Doing Well by Doing Good: Distinguishing the Right from the Good in Theories of Corporate Social Responsibility

Abstract

Global economic and environmental circumstances require that business in the twenty-first century be practiced in a way that is economically vibrant enough to address the real needs of billions of people, yet ecologically informed so that the earth’s capacity to support life is not diminished by that activity and ethically sensitive enough that the human dignity is not lost or violated in the process. This paper will argue that any adequate model of corporate social responsibility (CSR) must meet these three normative standards: it must be economically, environmentally, and ethically sound. My argument to support this conclusion falls into two parts: arguments against the adequacy of mainstream models of CSR to meet these standards and arguments in support of the sustainability alternative. This alternative provides a contemporary model of the good company that is true to the Christian tradition as well as being economically and environmentally satisfactory for addressing global needs.