IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/humman/v7y2022i2d10.1007_s41463-022-00137-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Aquinas’s Principle of Misericordia in Corporations: Implications for Workers and other Stakeholders

Author

Listed:
  • Angus Robson

    (Northumbria University)

Abstract

Despite its central position in the history of European and Christian thought on the protection of human dignity, the virtue of mercy is currently a problematic and under-developed concept in business ethics, compared to related ideas of care, compassion or philanthropy. The aim of this article is to argue for its revival as a core principle of ethical business practice. The article is conceptual in method. An overview is provided of the scope of contemporary business ethics research on related topics and clarifies some of the similarities and differences between mercy and popular terms, such as compassion and prosocial behaviour. The question is then explored as to why mercy has so little traction in business ethics. Some of the history of the idea of mercy in European and Anglophone philosophy is discussed, from Anselm and Aquinas to the present day, showing how discourse on mercy came to be split into a wider concept of the prevention and alleviation of suffering (misericordia) and a narrower one of clemency or leniency. Aquinas’s wide concept of the virtue of misericordia is developed as the basis for a principle of mercy, which is applicable directly to corporations. The practical implications of this for standards of corporate behaviour towards employees and other stakeholders are then considered through the introduction of a ‘vulnerability grid’. The grid offers a critical contrast to other analysis tools, such as stakeholder power-interest matrices. Cases drawn from empirical studies are used to illustrate application of the grid and to challenge some common assumptions of stakeholder theory.

