Paper long abstract:

There is a paradox between the concepts of cooperation and the common view of competitiveness in the corporate responsibility (CR) movement in Ireland. This effectively situates competing corporations as stakeholders in companies - thus adding a new category to the typical taxonomy of 'stakeholder' which includes neighbours, employees, consumers and regulators.

According to my fieldwork, arguments supporting the company's need for corporate responsibility point to CR's ability to increase companies' competitiveness. Ironically, this is often done by competitors educating each other and sharing valuable corporate data. However, the natures of competitiveness and of cooperation make this a delicate balancing act for all participants, torn between both internal and external views of 'sharing' in corporations.

As economies and companies worldwide focus on restoring competitiveness, this paper will draw attention to the dimension of cooperation in the operation of global capitalism.