Journal of Business Ethics 82 (3):755-773 (2008)
Abstract |
This article explains problems and opportunities created by standardized ethics initiatives (e.g., the UN Global Compact, the Global Reporting Initiative, and SA 8000) from the perspective of stakeholder theory. First, we outline differences and commonalities among currently existing initiatives and thus generate a common ground for our discussion. Second, based on these remarks, we critically evaluate standardized ethics initiatives by drawing on descriptive, instrumental, and normative stakeholder theory. In doing so, we explain why these standards are helpful tools when it comes to ‘managing’ stakeholder relations but also face considerable limitations that can eventually hamper their successful expansion. We suspect that this discussion is necessary to conduct meaningful empirical research in the future and also to provide managers with a more clear-cut picture about a successful application of such initiatives. Third, we outline possible ways to cope with the identified problems and thus demonstrate how standard-setting institutions can improve the initiatives they offer.
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Keywords | accountability standards compliance corporate accountability social audits stakeholder theory stakeholder dialog ethical supply chains |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
DOI | 10.1007/s10551-007-9591-1 |
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References found in this work BETA
Between Facts and Norms: Contributions to a Discourse Theory of Law and Democracy.Jürgen Habermas (ed.) - 1996 - Polity.
Between Facts and Norms: Contributions to a Discourse Theory of Law and Democracy.Frank I. Michelman & Jurgen Habermas - 1996 - Journal of Philosophy 93 (6):307.
Moral Consciousness and Communicative Action.David M. Rasmussen - 1993 - Philosophical Quarterly 43 (173):571.
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Citations of this work BETA
Corporate Social Responsibility: Review and Roadmap of Theoretical Perspectives.Jędrzej George Frynas & Camila Yamahaki - 2016 - Business Ethics: A European Review 25 (3):258-285.
Input and Output Legitimacy of Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives.Sébastien Mena & Guido Palazzo - 2012 - Business Ethics Quarterly 22 (3):527-556.
The Politics of Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives: The Crisis of the Forest Stewardship Council.Steffen Böhm, André Spicer & Sandra Moog - 2015 - Journal of Business Ethics 128 (3):469-493.
Can Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives Improve Global Supply Chains? Improving Deliberative Capacity with a Stakeholder Orientation.Vivek Soundararajan, Jill A. Brown & Andrew C. Wicks - 2019 - Business Ethics Quarterly 29 (3):385-412.
Accountability in a Global Economy: The Emergence of International Accountability Standards.Sandra Waddock - 2011 - Business Ethics Quarterly 21 (1):23-44.
View all 29 citations / Add more citations
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