Promoting Utilitarianism or an Alternative Marketing Strategy - Essay Example

Subscription to utilitarian views promotes ethical behavior and thus, a positive change in attitude. Organizations exploit this knowledge and modify their business models and practices in order to provide services that add value and immense benefits to the consumers and society, thus presenting business venture as social services. To further appeal to the emotions of the public, business organizations of all manners are embarking on avenues to showcase their firms and products as offering the uttermost benefits to the society and individual consumers.

The purpose of this paper is to look into existing literature on corporate social responsibility and find whether it is done for promoting the greater good of the society or is used as an alternative marketing strategy. In this paper we will be discussing existing literature in great detail on the subject of corporate social responsibility. . The main research question author has tried to address in the paper is that what can be the social responsibilities of a businessman. In his book the author asks, “To what extent do the interest of business in the long run merge with the interest of society” (Bowmen, 1953, p.5). The first theoretical definition of corporate social responsibility was given in this book as, “It refers to the obligations of businessmen to pursue those policies, to make those decisions, or to follow those lines of action which are desirable in terms of the objectives and values of our society” (p, 6).

The author has taken a subjectivist approach by identifying a definition of the concept. This definition is not based on any empirical evidence which depicts the subjectivist approach of the author. The author has also identified in the book the limitations of his work. He calls for future research on the subject. The author seems to have answered the research question he posed in the beginning of the book. Also this book was the first work on the subject therefore it is considered seminal. Can business afford to ignore Social Responsibilities?

Another theory paper by Davis (1960) is considered a seminal work on the subject of corporate social responsibility. The main research question that author has attempted to answer is that why businessmen have a responsibility towards society. The author has answered this question theoretically without relying on any first hand quantitative or qualitative research. The author has used power-responsibility relationship to answer the research question. The author also talks about non economic values and its impact on social responsibility (p. 74). This again is a subjectivist research where