Book contents
- Between Ethics and Economics
- Business, Value Creation, and Society
- Between Ethics and Economics
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- 1Introduction
- 2Markets and Motives
- 3Prices, Wages, and Justice
- 4Market Harms
- 5The Corporate Form and Moral Responsibility
- 6Corporate Social Responsibility
- 7The Moral Limits of the Market
- References
- Index
6 - Corporate Social Responsibility
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 June 2026
Book contents
- Between Ethics and Economics
- Business, Value Creation, and Society
- Between Ethics and Economics
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- 1Introduction
- 2Markets and Motives
- 3Prices, Wages, and Justice
- 4Market Harms
- 5The Corporate Form and Moral Responsibility
- 6Corporate Social Responsibility
- 7The Moral Limits of the Market
- References
- Index
Summary
Questions about the social responsibilities of corporations or businesses are regarded by many as the most fundamental issues for business ethicists to solve. In the business ethics literature, debate has been starkly divided between stakeholder theory and stockholder theory, which at its most basic level means choosing either for or against the very idea of corporate social responsibility. This chapter gives a comprehensive and systematic overview of this extensive literature. In response to it, we develop a more nuanced view in line with our moral leeway approach. We argue that the justification of corporate social responsibility depends on a broad range of factors, including the urgency of the problem, the company’s ability to provide assistance, the cost of doing so, the importance of business as usual, and the availability of alternatives.
Keywords
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- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Between Ethics and EconomicsA Moral Leeway Approach to Business Ethics, pp. 134 - 190Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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