Corporate social responsibility : the good, the bad and the ugly

Subhabrata Bobby Banerjee

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

    884 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    In this article I critically analyze contemporary discourses of corporate social responsibility and related discourses of sustainability and corporate citizenship. I argue that despite their emancipatory rhetoric, discourses of corporate citizenship, social responsibility and sustainability are defined by narrow business interests and serve to curtail interests of external stakeholders. I provide an alternate perspective, one that views discourses of corporate citizenship, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability as ideological movements that are intended to legitimize and consolidate the power of large corporations. I also problematize the popular notion of organizational `stakeholders'. I argue that stakeholder theory of the firm represents a form of stakeholder colonialism that serves to regulate the behavior of stakeholders. I conclude by discussing implications for critical management studies.
    Original languageEnglish
    Number of pages29
    JournalCritical Sociology
    Publication statusPublished - 2008

    Keywords

    • business ethics
    • corporate governance
    • corporations
    • moral and ethical aspects
    • social responsibility of business
    • sustainability

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