Making Better Uses of Classics? Evaluating Critically the Legacy of Howard R.Bowen’s 1953Social Responsibilities of the Businessman(1953–2023)

Journal of Business Ethics

Abstract

Although Howard R. Bowen’s 1953 bookSocial Responsibilities of the Businessman(hereafterSRB) is regarded as a classic in the fields of business ethics and management, the impact ofSRBhas been taken for granted and has rarely been evaluated. Problematizing the use of classics as core to the advancement of scholarly fields, we analyze the purpose underlying the citation ofSRB(whyit is cited) as well as the breadth (whatis cited) and the depth (how muchis being discussed) of scholarly engagement with this classic. Combining analytical induction, quantification and a critical citation context analysis of 435 citations from 320 articles citingSRBbetween 1953 and 2023, we identified three main categories of use—arguing,defining, andlandmarking—and evaluated thedepthandbreadthof such scholarly uses of SRB. Our results reveal how these uses differ across disciplinary domains and over time. Our analysis of breadth and depth confirms the continuous superficial engagement withSRB. We rely on this case to conceptualize the paradoxical legacy of Bowen, discuss ethical issues inherent to the politics of citation and evaluate what ‘fair’ uses of classics could be.

Keywords

Howard R. Bowen, Citation context analysis, Classics, Business ethics, Business and society

Enable JavaScript for citation tools and additional paper interactions.