Undivided Corporate Responsibility: Towards a Theory of Corporate Integrity

In the years since Enron corporate social responsibility, or "CSR,” has become a ubiquitous phenomenon in both research and business practice. CSR is used as an umbrella term to describe much of what is done in terms of ethics-related activities in firms around the globe to such an extent that some consider it a "tortured concept” (Godfrey and Hatch 2007, Journal of Business Ethics 70, 87-98). Addressing this skepticism, I argue in this article that the focus on CSR is indeed problematic for three main reasons: (1) the term carries a lot of historical baggage - baggage that is not necessarily conducive to the clarity of the concept; (2) it is the object of increasing ethical instrumentalism; and (3) given the multiple ethical challenges that corporations face, and given the fact that the "social” responsibilities of business are but one set of corporate responsibilities, a suitable term would have to be more inclusive and integrative. I therefore suggests moving instead toward a sound definition of corporate integrity and aim in this article to develop a working definition by fleshing out "7 Cs” of integrity: commitment, conduct, content, context, consistency, coherence, and continuity. I then discuss how these 7 Cs impact our understanding of CSR or, more broadly, corporate responsibility in genera

Responsible Leadership, Stakeholder Engagement, and the Emergence of Social Capital

I argue in this article that responsible leadership (Maak and Pless, 2006) contributes to building social capital and ultimately to both a sustainable business and the common good. I show, first, that responsible leadership in a global stakeholder society is a relational and inherently moral phenomenon that cannot be captured in traditional dyadic leader-follower relationships (e.g., to subordinates) or by simply focusing on questions of leadership effectiveness. Business leaders have to deal with moral complexity resulting from a multitude of stakeholder claims and have to build enduring and mutually beneficial relationships with all relevant stakeholders. I contend, second, that in doing so leaders bundle the energy of␣different constituencies and enable social capital building. Social capital can be understood as actual or potential resources inherent to more or less institutionalized relationships of mutual recognition (Bourdieu 1980). By drawing on network analysis I suggest, third, that responsible leaders weave durable relational structures and ultimately networks of relationships which are rich in ties to otherwise unconnected individuals or groups. Against this background I argue, fourth, that responsible leadership may result in the creation of value networks (Lord and Brown, 2001) of multiple stakeholders, which enhance social capital and thereby contribute to both a sustainable business and the common goo

Business Leaders as Citizens of the World. Advancing Humanism on a Global Scale

As the world is getting increasingly connected and interdependent it becomes clear that the world's most pressing public problems such as poverty or global warming call for cross-sector solutions. The paper discusses the idea of business leaders acting as agents of world benefit, taking an active co-responsibility in generating solutions to problems. It argues that we need responsible global leaders who are aware of the pressing problems in the world, care for the needs of others, aspire to make this world a better place, and act in word and deed as global and responsible citizens. The argument is structured as follows: first, in highlighting some leadership challenges we discuss why it takes a responsible, global, and ultimately cosmopolitan mindset to enhance human values on a global scale. Second, we define more specifically responsible global leadership and the (potential) role of business leaders acting as agents of world benefit. Third, drawing on latest research on cosmopolitanism, we discuss the hallmarks of contemporary cosmopolitanism. Fourth, and concluding our argument, we propose key cosmopolitan business principles to help leaders build a more inclusive worl

Responsible Leaders as Agents of World Benefit: Learnings from "Project Ulysses”

There is widespread agreement in both business and society that MNCs have an enormous potential for contributing to the betterment of the world (WBCSD: 2006, From Challenge to Opportunity. in L. Timberlake (ed.), A paper from the Tomorrow's Leaders Group of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development). In␣fact, a discussion has evolved around the role of "Business as an Agent of World Benefit.”1 At the same time, there is also growing willingness among business leaders to spend time, expertise, and resources to help solve some of the most pressing problems in the world, such as global warming, poverty, HIV/AIDS, and other pandemic diseases. One example of business leaders engagement in citizenship activities is PricewaterhouseCoopers' (PwC) leadership development program called "Project Ulysses” which we present and discuss in this article. Using a narrative approach we ask: "What can business leaders learn from selected Ulysses narratives for acting as agents of world benefit and with respect to engaging responsibly in the fight against some of the most pressing social problems at the local level?” Our contribution is organized as follows. We begin the article with a brief discussion on the role of business leaders in the fight against world's social problems and address some areas of concern as to whether or not business leaders should play a role in fighting these global issues. We then introduce "Project Ulysses” which takes place in cross-sector partnership in developing countries. Following an overview of the research methodology we present four Ulysses narratives which tell us about learnings in the light of fundamental human problems, such as poverty and misery. Each story is analyzed with regard to the above question. We conclude the article by summarizing key lessons learned and some recommendations for business leaders as agents of world benefi

Responsible Leadership in a Stakeholder Society - A Relational Perspective

We understand responsible leadership as a social-relational and ethical phenomenon, which occurs in social processes of interaction. While the prevailing leadership literature has for the most part focussed on the relationship between leaders and followers in the organization and defined followers as subordinates, we show in this article that leadership takes place in interaction with a multitude of followers as stakeholders inside and outside the corporation. Using an ethical lens, we discuss leadership responsibilities in a stakeholder society, thereby following Bass and Steidelmeier's suggestion to discuss "leadership in the context of contemporary stakeholder theory” (1999: 200). Moreover, from a relational and stakeholder perspective we approach the questions: What is responsible leadership? What makes a responsible leader? What qualities are needed? Finally, we propose a so-called "roles model” of responsible leadership, which gives a gestalt to a responsible leader and describes the different roles he or she takes in leading stakeholders and business in societ

Ammonothermal Synthesis and Crystal Growth of the Chain‐type Oxonitridosilicate Ca1+xY1–xSiN3–xOx (x > 0)

The oxonitridosilicate Ca1+xY1–xSiN3–xOx (x > 0) was synthesized in custom‐built high‐temperature autoclaves starting from CaH2, intermetallic YSi and NaN3 using supercritical ammonia as solvent at a maximum pressure of 140 MPa and temperature of 1070 K. In situ formed NaNH2 acts as ammonobasic mineralizer and increases the solubility of the other starting materials. Air and moisture sensitive rod‐shaped single crystals of the title compound with length of up to 200 μm were obtained. The crystal structure was solved and refined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. The results are supported by powder X‐ray diffraction, energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy and lattice energy (MAPLE) calculations. Ca1+xY1–xSiN3–xOx (x > 0) is isostructural to Ca2PN3 and Eu2SiN3 and crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Cmce (no. 64) with a = 5.331(2), b = 10.341(4), c = 11.248(4) Å and Z = 8 (R1 = 0.0257, wR2 = 0.0447) and contains infinite zweier single chains running along [100] which are built up from corner sharing Si(N,O)4 tetrahedra