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A Qualified Account of Supererogation: Toward a Better Conceptualization of Corporate Social Responsibility

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  • Tencati, Antonio
  • Misani, Nicola
  • Castaldo, Sandro

Abstract

Some firms are initiating pro-stakeholder activities and policies that transcend conventional corporate social responsibility (CSR) conceptions and seem inconsistent with their business interests or economic responsibilities. These initiatives, which are neither legally nor morally obligatory, are responding to calls for a more active role of business in society and for a broader interpretation of CSR. In fact, they benefit stakeholders in a superior and an innovative way and are difficult to reconcile with commonly used rationales in the extant CSR literature, such as win-win opportunities, creating shared value, or corporate philanthropy. For better insight, we develop a qualified account of the concept of supererogation from ethical theory. This account, which examines voluntary responses to moral obligations from which a business is normally excused, is applied to identify the unique features of the initiatives that are not readily understood within conventional reasoning, which is generally focused on a business case.

Suggested Citation

  • Tencati, Antonio & Misani, Nicola & Castaldo, Sandro, 2020. "A Qualified Account of Supererogation: Toward a Better Conceptualization of Corporate Social Responsibility," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 30(2), pages 250-272, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:buetqu:v:30:y:2020:i:2:p:250-272_4
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Felix Ostertag, 2023. "Integrating OCBE Literature and Norm Activation Theory: A Moderated Mediation on Proenvironmental Behavior of Employees," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-27, May.
    2. Yaeri Kim & Seojin Stacey Lee & Taewoo Roh, 2020. "Taking Another Look at Airline CSR: How Required CSR and Desired CSR Affect Customer Loyalty in the Airline Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-19, May.
    3. Gareth R. T. White & Anthony Samuel & Robert J. Thomas, 2023. "Exploring and Expanding Supererogatory Acts: Beyond Duty for a Sustainable Future," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 185(3), pages 665-688, July.
    4. Castaldo, Sandro & Ciacci, Andrea & Penco, Lara, 2023. "Perceived corporate social responsibility and job satisfaction in grocery retail: A comparison between low- and high-productivity stores," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    5. James, Steffan & Liu, Zheng & White, Gareth R.T. & Samuel, Anthony, 2023. "Introducing ethical theory to the triple helix model: Supererogatory acts in crisis innovation," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    6. Abdelmoety, Ziad Hassan & Aboul-Dahab, Sameh & Agag, Gomaa, 2022. "A cross cultural investigation of retailers commitment to CSR and customer citizenship behaviour: The role of ethical standard and value relevance," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    7. Snellman, Kirsi & Fink, Matthias & Hakala, Henri & Bor, Sanne, 2023. "The creation of desirable futures: A call for supererogatory management to foster sustainability transitions," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).

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