers were the primary method of data gathering. Based on the findings, as well as conducting a literature review, this research classifies conscious and unconscious design decision making in terms of the social and environmental issues, within a range of regulated to non-regulated issues by the company. The article concludes by providing a framework to evaluate where CSR decisions are being made, and how conscious and unconscious socially-responsible design decisions affect CSR particularly in the new product development process, with special reference to the electronics industry in South Korea.