CLARIFYING THE TERMS OF BUSINESS ETHICS AND CSR

In the last thirty-plus years, the "fields" of business ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR) have evolved considerably, and a great number of journals, textbooks, societies, encyclopedias, and surveys have emerged. The business-insider view has been dramatically challenged by business outsiders, such as non-governmental organizations, consumer organizations, and governmental agencies. One can conclude that the claim of business ethics to consider CSR as a sub-area of business ethics is as right (or wrong) as the opposite claim: of CSR regarding business ethics as a sub-area of CSR. The fields of business ethics and CSR/business and society need much more conceptual clarity and consistency. Their further developments would certainly benefit from a stronger inclusion of scholars outside the US, not only from Europe, but also from Asia, Africa, and Latin America.