Perspektiven wirtschafts- und berufspädagogischer sowie wirtschaftsethischer Forschung

Advocates of instrumental Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) argue that corporations can achieve better financial performance by engaging in CSR activities, in what is called the business case for CSR. This potential relationship between corporate social performance and corporate financial performance has been the object of numerous studies. Recent evidence suggests that the commonly observed small but positive effect sizes are inflated due to reporting bias, dispelling notions of CSR activities as strategically viable drivers of profit. In this article, I argue that these results may yet provide a useful argument for proponents of CSR from a consequentialist perspective. Based on Peter Singer’s argument that a moral duty to prevent the morally bad exists if doing so does not come with a sacrifice of comparable moral significance, I argue that a similar moral duty for firms exists when CSR activities can be expected to be more efficient at preventing the morally bad than individual or government activities. In addition, I provide critical commentary on the validity of corporate social performance measures which are a crucial component of my argument.