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Industry Business Associations: Self-Interested or Socially Conscious?

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  • José Carlos Marques

    (University of Ottawa)

Abstract

The number and scale of business associations focused on corporate responsibility and sustainability has grown dramatically in recent decades and they are becoming influential actors in both national and international governance. Yet surprisingly little research exists on such organizations and recognition of the organizational lineage they share with special interest groups is yet to be examined—are industry business associations merely lobbies for their members’ own interests or are they viable self-regulatory institutions capable of addressing contemporary social and sustainability issues? This paper identifies and reviews fragmented insights from literatures that address this question. Drawing on various streams of research within the political science, economics and management disciplines that provide diverse lenses on the phenomenon of business associations, it juxtaposes and groups them into two broad perspectives: business associations as special interest groups that are detrimental to society (“peril”); business associations as self-regulatory institutions capable of addressing contemporary challenges (“promise”).

Suggested Citation

  • José Carlos Marques, 2017. "Industry Business Associations: Self-Interested or Socially Conscious?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 143(4), pages 733-751, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:143:y:2017:i:4:d:10.1007_s10551-016-3077-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-016-3077-y
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    3. Heloise Berkowitz & Antoine Souchaud, 2019. "(Self-)Regulation of Sharing Economy Platforms Through Partial Meta-organizing," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 159(4), pages 961-976, November.
    4. Héloïse Berkowitz & Nils Brunsson & Michael Grothe-Hammer & Mikaela Sundberg & Bertrand Valiorgue, 2022. "Meta-Organizations: A Clarification and a Way Forward," Post-Print hal-03685386, HAL.
    5. Anna Lašáková & Anna Remišová & Ľubica Bajzíková, 2021. "Differences in Occurrence of Unethical Business Practices in a Post-Transitional Country in the CEE Region: The Case of Slovakia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-33, March.
    6. Vanessa Prieto-Sandoval & Andres Mejia-Villa & Carmen Jaca & Marta Ormazabal, 2022. "The Case of an Agricultural Crop Business Association in Navarra as Circular Economy Intermediary," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 2(2), pages 713-729, June.
    7. Rosana Fuentes-Fernández & Eduardo Sánchez-García & Javier Martínez-Falcó & Bartolomé Marco-Lajara, 2024. "Uncovering external factors that influence the acquisition of knowledge for innovative purposes," Operational Research, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 1-28, September.
    8. Haojun, Wang & Jiazhu, Li, 2024. "Professional experience of CEOs in industry associations and corporate green innovation-empirical evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    9. Dirk Ulrich Gilbert & Stephanie Schrage & Michael Behnam, 2024. "Advancing the Moral legitimacy of digital platforms as gatekeepers: a critical analysis from a political corporate social responsibility perspective," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 94(7), pages 1115-1145, October.
    10. Héloïse Berkowitz & Sanne Bor, 2024. "Meta-organizations for sustainability transformations: Navigating tensions between imperatives of transition and meta-organizationality," Post-Print hal-04493940, HAL.
    11. Berkowitz, Heloise, 2019. "An ontology of meta-organization: Variations in attributes, functions and profiles," OSF Preprints kc4a3, Center for Open Science.
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    13. Carlos Alberto Restrepo Rivillas & Edna Carolina Sastoque Ramírez & Isidro Hernández Rodríguez, 2021. "Proceso de Industrialización en colombia. Desempeño y condiciones institucionales," Books, Universidad Externado de Colombia, Facultad de Administración de Empresas, number 56, August.

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