`Excesses of Responsibility? – Reconsidering Company Liability'

Author: Tullberg, Jan

Source: Journal of Business Ethics, Volume 64, Number 1, March 2006 , pp. 69-81(13)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

Several areas of expanding corporate responsibilities are evident from current practices. This article penetrates one such field, economic compensation through litigation, and discusses the possibility and desirability of reversing the trend. In court, companies are fined increasing amounts for an ever wider range of faults, or they settle out of court under this legal threat. This is not a local American problem, but European companies are increasingly involved because of globalization. The development in Europe is also driven by the same factors as in America – the mechanics of litigation and conventional ethics. The greed of plaintiffs and lawyers can mobilize the perceived virtue of sympathizing with a victim. Therefore it seems likely that a precondition for tort reform is an ethical reevaluation. Is it desirable and politically possible to make the individual more responsible for his own fate?

Keywords: responsibility; liability; compensation; corporate social responsibility; limited responsibility; reciprocity

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-005-5906-2

Affiliations: 1: Email: jan.tullberg@hhs.se

Publication date: 2006-03-01