When urgency matters. On non-discretionary corporate social responsibility

Abstract

Business firms have been addressing concerns raised by management scholars and social activists regarding the social responsibilities of business firms in the last 50 years. Yet, many companies and business executives frame the issue in the language of discretionary donations or acts of charity. In this article, I shall argue that the significant normative question is whether and how business corporations ought to address those growing societal concerns as a matter of duty. In addressing this question, the article examines four normative justifications – namely, the principles of Membership, Ability, Contribution and Fair Play – for grounding moral responsibilities and identifying agents of justice. I shall argue that none of the aforementioned principles provide a comprehensive account of how to allocate responsibilities among non-state institutions. Consequently, I shall propose a multi-principled theory that arranges the application of these four principles according to the circumstances of justice and the degree of urgency of needs.