The ethics of corporate social responsibility

Abstract

This paper seeks to address the question of corporate moral obligation towards social responsibility. The focus is on whether there is a moral obligation on corporations to be socially responsible in addition to their profit motive, or whether social responsibility should be pursued only to the extent that it contributes towards the profit of the business. The question I explore is: “Is corporate social responsibility a moral obligation or a means to an end?” To answer this question, I look at business cases or drivers for investment in corporate social responsibility; whether social responsibility should be undertaken purely for economic reasons or for moral reasons, or for both. I argue that business has a moral obligation towards society beyond economic and legal traditional obligations