Twenty-first century business often includes an obligation to more than simply the employees and organizational shareholders. Corporate social responsibility, often referred to as CSR, is now an expectation of good business.  Eli Lilly & Company (Lilly) has set the standard for community involvement and social responsibility, stating on the website that “giving back is in our DNA”. Among Lilly’s CSR and philanthropic efforts is the Lilly Global Day of Service (LGDOS), a full work day during which employees across the globe have the opportunity to serve their local community. See the "Lilly Global Day of Service" sub-tab for more information on the LGDOS.

As an extension of the LGDOS research, my Master's thesis is titled "Achieving Organizational Commitment through Organizational Identity and Alignment of Values: A Case for Corporate Volunteerism as a Means to Employee Retention". This project provides evidence of an empirical relationship between LGDOS-related organizational identity and increased organizational commitment. As employee retention is a primary focus of many HR efforts, the opportunity to reach such goals through a variety of avenues allows HR leaders to metaphorically "kill two birds with one stone".