Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-45l2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-28T07:08:30.571Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A Qualified Account of Supererogation: Toward a Better Conceptualization of Corporate Social Responsibility

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 February 2020

Antonio Tencati ,
Nicola Misani  and
Sandro Castaldo
Antonio Tencati
Affiliation:
University of Brescia
Nicola Misani
Affiliation:
Bocconi University
Sandro Castaldo
Affiliation:
Bocconi University
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Some firms are initiating pro-stakeholder activities and policies that transcend conventional corporate social responsibility (CSR) conceptions and seem inconsistent with their business interests or economic responsibilities. These initiatives, which are neither legally nor morally obligatory, are responding to calls for a more active role of business in society and for a broader interpretation of CSR. In fact, they benefit stakeholders in a superior and an innovative way and are difficult to reconcile with commonly used rationales in the extant CSR literature, such as win-win opportunities, creating shared value, or corporate philanthropy. For better insight, we develop a qualified account of the concept of supererogation from ethical theory. This account, which examines voluntary responses to moral obligations from which a business is normally excused, is applied to identify the unique features of the initiatives that are not readily understood within conventional reasoning, which is generally focused on a business case.

Keywords

CSRinnovationobligationsphilanthropystakeholderssupererogation
Type
Article
Information
Business Ethics Quarterly , Volume 30 , Issue 2 , April 2020 , pp. 250 - 272
Copyright
©2020 Business Ethics Quarterly

