The Corporation as Citoyen? Towards a New Understanding of Corporate Citizenship

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftForschungsartikelBeigetragenBegutachtung

Abstract

Based on the extended conceptualization of corporate citizenship, as provided by Matten and Crane (Acad Manag Rev 30(1):166–179, 2005), this paper examines the new role of corporations in society. Taking the ideas of Matten and Crane one step further, we argue that the status of corporations as citizens is not solely defined by their factual engagement in the provision of citizenship rights to others. By analysing political and sociological citizenship theories, we show that such engagement is more adequately explained by a change in the self-conception of corporate citizens from corporate bourgeois to corporate citoyens. While the corporate bourgeois acts primarily for private business purposes, the corporate citoyen engages in society, performing civil and political rights and duties. As an intermediate actor in society, shaped by the principle of subsidiary task-sharing, the corporate citoyen undertakes co-responsibility for social and civic affairs and actively collaborates with fellow citizens below, beside and beyond governmental regulation.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Seiten (von - bis)541-554
Seitenumfang14
FachzeitschriftJournal of Business Ethics
Jahrgang120
Ausgabenummer4
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - 2014
Peer-Review-StatusJa

Externe IDs

Scopus 84898484385

Schlagworte

Schlagwörter

  • Corporate Citizenship, Citoyen, Bourgeois, Social doctrine, Subsidiarity