Moral commitments to community: Mapping social responsibility and its ambiguities among small business owners

Abstract

This article maps the different moral positions related to social responsibility (SR) as articulated by 25 small business owners and explains how they understand their positions within a range of SR practices. The morality underpinning their social responsibility tended to be embedded in a sense of relationship with and commitment to the well-being of the local geographic community but was threaded with felt ambiguities. Through an ethical analysis, we argue that this moral commitment to community is connected to a relational worldview, distinct from values and assumptions driving the existing economic system, yet they pursue this vision as individual actors rather than working collectively.