The Social Responsibility of International Business: From Ethics and the Environment to CSR and Sustainable Development
Journal of World Business, 51(1), pp. 23-34, 2016
38 Pages Posted: 2 Aug 2015 Last revised: 9 Aug 2017
Date Written: August 1, 2015
Abstract
This article examines how the international business (IB) literature has addressed social responsibility issues in the past 50 years, highlighting key developments and implications from a historical perspective. Specific attention is paid to the Journal of World Business (JWB), which has covered the whole period and published relevant articles related to these issues, in comparison to the Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS), the other long-standing IB journal. The article outlines that they illustrate different conceptualizations of IB and social responsibility. The 50-year review shows three subthemes: the (green) environment; ethics, rights and responsibilities; poverty and (sustainable) development. These are discussed consecutively, including main contributions and promising areas to further the field.
Keywords: CSR; ethics; sustainability; human rights; corporate social responsibility; poverty; multinationals; stakeholders; environmental management; green business; international business; international firms; sustainable development; international management
JEL Classification: D21, F21, F23, H26, H32, H70, I31, I32, J53, J58, K31, K32, L21, L22, L31, M1, M14, O19
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation