Carroll---1979---Three-Dimensional-Conceptual-Mode

AcademyofManagementiscollaboratingwithJSTORtodigitize,preserveandextendaccesstoTheAcademyofManagementReview.(s):ArchieB.CarrollSource:TheAcademyofManagementReview,Vol.4,No.4(Oct.,1979),pp.497-505Publishedby:AcademyofManagementStableURL::30-09-201513:21UTCYouruseoftheJSTORarchiveindicatesyouracceptanceoftheTerms&ConditionsofUse,[e-mail]m129.234.252.67onWed,30Sep201513:21:17UTCAllusesubjecttoJSTORTermsandConditionsAcademyofManagementReview1979,Vol.4,No.4,497-505AThree-DimensionalConceptualModelofCorporatePerformanceARCHIEB.CARROLLUniversityofGeorgiaOfferedhereisaconceptualmodelthatcomprehensivelydescribeses-sentialaspectsofcorporatesocialperformance.Thethreeaspectsofthemodeladdressmajorquestionsofconcerntoacademicsandmanagersalike:(1)Whatisincludedincorporatesocialresponsibility?(2)Whatarethesocialissuestheorganizationmustaddress?and(3)Whatistheorganization'sphilosophyormodeofsocialresponsiveness?Conceptsofcorporatesocialresponsibilityhavebeenevolvingfordecades.Asearlyasthe1930s,forexample,WendellWilkiehelpededucatethebusinessmantoanewsenseofsocialresponsibili-ty[Cheit,1964,p.157,citinghistorianWilliamLeuchtenburg].Themoderneraofsocialresponsi-bility,however,maybemarkedbyHowardR.Bowen's1953publicationofSocialResponsibili-tiesoftheBusinessman,consideredbymanytobethefirstdefinitivebookonthesubject.FollowingBowen'sbook,anumberofworksplayedaroleindevelopingthesocialresponsibilityconcept[Berle&Means,1932;Cheit,1964;Davis&Blomstrom,1966;Greenwood,1964;Mason,1960;McGuire,1963].Bythemid-1950s,discussionsofthesocialresponsibilitiesofbusinesseshadbecomesowidespreadthatPeterDruckerchidedbusiness-men:Youmightwonder,ifyouwereaconscien-tiousnewspaperreader,whenthemanagersofAmericanbusinesshadanytimeforbusiness[1954].Oneofthefactorscontributingtotheambiguitythatfrequentlyshroudeddiscussionsaboutsocialresponsibilitywasthelackofaconsensusonwhattheconceptreallymeant.In1960,KeithDavissug-gestedthatsocialresponsibilityreferstobusi-nessmen'sdecisionsandactionstakenforreasonsatleastpartiallybeyondthefirm'sdirecteconomicortechnicalinterest[p.70].EellsandWalton,in1961,arguedasfollows:Whenpeopletalkaboutcorporatesocialresponsi-bilitiestheyarethinkingintermsoftheproblemsthatarisewhencorporateenterprisecastsitsshadowonthesocialscene,andoftheethicalprinciplesthatoughttogoverntherelationshipsbetweenthecorporationandsociety[pp.457-458].Therealdebategotunderwayin1962whenMil-tonFriedmanarguedforcefullythatthedoctrineofsocialresponsibilityisfundamentallysubversive.Heasserted:Fewtrendscouldsothoroughlyun-derminetheveryfoundationsofourfreesocietyastheacceptancebycorporateofficialsofasocialresponsibilityotherthantomakeasmuchmoneyfortheirstockholdersaspossible[p.133].JosephMcGuire,in1963,acknowledgedtheprimacyofeconomicconcerns,butalsoaccommo-datedabroaderviewofthefirm'ssocialresponsi-bilities.Hepositedthat:Theideaofsocialresponsibilitiessupposesthatthecorporationhasnotonlyeconomicandlegalobli-gations,butalsocertainresponsibilitiestosocietywhichextendbeyondtheseobligations[p.144].Arguinginasimilarvein,JulesBackmanhassuggestedthatsocialresponsibilityusuallyrefers(1979bytheAcademyofManagement0363-7425497Thiscontentdownloadedfrom129.234.252.67onWed,30Sep201513:21:17UTCAllusesubjecttoJSTORTermsandConditionstotheobjectivesormotivesthatshouldbegivenweightbybusinessinadditionto[emphasisadded]thosedealingwitheconomicperformance(e.g.,profits)[1975,p.2].ThoughMcGuireandBackmanseesocialre-sponsibilityasnotonlyincludingbutalsomovingbeyondeconomicandlegalconsiderations,othersseeitasinvolvingonlypurevoluntaryacts,thusconceptualizingsocialresponsibilityassomethingafirmconsidersoverandaboveeconomicandlegalcriteria.RepresentativeofthisviewisHenryManne,whohasarguedAnotheraspectofanyworkabledefinitionofcorporatesocialresponsibil-ityisthatthebehaviorofthefirmsmustbevolun-tary[Manne&Wallich,1972,p.5,emphasisadded].Anotherapproachtothequestionofwhatsocialresponsibilitymeansinvolvesadefinitionsimplylistingtheareasinwhichbusinessisviewedashavingaresponsibility.Forexample,Hay,Gray,andGatessuggestthatoneaspectofsocialre-sponsibilityrequiresthefirmtomakedecisionsandactuallycommitresourcesofvariouskindsinsomeofthefollowingareas:pollutionproblems...povertyandracialdiscriminationproblems...con-sumerism...andothersocialproblemareas[1976,pp.15-16].Oneofthefirstapproachestoencompassthespectrumofeconomicandnon-economicconcernsindefiningsocialresponsibilitywasthethreecon-centriccirclesapproachespousedbytheCommit-teeforEconomicDevelopment(CED)in1971.Theinnercircleincludestheclear-cutbasicrespons