Contesting the Value of the Shared Value Concept

This paper critiques Porter and Kramer’s concept of creating shared value. The strengths of the idea are highlighted in terms of its popularity among practitioner and academic audiences, its connecting of strategy and social goals, and its systematizing of some previously underdeveloped, disconnected areas of research and practice. However, the concept suffers from some serious shortcomings, namely it: is unoriginal; ignores the tensions inherent to responsible business activity; is naïve about business compliance; and is based on a shallow conception of the corporation's role in society