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The Rotary Club and the Promotion of the Social Responsibilities of Business in the Early 20th Century

Tadajewski, M.

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Authors

M. Tadajewski



Abstract

The separation thesis states that business and moral decision making should and can be differentiated clearly. This study provides empirical support for the competing view that the separation thesis is impossible through a case study of the Rotary Club, which fosters an ethical orientation among its global business and professional membership. The study focuses attention on the Club in the early to middle 20th century. Based on a reading of their service doctrine, the four objects of Rotary and the Four Way Test, the author argues that the example of the Rotary Club undermines the separation thesis. The Rotary message was conceptually ambiguous: it did not clearly differentiate business roles from social activities; rather both fed into each other, with the business tools developed by members and disseminated by Rotary, utilized in nonbusiness contexts with a view to enhancing societal well-being.

Citation

Tadajewski, M. (2015). The Rotary Club and the Promotion of the Social Responsibilities of Business in the Early 20th Century. Business & Society, 56(7), 975-1003. https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650315609048

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jul 26, 2015
Online Publication Date Oct 5, 2015
Publication Date Oct 5, 2015
Deposit Date Aug 8, 2015
Publicly Available Date Aug 11, 2015
Journal Business and Society
Print ISSN 0007-6503
Electronic ISSN 1552-4205
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 56
Issue 7
Pages 975-1003
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650315609048
Keywords Rotary Club, Corporate social responsibility, Business ethics service, Codes of ethics, Separation thesis.

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Copyright Statement
Tadajewski, M. (2015) 'The Rotary Club and the promotion of the social responsibilities of business in the early 20th century.', Business and society., 56 (7). pp. 975-1003. Copyright © 2015 The Author(s). Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.




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