Ketola Tarja

A Hypothetical Corporate Responsibility Emphasis Model

Dr. Ketola Tarja
Adjunct Professor in Environmental Management
Department of Management,
Turku School of Economics
Rehtoripellonkatu 3, 20500 Turku, Finland
E-Mail: tarja.ketola@utu.fi, tarja.ketola@tukkk.fi

Abstract
Corporate responsibility research has made major advances in mapping the area both in theory and practice. However, CR studies have so far paid little attention to the variations in the CR emphases between different business areas and between companies within the same business areas. This paper presents a CR emphasis model, which pinpoints the different approaches to corporate responsibility different kinds of companies adopt.
Eight different CR emphases are introduced: (1) suicidal, (2) ideal, (3) plutocentric, (4) anthropocentric, (5) biocentric, (6) patriarchal, (7) technocentric and (8) matriarchal.

It is possible for companies with different CR emphases to move towards ideal responsibility if they continue to increase their social and ecological responsibilities while holding onto the necessary level of economic responsibility. Of course pioneers will reach the ideal state first, but one should not give up with the followers either, because they will toddle behind and sometimes even stride along once they realize the image benefits or their real responsibilities in this world. Those companies that lag behind the general responsibility trend are a worry. They do not voluntarily take any responsibilities. Laws and market instruments, which compel business to bear economic, social and ecological responsibilities, are meant for these companies.

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