Abstract
This paper considers the distribution of responsibility for prevention of negative social or ecological effects of production and consumption. Responsibility is related to ability and ability depends on welfare. An increase in competition between Western companies depresses their profitability, but increases the welfare of Western consumers and,hence, their ability to acknowledge social values. Therefore, an increase in competition on consumer markets shifts the balance in responsibility from companies to consumers to prevent negative external effects from production and consumption patterns. An increase in competition on investor markets will shift the balance in an opposite direction.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beus, J. W. de: 1989, Markt, democratie en vrijheid. Een politiek–economische studie (Tjeenk Willink, Zwolle).
Buchanan, J. M.: 1975, The Limits of Liberty (University of Chicago Press, Chicago).
Friedman, M.: 1970, 'The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits', The New York Times Magazine, September 13th.
Graafland, J. J.: 2002a, 'Profits and Principles: Four Perspectives', Journal of Business Ethics 35, 293–305.
Graafland, J. J.: 2002b, 'Modelling the Trade Off between Profits and Principles', De Economist 150, 129–154.
Graafland, J. J.: 2002c, 'Sourcing Ethics in the Textile Sector: The Case of C&A', Business Ethics: A European Review 11(3), 282–294.
Graafland, J. J., B. W. Van de Ven and N. C. G. M. Stoffele: 2002, Wat betekent maatschappelijk ondernemen concreet?, Tilburg University, www.uvt.nl/faculteiten/fww/cmo/onderzoek/bzw.html.
Habermas, J.: 1991, Erlauterungen zur Diskursethik (Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main).
HandelsZeitung: 2000, C&A zieht nicht mehr alle an, 18–10–00.
Hausman, D. M. and M. S. McPherson: 1996, Economic Analysis and Moral Philosophy (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge).
Kapteyn, A., I. Woittiez and P. ten Hacken: 1989, 'Household Labour Supply in the Netherlands in the Eighties and the Nineties', OSA working paper W61, The Hague.
Levinas, E.: 1991, Entre nous. Essais sur le penser–al'autre (Bernard Grasset, Paris).
McGuire, T. G.: 2000, 'Physician Agency', in A. J. Culyer and J. P. Newhouse (eds.), Handbook of Health Economics, Volume 1, pp. 462–536.
Musiolek, B.: 1999, Gezähmte Modemultis. Verhaltenskodizes: ein Modell zur Durchsetzung von Arbeitsrechten? Eine kritische Bilanz (Brandes & Apsel/Südwind).
Nozick, R.: 1974, Anarchy, State and Utopia (Basic Books, New York).
Robins, N. and L. Humphrey: 2000, Sustaining the Rag Trade (International Institute for Environment and Development, London).
Rawls, J.: 1971, A Theory of Justice (Harvard University Press, Boston).
Sen, A. K.: 1984, Resources, Values and Development (Blackwell, Oxford).
Singer, P.: 1972, 'Famine, Affluence and Morality', Philosophy and Public Affairs 3, 229–243.
Südwind: 2000, Das Kreuz mit dem Faden, Texte 11 (Südwind Institute für Okonomie und Okumene, Siegberg).
Velasquez, M. G.: 1998, Business Ethics. Concepts and Cases (Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey).
Ven, B. W. van de, R. M. J. Jeurissen: 2000, 'Maatschappelijk verantwoord ondernemen en strategie', in Jeurissen (ed.), Bedrijfsethiek. Een goede zaak (Van Gorcum, Assen) pp. 98–124.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Graafland, J.J. Distribution of Responsibility, Ability and Competition. Journal of Business Ethics 45, 133–147 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024188916195
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024188916195