Research in corporate responsibility today looks back on a tradition spanning several decades. Interest in corporate responsibility has accelerated at an unprecedented pace, especially in recent years. Yet actions often lag behind words. In serious situations, when responsible leadership is needed, there may not be anyone to take charge and turn the words of responsibility into action. This problem is evident in many environmental responsibility issues, such as climate change; economic responsibility issues, such as the bank crises; and socio-cultural responsibility issues, such as the rights of indigenous peoples. The root of this problem lies in the values of individuals, corporations and other organizations, and societies. Humankind at large is still at a low, egoistic level of moral development .
Fortunately, some individuals, organizations and even societies exist at higher levels of moral development who are willing to accept leadership by taking responsible actions that oppose current unethical behavior patterns, thereby setting ethical examples for others to follow.
This special issue introduces some responsible leaders in contemporary business. The papers illustrate the interplay between responsible individuals, organizations and societies. It is easier for a company to act responsibly if the individuals within the company and those connected to it, the organizations it cooperates with and society surrounding it act responsibly -but they are not prerequisites for corporate responsibility. A leader can behave responsibly even under irresponsible circumstances. Responsibility springs from internal values that may belong to entrepreneurs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), industrial clusters of SMEs, large companies or multinational corporations, either in developed or developing countries.
Cheryl Rodgers portrays three environmentally responsible entrepreneurs in her paper Sustainable entrepreneurship in SMEs: a case study analysis, and explains the motivation and rationale behind their ecopreneurship . These responsible leaders are: Carry Somers and her Fair Trade clothes business Pachacuti; Kate Grub and her environmental holiday business EcoCabin; and Trudy Thompson and her sustainable building organization Bricks and Bread. The in-depth analyses of their interviews suggest that for these responsible leaders monetary measures are very strongly conditioned by the eco-conscious nature of their business and sustainability remains paramount in every situation.