Suggested Citation

  • Angus Robson, 2022. "Aquinas’s Principle of Misericordia in Corporations: Implications for Workers and other Stakeholders," Humanistic Management Journal, Springer, vol. 7(2), pages 233-257, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:humman:v:7:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s41463-022-00137-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s41463-022-00137-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s41463-022-00137-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s41463-022-00137-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Arnold, Denis G. & Valentin, Andres, 2013. "Corporate social responsibility at the base of the pyramid," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(10), pages 1904-1914.
    2. Thomas Prosser, 2016. "Dualization or liberalization? Investigating precarious work in eight European countries," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 30(6), pages 949-965, December.
    3. Moore, Geoff, 2005. "Corporate Character: Modern Virtue Ethics and the Virtuous Corporation," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 15(4), pages 659-685, October.
    4. Xiaomin Yu, 2008. "Impacts of Corporate Code of Conduct on Labor Standards: A Case Study of Reebok’s Athletic Footwear Supplier Factory in China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 81(3), pages 513-529, September.
    5. Eastman, Wayne & Santoro, Michael, 2003. "The Importance of Value Diversity in Corporate Life," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 13(4), pages 433-452, October.
    6. Geraldina Polanco, 2016. "Consent behind the counter: aspiring citizens and labour control under precarious (im)migration schemes," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(8), pages 1332-1350, August.
    7. O'Sullivan, Kimberley C. & Howden-Chapman, Philippa L. & Fougere, Geoff, 2011. "Making the connection: The relationship between fuel poverty, electricity disconnection, and prepayment metering," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 733-741, February.
    8. Tommaso Ramus & Antonino Vaccaro, 2017. "Stakeholders Matter: How Social Enterprises Address Mission Drift," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 143(2), pages 307-322, June.
    9. Brian Berkey, 2021. "Sweatshops, Structural Injustice, and the Wrong of Exploitation: Why Multinational Corporations Have Positive Duties to the Global Poor," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 169(1), pages 43-56, February.
    10. Ian Gough, 1994. "Economic Institutions and the Satisfaction of Human Needs," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 25-66, March.
    11. Bryan W. Husted & José De Jesus Salazar, 2006. "Taking Friedman Seriously: Maximizing Profits and Social Performance," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1), pages 75-91, January.
    12. Robert Newcombe, 2003. "From client to project stakeholders: a stakeholder mapping approach," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(8), pages 841-848.
    13. Nicholas Santos & Gene Laczniak, 2009. "“Just” Markets from the Perspective of Catholic Social Teaching," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 89(1), pages 29-38, May.
    14. Martin C. Schleper & Constantin Blome & David A. Wuttke, 2017. "The Dark Side of Buyer Power: Supplier Exploitation and the Role of Ethical Climates," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 140(1), pages 97-114, January.
    15. Michael Palanski, 2012. "Forgiveness and Reconciliation in the Workplace: A Multi-Level Perspective and Research Agenda," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 109(3), pages 275-287, September.
    16. Bernacchio, Caleb, 2018. "Networks of Giving and Receiving in an Organizational Context: Dependent Rational Animals and MacIntyrean Business Ethics," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 28(4), pages 377-400, October.
    17. Ernst Fehr & Urs Fischbacher, 2003. "The nature of human altruism," Nature, Nature, vol. 425(6960), pages 785-791, October.
    18. Tashman, Pete & Raelin, Jonathan, 2013. "Who and What Really Matters to the Firm: Moving Stakeholder Salience beyond Managerial Perceptions," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 23(4), pages 591-616, October.
    19. Bill Cooke, 2003. "The Denial of Slavery in Management Studies," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(8), pages 1895-1918, December.
    20. Huei-Ting Tsai & Chung-Lin Tsai, 2022. "The influence of the five cardinal values of confucianism on firm performance," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 429-458, February.
    21. Dean A. Shepherd & Trenton A. Williams, 2014. "Local Venturing as Compassion Organizing in the Aftermath of a Natural Disaster: The Role of Localness and Community in Reducing Suffering," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(6), pages 952-994, September.
    22. Tara Radin & Martin Calkins, 2006. "The Struggle Against Sweatshops: Moving Toward Responsible Global Business," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 66(2), pages 261-272, June.
    23. Pettigrove, Glen, 2007. "Hume on Forgiveness and the Unforgivable," Utilitas, Cambridge University Press, vol. 19(4), pages 447-465, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Joan Fontrodona & Domènec Melé, 2022. "Thinking About the Future of work: Promoting Dignity and Human Flourishing," Humanistic Management Journal, Springer, vol. 7(2), pages 181-188, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Caleb Bernacchio, 2021. "Virtue Beyond Contract: A MacIntyrean Approach to Employee Rights," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 171(2), pages 227-240, June.
    2. Robert Couch & Caleb Bernacchio, 2020. "The Virtues of Equality and Dissensus: MacIntyre in a Dialogue with Rancière and Mouffe," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 164(4), pages 633-642, July.
    3. Kelsey M. Taylor & Eugenia Rosca, 2023. "Sink, swim, or drift: How social enterprises use supply chain social capital to balance tensions between impact and viability," Journal of Supply Chain Management, Institute for Supply Management, vol. 59(2), pages 62-86, April.
    4. Mohammad Alghababsheh & David Gallear & Mushfiqur Rahman, 2020. "Balancing the Scales of Justice: Do Perceptions of Buyers’ Justice Drive Suppliers’ Social Performance?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 163(1), pages 125-150, April.
    5. Addisu A. Lashitew & Somendra Narayan & Eugenia Rosca & Lydia Bals, 2022. "Creating Social Value for the ‘Base of the Pyramid’: An Integrative Review and Research Agenda," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 178(2), pages 445-466, June.
    6. Marina Balboa & Germán López-Espinosa & Antonio Rubia, 2012. "Non-linear Dynamics in Discretionary Accruals: An Analysis of Bank Loan-Loss Provisions," Faculty Working Papers 07/12, School of Economics and Business Administration, University of Navarra.
    7. Matthew Sinnicks, 2021. "“We Ought to Eat in Order to Work, Not Vice Versa”: MacIntyre, Practices, and the Best Work for Humankind," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 174(2), pages 263-274, November.
    8. Kamini Gupta & Donal Crilly & Thomas Greckhamer, 2020. "Stakeholder engagement strategies, national institutions, and firm performance: A configurational perspective," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(10), pages 1869-1900, October.
    9. Mengyuan Zhou, 2022. "Does the Source of Inheritance Matter in Bequest Attitudes? Evidence from Japan," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 43(4), pages 867-887, December.
    10. Dirk Boehe & Luciano Barin Cruz, 2010. "Corporate Social Responsibility, Product Differentiation Strategy and Export Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 91(2), pages 325-346, February.
    11. Rekha Rao-Nicholson & Htwe Htwe Thein & Yifan Zhong, 2024. "A thematic analysis of the links between multinational enterprises’ corporate social responsibility and the Sustainable Development Goals in Myanmar," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 7(2), pages 203-223, June.
    12. Christine Clavien & Colby J Tanner & Fabrice Clément & Michel Chapuisat, 2012. "Choosy Moral Punishers," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(6), pages 1-6, June.
    13. Sylvie Thoron, 2016. "Morality Beyond Social Preferences: Smithian Sympathy, Social Neuroscience and the Nature of Social Consciousness [La moralité au delà des préférences sociales. La sympathie Smithienne, les neurosc," Post-Print hal-01645043, HAL.
    14. Mengyuan Zhou, 2019. "The Effect of the Source of Inheritance on Bequest Attitudes: Evidence from Japan," Keio-IES Discussion Paper Series 2019-018, Institute for Economics Studies, Keio University.
    15. Yingying Zhang Zhang & Chun Yee Wong & Alessandro Comai, 2024. "Child Labor in Social Media: Exploring a Decade of YouTube Data," Working Papers EMS_2024_04, Research Institute, International University of Japan.
    16. Abbate, Stefano & Centobelli, Piera & Cerchione, Roberto, 2023. "From Fast to Slow: An Exploratory Analysis of Circular Business Models in the Italian Apparel Industry," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    17. Afsaneh Bagheri & Golshan Javadian & Pardis Zakeri & Zahra Arasti, 2024. "Bearing the Unbearable: Exploring Women Entrepreneurs Resilience Building in Times of Crises," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 193(3), pages 715-738, September.
    18. Jana S. Kesenheimer & Tobias Greitemeyer, 2021. "Going Green (and Not Being Just More Pro-Social): Do Attitude and Personality Specifically Influence Pro-Environmental Behavior?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-12, March.
    19. Aggeborn, Linuz & Persson, Lovisa, 2017. "Public Finance and Right-Wing Populism," Working Paper Series 1182, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    20. Christian Hilbe & Moshe Hoffman & Martin A. Nowak, 2015. "Cooperate without Looking in a Non-Repeated Game," Games, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-15, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:humman:v:7:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s41463-022-00137-1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.