Role of socially responsible firms in development of civil society

The article deals with the nature of firms' social responsibility and characteristics of main trends in comprehension of this phenomenon, formed in economic theory. The author comes to a conclusion that a social nature of firm during the expansion of its sphere of influence automatically leads to an expansion of its sphere of responsibility. The manifestation of firm social responsibility or corporate social responsibility is the criterion for determination of effective owner in market economy. The scales and effectiveness of social responsibility characterize civil society formation.