Business and Society Themes on the Business Enterprise by Agents of Social Change

Business and Society Themes on the business enterprise by agents of social

change? Research in this area involves

The first theme, organizing principles, exam- description of social problems, and of the corines

the basis for claims that corporations porate activities that give rise to or contribute

should act on social and ethical issues. In a to the exacerbation of these problems. This

sense, authors addressing this theme are stream of research tends to be descriptive and

answering the 'why' question of business and issue specific. Unlike the literature in the prinsociety

relations - Why should firms be good ciples category it tends to focus on the specific

corporate citizens? Within this broad theme are impacts of the harm and the mechanisms by

three major streams of scholarship: business which it occurs, rather than making a philoethics,

corporate social responsibility (CSR), sophical or strategic case for why companies

and ideology/values/attitudes. Each of these should respond to the issue. Unlike the literastreams

claims kinship to different disciplines: ture in the processes category, it tends to

business ethics is based in philosophy, ideology/ describe practices of companies that are

values/attitudes is based in psychology and framed in issue specific terms rather than in

sociology, and CSR is based in sociology and relational or functional terms. In addition,

management. The three streams are inter- when corporate practices are described, the

related. Individuals have values, attitudes and focus is on how they increase or lessen the

ideologies that influence, and are the product harm done, rather than on their intended

of, the issues they pay attention to and the effects, in terms of the development of the

decisions they make. These beliefs shape, and issue or the company's relationships with the