The marginal morality (die Grenzen der Moral) as an ethical challenge and as the knowledge on how to gain competitive advantage

Abstract

The aim of this article is to scrutinize the relationship between the moral attitude of an entrepreneur and his or her possibility to gain competitive advantage. This declaration leads to the following question: does the everyday practice confirm or deny the economic usefulness of the postulate of corporate social responsibility? On the one hand, moral desertion is obviously profitable (also in the economic sense). Partners of the deserter, in most cases, are not able to avoid (unexpected and expansive) consequences of his or her new attitude towards them. On the other hand, this strategy—in long-term perspective—seems to be doubtfully profitable. The former victims orientate themselves to their new circumstances and become ready to face the attack. Therefore, the corporate social responsibility, in the final calculation, should be taken as the only way to protect active participants of the market against the temptation to neglect their obligation towards people, who can punish or reward them (as stakeholders and whistleblowers).