THE PLACE OF MORALITY IN CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: FROM KANT’S PERSPECTIVE
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Date
2022-11-11
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
Looking at most economies, corporations have replaced family production as a means of human sustenance.
They to portray themselves as full and good citizens caring for society through Corporate Social
Responsibility activities. However, a critical review of documented cases on international businesses arena
shows that this may be a marketing strategy. The activities themselves and the means of implementation
contradict with other practices of the corporation. Corporations are not just legal bodies, but also moral
agents, responsible for praise or blame for their acts. Their activities therefore ought to be morally good.
We argue that to the extent that these actions are driven by other motives other than performance of the
good in itself, and do not respect the freedoms and uphold respect and dignity of the person, as required
under Kantian Categorical Imperatives, they are unethical. Otherwise, CSR as an act of benevolence from
duty is morally good. Furthermore, moral good and making profits for the company are not mutually
exclusive, since they can be achieved simultaneously. The Categorical Imperative formulation of “kingdom
of ends” recognizes that there are many stakeholders, and every member should treat the others as ends and
not means. Thus, an initiative that meets interests of more than one category of stakeholders at the same
time is not necessarily against acting from duty. Therefore, this study research on looking at how moral
values can be inculcated in corporations’ corporate social responsibility activities. This is done by
specifically looking at Kant’s moral theory, and how the Categorical Imperatives formulated by him can
shape CSR.
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