[2] The idea that upholding social responsibilities can help a company sustain its profits in the long term has been "part of mainstream management theory at least since the publication of Edward Freeman's 1984 classic, Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach",[3] according to an article by Wayne Norman and Chris MacDonald in 2004.
[4] An early reference to the term itself came in Emerson and Twersky's 1996 book New Social Entrepreneurs: The Success, Challenge, and Lessons of Non-profit Enterprise Creation.
Its 2004 annual report provides "audited financial statements and indicators of financial performance such as the bank’s credit rating, portfolio at risk and efficiency ratio" but also notes that the bank was "established to mobilize funds for providing micro-finance services to poor persons, particularly poor women for mitigating poverty and promoting social welfare and economic justice..."[6] For an example of a double bottom line in the public sector, California State Treasurer Philip Angelides in 2000 called on state programs "to create economic growth and development in California's communities" by investing in them.
A 2006 article on corporate branding points to Nike's support of the "NikeGO" program to encourage and enable physical activity by children, and "Zoneparcs" "to transform playtime at UK primary schools."
"[8] The double bottom line is important for the growth of the firm as evidence suggests that CSR voluntarily taken on by companies will result in opportunities for further profit while creating social welfare.