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Responsibility in Paradise? The Adoption of CSR Tools by Companies Domiciled in Tax Havens

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  • Lutz Preuss

Abstract

In contrast to the recent rise to economic importance of offshore finance centres (OFCs), the topic of taxation has so far created little interest among scholars of corporate social responsibility (CSR). This paper makes two contributions to addressing this lacuna. Applying a range of influential normative theories of ethics, it first offers an ethical evaluation of tax havens. Second, the paper examines what use large firms that are headquartered in two OFCs—Bermuda and the Cayman Islands—make of formal CSR tools. The emerging duplicity in tax haven-based companies professing social responsibility highlights once more the political nature of CSR, where at least some firms and/or industries can successfully limit government power to enact regulation as well as shape the discourse around CSR. The study of CSR in OFC-based firms thus calls into question the usefulness of the often quoted definition of CSR as going beyond the law. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012

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  • Lutz Preuss, 2012. "Responsibility in Paradise? The Adoption of CSR Tools by Companies Domiciled in Tax Havens," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 110(1), pages 1-14, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:110:y:2012:i:1:p:1-14
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-012-1456-6
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    3. Päivi Karhunen & Svetlana Ledyaeva & Keith D. Brouthers, 2022. "Capital Round-Tripping: Determinants of Emerging Market Firm Investments into Offshore Financial Centers and Their Ethical Implications," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 181(1), pages 117-137, November.
    4. Lauren Kleynjans & Marek Hudon, 2016. "A Study of Codes of Ethics for Mexican Microfinance Institutions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 134(3), pages 397-412, March.
    5. Dongyoung Lee, 2020. "Corporate social responsibility of U.S.‐listed firms headquartered in tax havens," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(9), pages 1547-1571, September.
    6. Laszlo Goerke, 2019. "Corporate social responsibility and tax avoidance," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 21(2), pages 310-331, April.
    7. Knuutinen Reijo & Pietiläinen Matleena, 2017. "Responsible Investment: Taxes and Paradoxes," Nordic Tax Journal, Sciendo, vol. 2017(1), pages 135-150, January.
    8. Mihai-Bogdan AFRASINEI & Iuliana Eugenia GEORGESCU & Costel ISTRATE, 2016. "The Influence Of The Connections Of Romanian Non-Listed Firms To Tax Havens On Their Profitability," CES Working Papers, Centre for European Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, vol. 8(4), pages 572-596, December.
    9. Mihai Bogdan Afrasinei, 2013. "The Problem Of Tax Havens And The Romanian Tax Authorities’ Reaction," CES Working Papers, Centre for European Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, vol. 5(2), pages 149-159.
    10. Antonella Forganni & Heidi Reed, 2019. "Circumvention of Trade Defence Measures and Business Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(1), pages 29-40, March.
    11. Osman Issah & Lúcia Lima Rodrigues, 2021. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Tax Aggressiveness: A Scientometric Analysis of the Existing Literature to Map the Future," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-23, June.
    12. Diego Ravenda & Josep Argilés-Bosch & Maika Valencia-Silva, 2015. "Labor Tax Avoidance and Its Determinants: The Case of Mafia Firms in Italy," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(1), pages 41-62, November.
    13. Grahame Dowling, 2014. "The Curious Case of Corporate Tax Avoidance: Is it Socially Irresponsible?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 124(1), pages 173-184, September.
    14. Burcin Col & Saurin Patel, 2019. "Going to Haven? Corporate Social Responsibility and Tax Avoidance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 154(4), pages 1033-1050, February.
    15. Anat Toder‐Alon & Eyal Rosenstreich & Tali Te'eni Harari, 2019. "Give or take? Consumers' ambivalent perspectives on the relationship between a firm's corporate social responsibility engagement and its responsible tax payments," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(4), pages 872-884, July.
    16. Steven A. Brieger & Stefan Anderer & Andreas Fröhlich & Anne Bäro & Timo Meynhardt, 2020. "Too Much of a Good Thing? On the Relationship Between CSR and Employee Work Addiction," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 166(2), pages 311-329, October.
    17. Barkemeyer, Ralf & Preuss, Lutz & Ohana, Marc, 2018. "Developing country firms and the challenge of corruption: Do company commitments mirror the quality of national-level institutions?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 26-39.
    18. Ylönen, Matti & Laine, Matias, 2015. "For logistical reasons only? A case study of tax planning and corporate social responsibility reporting," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 5-23.
    19. Charles H. Cho & Matias Laine & Robin W. Roberts & Michelle Rodrigue, 2018. "The Frontstage and Backstage of Corporate Sustainability Reporting: Evidence from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Bill," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 152(3), pages 865-886, October.
    20. Anne Vijver, 2022. "Morality of Lobbying for Tax Benefits: A Kantian Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 181(1), pages 57-68, November.
    21. Apostol, Oana & Pop, Alina, 2019. "‘Paying taxes is losing money’: A qualitative study on institutional logics in the tax consultancy field in Romania," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 1-23.
    22. Kiridaran Kanagaretnam & Jimmy Lee & Chee Yeow Lim & Gerald J. Lobo, 2018. "Cross-Country Evidence on the Role of Independent Media in Constraining Corporate Tax Aggressiveness," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(3), pages 879-902, July.
    23. Fallan, Even & Fallan, Lars, 2019. "Corporate tax behaviour and environmental disclosure: Strategic trade-offs across elements of CSR?," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 35(3).

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