Corporate Social Responsibility and the “Divided Corporate Self”: The case of Chiquita in Colombia

Journal of Business Ethics · 2009 · Volume 88 · Issue 4

Abstract

This article employs Maak’s framework of the seven “Cs” of Corporate Integrity to assess the problems faced by Chiquita Brands in dealing with extortion by left-wing guerilla and right wing paramilitary groups in Colombia from 1989 to 2004. Both types of organizations used Chiquita payments to engage in terrorist activity in Colombia. The extended and systematic dealings with these groups were antithetical to the process of corporate responsibility to which the firm was committed during the timeframe of 1998–2004, revealing a “divided self” in which major corporate activities diverged dramatically from the core values of the firm. Maak’s framework provides a useful tool in analyzing the division and the potential for applying lessons from the case to our understanding of corporate social responsibility.

Keywords

corporate integrity, corporate social responsibility, corporate responsibility, Chiquita, Colombia

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