ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that there is a similar conceptual or internal relation between legitimate corporate behaviour and workplace democracy. It shows when corporate action can be said to be legitimate in Max Weber's sense of action or behaviour that is just and worthy of support. The chapter follows Jurgen Habermas in using the former to refer to universal standards and principles of justice, and the latter to refer to what is good for a particular community or reflects that community's authentic self-understanding. It argues that the crises have acted as catalysts for an intellectual engagement with the presenting problems, which in turn has informed political debate. The chapter distinguishes corporate social responsibility as a managerial practice and area of business school teaching and research from the substantive concept of a corporation's state or quality of being authentically socially responsible.
