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?
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
D. Anderson (2000) ArticleTitle‘Developing Liability Risk and Insurance – Regulatory Impact and Responses Over the 20th Century’ Journal of Insurance Regulation 19 IssueID2 323–345
Bulow, J. and P. Klemerer: 1999, The Tobacco Deal. CEPR Discussion paper 2125, April
J. Burt (2002) ArticleTitle‘Employer Liability for Asbestos Disease: House of Lords Takes a Turn in English Law’ Defense Counsel Journal 69 IssueID3 326–331
C. Cranor (2002) ‘The regulative context for environmental and workplace health protection’ N. Bowie (Eds) The Blackwell Guide to Business Ethics Blackwell Publishers London 77–102
T. Dineen (1999) Manufacturing Victim: What the Psychology Industry is Doing to People Constable London
F. Furedi (2004) The Therapy Culture Routledge London
S. Hailwood (2000) ArticleTitle‘Why ‘Business Nastier Friends’ Should Not Be Liberarians’ Journal of Business Ethics 24 IssueID1 77–86 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1006192826836
S. Hantler (2003) ArticleTitle‘Towards Greater Juridical Leadership’ Vital Speeches of the Day 69 IssueID6 176–181
G. Hardin (1993) Living Within Limits – Ecology, Economics and Population Taboos Oxford University Press Oxford
Havamal: 1969 (Christer Topelius, Stockholm)
D. Hensler (2002) ArticleTitle‘As Times Go By: Asbestos Litigation After Amchem and Ortiz’ Texas Law Review 80 IssueID7 1899–1924
D. Hume (1740/1973) A Treatise of Human Nature Oxford University Press Oxford
S. Issacharoff (2002) ArticleTitle‘Shocked’ Mass torts and Aggregate Asbestos Litigation After Amchem and Ortiz’ Texas Law Review 80 IssueID7 1925–1941
L. Kazen-Allen (2000) ArticleTitle‘Global Asbestos Justice’ Multinational Monitor 21 IssueID9 9–12
J. Mackie (1977) Ethics, Inventing Right and Wrong Prenguin Books Harmondsworth
K. Meyer I. Wittenburg B. Sharkey (2005) ArticleTitle‘Emerging Trends in Asbestos Premises Liability Claims’ Defense Counsel Journal 72 IssueID3 241–250
R. Nozick (1974) Anarchy, State, and Utopia Blackwell Oxford
R. Posner (1999) The Problematics of Moral and Legal Theory Harvard University Press Cambridge, Mass
J.G. Ruggie (2002) ‘Taking Embedded Liberalism Global: The Corporate Connection’ D. Held M. Koenig-Archibugi (Eds) Global Economic Governance Oxford University Press London
A. Smith (1759/1982) The Theory of Moral Sentiments Liberty Classics Indianapolis
S. Smith (2004) ArticleTitle‘Turning Lead into Asbestos and Tobacco: Litigation Alchemy Gone Wrong’ Defense Council Journal 71 IssueID2 119–131
Statistics Sweden: 2005, The nation statistical authority
A. Tocqueville de (1840/1969) Democracy in America Garden City New York
W. Waldkirch (2001) ArticleTitle‘Prolegomena for An Economic Theory of Morals’ Business Ethics – A European Review 10 IssueID1 61–70
M. White (2003) ArticleTitle‘Resolving the ‘Elephantine Mass’’ Regulation 26 IssueID2 48–54
P. Werhane (1999) Moral Imagination and Management Decision-making Oxford University Press New York
M. Velasquez (1988) Business Ethics Concepts and Cases Prentice Hall New Jersey
P. Woodall (2004) ArticleTitle‘Victimizing the Victims’ Multinational Monitor 25 IssueID5/6 27–29
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tullberg, J. ‘Excesses of Responsibility? – Reconsidering Company Liability’. J Bus Ethics 64, 69–81 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-005-5906-2
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-005-5906-2