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Albareda, L., Lozano, J. M., Tencati, A., Midttun, A., & Perrini, F. 2008. The changing role of governments in corporate social responsibility: Drivers and responses. Business Ethics: A European Review, 17(4): 347−363.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arenas, D., & Rodrigo, P. 2016. On firms and the next generations: Difficulties and possibilities for business ethics inquiry. Journal of Business Ethics, 133(1): 165−178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baron, M. 1987. Kantian ethics and supererogation. Journal of Philosophy, 84: 237–262.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baviera, T., English, W., & Guillén, M. 2016. The “logic of gift”: Inspiring behavior in organizations beyond the limits of duty and exchange. Business Ethics Quarterly, 26(2): 159−180.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beauchamp, T. 2013. The principle of beneficence in applied ethics. In E.N. Zalta (Ed.), Stanford encyclopediaof philosophy (winter 2013 edition). http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/principle-beneficence/.Google Scholar
Benn, C. 2018. Supererogation, optionality and cost. Philosophical Studies, 175(10): 2399−2417.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beverfood.com Edizioni. 2016. Mercato delle acque minerali in Italia: boom delle vendite sia a quantità che a valore nel 2015. March 29. http://www.beverfood.com/documenti/mercato-acque-minerali-italia-boom-vendite-quantita-valore-2015_zwd_60569/.Google Scholar
Bhutani, D., Nair, P., & Dess, G. G. 2017. Institutionalizing sustainability mindset amongst stakeholders: Case of Interface Carpet. Academy of Management Proceedings, January: 16281.Google Scholar
Birkinshaw, J., & Piramal, G. (Eds.). 2005. Sumantra Ghoshal on management: A force for good. Harlow, United Kingdom: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Bussolati, M. 2017. L’enorme business dell’acqua minerale: al produttore 1.000 litri costano 2 €. E poi inquina ed è meno sicura di quella del rubinetto. Business Insider Italia. September 10. https://it.businessinsider.com/il-grande-business-dellacqua-minerale-a-chi-imbottiglia-1-000-litri-costano-2-e-in-piu-inquina-ed-e-meno-sicura-di-quella-del-rubinetto/.Google Scholar
Cameron, K. S. 2003. Organizational virtuousness and performance. In Cameron, K. S., Dutton, J. E., & Quinn, R. E. (Eds.), Positive organizational scholarship: Foundations of a new discipline, 48−65. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.Google Scholar
Carbonell, V. 2012. The ratcheting-up effect. Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, 93(2): 228−254.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carroll, A. B. 1979. A three-dimensional conceptual model of corporate social performance. Academy of Management Review, 4(4): 497−505.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carroll, A. B. 1991. The pyramid of corporate social responsibility: Toward the moral management of organizational stakeholders. Business Horizons, 34(4): 39−48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carroll, A. B. 1999. Corporate social responsibility: Evolution of a definitional construct. Business & Society, 38(3): 268−295.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carroll, A. B. 2016. Carroll’s pyramid of CSR: Taking another look. International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, 1 2: 3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Castaldo, S., Perrini, F., Misani, N., & Tencati, A. 2009. The missing link between corporate social responsibility and consumer trust: The case of fair trade products. Journal of Business Ethics, 84(1): 1−15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Commission of the European Communities. 2001. Green Paper “Promoting a European framework for corporate social responsibility.” Brussels: COM(2001) 366 final.Google Scholar
Coop. 2016. Acqua di casa mia. http://www.e-coop.it/web/guest/acqua-di-casa-mia.Google Scholar
Crane, A., Palazzo, G., Spence, L. J., & Matten, D. 2014. Contesting the value of “creating shared value.” California Management Review, 56(2): 130−153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crouch, C., & Maclean, C. (Eds.). 2011. The responsible corporation in a global economy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DiMaggio, P. J., & Powell, W. W. 1983. The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields. American Sociological Review, 48(2): 147–160.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Donaldson, T., & Dunfee, T. W. 1999. Ties that bind. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press.Google Scholar
Driscoll, C., & Starik, M. 2004. The primordial stakeholder: Advancing the conceptual consideration of stakeholder status for the natural environment. Journal of Business Ethics, 49(1): 55−73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dunfee, T. W. 2006. Do firms with unique competencies for rescuing victims of human catastrophes have special obligations? Corporate responsibility and the AIDS catastrophe in sub-Saharan Africa. Business Ethics Quarterly, 16(2): 185−210.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Edelman. 2018. 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer: Global report. https://www.edelman.com/research/2018-edelman-trust-barometer.Google Scholar
Elks, J. 2017. Third year of REI’s #OptOutside movement gives the power to the people. Sustainable Brands. November 23. http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/walking_talk/sustainable_brands/rei_kicks_third_year_optoutside_launch_outdoor_expe_0.Google Scholar
Ethical Corporation. 2016. Patagonia circular economy strategy: A case study. The Responsible Business Summit Europe, 2016. London: Ethical Corporation.Google Scholar
Fasterling, B., & Demuijnck, G. 2013. Human rights in the void? Due diligence in the UN guiding principles on business and human rights. Journal of Business Ethics, 116(4): 799−814.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feldman, F. 1986. Doing the best we can. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Reidel.Google Scholar
Freeman, R. E. 2010. Preface to the 2010 Reissue. In Freeman, R. E., Strategic management: A stakeholder approach: iii–iv. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Furlong, H. 2016. Trending: This Black Friday, 550+ orgs to #OptOutside with REI, Patagonia to donate its profits. Sustainable Brands. November 23. http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/brand_innovation/hannah_furlong/black_friday_550_orgs_optoutside_rei_patagonia_donate.Google Scholar
Garriga, E., & Melé, D. 2004. Corporate social responsibility theories: Mapping the territory. Journal of Business Ethics, 53(1–2): 51−71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goodpaster, K. E. 2011. Ethics, politics, and the modern corporation. Business Ethics Quarterly, 21(1): 164−166.Google Scholar
Gunther, M. 2011. Patagonia’s conscientious response to Black Friday consumer madness. GreenBiz. November 28. https://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/11/28/patagonias-conscientious-response-black-friday-consumer-madness.Google Scholar
Halme, M., & Laurila, J. 2009. Philanthropy, integration or innovation? Exploring the financial and societal outcomes of different types of corporate responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 84(3), 325−339.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Helms, W. S., Oliver, C., & Webb, K. (2012). Antecedents of settlement on a new institutional practice: Negotiation of the ISO 26000 standard on social responsibility. Academy of Management Journal, 55(5): 1120−1145.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heyd, D. 1982. Supererogation: Its status in ethical theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Heyd, D. 2015. Supererogation. In E.N. Zalta (Ed.), Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (winter 2015 edition). http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/supererogation/.Google Scholar
