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For Better or For Worse: Corporate Responsibility Beyond “Do No Harm”

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  • Wettstein, Florian

Abstract

Do corporations have a duty to promote just institutions? Agreeing with Hsieh’s recent contribution, this article argues that they do. However, contrary to Hsieh, it holds that such a claim cannot be advanced convincingly only by reference to the negative duty to do no harm. Instead, such a duty necessarily must be grounded in positive obligation. In the search of a foundation for a positive duty for corporations to further just institutions, Stephen Kobrin’s notion of “private political authority” offers a promising connecting point. Political authority implies political responsibility; Political obligation, however, includes more than merely not doing any harm—it is essentially positive obligation. The implications of the new political responsibilities of multinational corporations may even go far beyond the particular duty to promote just institutions; they may be symptomatic for a much more profound shift from an individual to a collective age.

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  • Wettstein, Florian, 2010. "For Better or For Worse: Corporate Responsibility Beyond “Do No Harm”," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 20(2), pages 275-283, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:buetqu:v:20:y:2010:i:02:p:275-283_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Wil Martens & Bastiaan Linden & Manuel Wörsdörfer, 2019. "How to Assess the Democratic Qualities of a Multi-stakeholder Initiative from a Habermasian Perspective? Deliberative Democracy and the Equator Principles Framework," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(4), pages 1115-1133, April.
    2. Obara, Louise J. & Peattie, Ken, 2018. "Bridging the great divide? Making sense of the human rights-CSR relationship in UK multinational companies," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(6), pages 781-793.
    3. (ed.), 0. "Research Handbook on Economic Diplomacy," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 16053.
    4. Tricia D. Olsen & Laura Bernal-Bermúdez, 2024. "Uncovering Economic Complicity: Explaining State-Led Human Rights Abuses in the Corporate Context," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 189(1), pages 35-54, January.
    5. Leandro Martins Zanitelli, 2013. "Corporate Moral Duties: Consequentialism, Collective Moral Agency and the “Ought†Implies “Can†Maxim," International Journal of Business and Social Research, LAR Center Press, vol. 3(11), pages 17-29, November.
    6. Irina Lock & Peter Seele, 2015. "Analyzing Sector‐Specific CSR Reporting: Social and Environmental Disclosure to Investors in the Chemicals and Banking and Insurance Industry," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 22(2), pages 113-128, March.
    7. Matthew Amengual & Rita Mota & Alexander Rustler, 2023. "The ‘Court of Public Opinion:’ Public Perceptions of Business Involvement in Human Rights Violations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 185(1), pages 49-74, June.
    8. Leandro Martins Zanitelli, 2013. "Corporate Moral Duties: Consequentialism, Collective Moral Agency and the “Ought†Implies “Can†Maxim," International Journal of Business and Social Research, MIR Center for Socio-Economic Research, vol. 3(11), pages 17-29, November.
    9. Rea Wagner & Peter Seele, 2017. "Uncommitted Deliberation? Discussing Regulatory Gaps by Comparing GRI 3.1 to GRI 4.0 in a Political CSR Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 146(2), pages 333-351, December.

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