Horgan, T., & Timmons, M. 2010. Untying a knot from the inside out: Reflections on the “paradox” of supererogation. Social Philosophy and Policy, 27(2): 29–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Il Fatto Alimentare. 2018. Acqua minerale: l’anomalia italiana. Siamo il primo paese in Europa e il secondo al mondo per consumo di acqua in bottiglia. March 26. https://ilfattoalimentare.it/acqua-minerale-anomalia-italia.html.Google Scholar
Interface. 2017. Climate Take Back. https://www.interface.com/US/en-US/campaign/climate-take-back/Climate-Take-Back#422594394.Google Scholar
ISO. 2010. Guidance on social responsibility. International Organization for Standardization. Geneva: ISO.Google Scholar
Johnson, H. L. 1971. Business in contemporary society: Framework and issues. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.Google Scholar
Lovins, H., & Crouse, C. 2012. Don’t buy this jacket: Lessons in successful values marketing. December 18. Sustainable Brands. http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/articles/dont-buy-jacket-lessons-successful-values-marketing.Google Scholar
Manne, H. G., & Wallich, H. C. 1972. The modern corporation and social responsibility. Washington, DC: American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research.Google Scholar
Martin, R. L. 2002. The virtue matrix: Calculating the return on corporate responsibility. Harvard Business Review, 80(3): 68−75.Google ScholarPubMed
Mazutis, D. 2014. Supererogation: Beyond positive deviance and corporate social responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 119(4): 517−528.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McWilliams, A., & Siegel, D. 2001. Corporate social responsibility: A theory of the firm perspective. Academy of Management Review, 26(1): 117−127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mellema, G. 1994. Business ethics and doing what one ought to do. Journal of Business Ethics, 13(2): 149−153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moberg, D. 1997. Virtuous peers in work organizations. Business Ethics Quarterly, 7(1): 67−85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nason, R. S., Bacq, S. C., & Gras, D. 2018. A behavioral theory of social performance: Social identity and stakeholder expectations. Academy of Management Review, 43(2): 259−283.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nudd, T. 2011. Ad of the day: Patagonia − The brand declares war on consumerism gone berserk, and admits its own environmental failings. Adweek. November 28. http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/ad-day-patagonia-136745.Google Scholar
Ohreen, D. E., & Petry, R. A. 2012. Imperfect duties and corporate philanthropy: A Kantian approach. Journal of Business Ethics, 106(3): 367−381.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patagonia. 2016. 100% for the planet. http://www.patagonia.com/100-percent-for-the-planet.html.Google Scholar
Phillips, R., Freeman, R. E., & Wicks, A. C. 2003. What stakeholder theory is not. Business Ethics Quarterly, 13(4): 479−502.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. 2011. Creating shared value. Harvard Business Review, 89(1−2): 62–77.Google Scholar
Portmore, D. W. 2008. Are moral reasons morally overriding? Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 11: 369–388.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Post, J. E., Preston, L. E., & Sachs, S. 2002. Managing the extended enterprise: The new stakeholder view. California Management Review, 45(1): 6−28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pybus, E. 1982. Saints and heroes. Philosophy, 57: 193–199.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rawls, J. 1971. A theory of justice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Raz, J. 1975. Permissions and supererogation. American Philosophical Quarterly, 12: 161–168.Google Scholar
REI. 2016. #Optoutside with REI on Black Friday. https://www.rei.com/opt-outside.Google Scholar
REI Staff. 2016. #Optoutside—Will you go out with us? REI Co-op Journal. October 23. http://blog.rei.com/news/optoutside-will-you-go-out-with-us/.Google Scholar
Rivoli, P., & Waddock, S. 2011. “First they ignore you…”: The time-context dynamic and corporate responsibility. California Management Review, 53(2): 87−104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scherer, A. G., & Palazzo, G. 2011. The new political role of business in a globalized world: A review of a new perspective on CSR and its implications for the firm, governance, and democracy. Journal of Management Studies, 48(4): 899−931.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scherer, A. G., Rasche, A., Palazzo, G., & Spicer, A. 2016. Managing for political corporate social responsibility: New challenges and directions for PCSR 2.0. Journal of Management Studies, 53(3): 273−298.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schreck, P., van Aaken, D., & Donaldson, T. 2013. Positive economics and the normativistic fallacy: Bridging the two sides of CSR. Business Ethics Quarterly, 23(2): 297–329.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schwartz, M. S., & Carroll, A. B. 2003. Corporate social responsibility: A three-domain approach. Business Ethics Quarterly, 13(4): 503−530.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sekerka, L. E., Comer, D. R., & Godwin, L. N. 2014. Positive organizational ethics: Cultivating and sustaining moral performance. Journal of Business Ethics, 119(4): 435−444.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Slavin, T. 2017. Proof Positive that people and planet equals profit. Ethical Corporation. September 4. http://www.ethicalcorp.com/proof-positive-people-and-planet-equals-profit.Google Scholar
Sustainable Brands. 2018. REI again urging Americans to #OptOutside, studying link to human health. October 24. https://sustainablebrands.com/read/behavior-change/rei-again-urging-americans-to-optoutside-studying-link-to-human-health.Google Scholar
Tencati, A., Perrini, F., & Pogutz, S. 2004. New tools to foster corporate socially responsible behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 53(1–2): 173−190.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tencati, A., & Zsolnai, L. 2009. The collaborative enterprise. Journal of Business Ethics, 85(3): 367−376.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Urmson, J. O. 1958. Saints and heroes. In Melden, A. I. (Ed.), Essays in moral philosophy: 198−216. Seattle: University of Washington Press.Google Scholar
Vlasic, B. 2015. Despite recalls, G.M. pays workers a big bonus. The New York Times. February 4. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/05/business/gm-reports-2-8-billion-profit-in-2014.html.Google Scholar
Wettstein, F. 2009. Beyond voluntariness, beyond CSR: Making a case for human rights and justice. Business and Society Review, 114(1): 125−152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wettstein, F. 2012a. Corporate responsibility in the collective age: Toward a conception of collaborative responsibility. Business and Society Review, 117(2): 155−184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wettstein, F. 2012b. CSR and the debate on business and human rights: Bridging the great divide. Business Ethics Quarterly, 22(4): 739−770.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zillman, C. 2015. REI is paying its employees to take Black Friday off. Fortune. http://fortune.com/2015/10/26/rei-black-friday/.Google Scholar
Zsolnai, L. 2006. Extended stakeholder theory. Society and Business Review, 1(1): 37−44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar