Ethical decision making in fair trade companies

Iain A. Davies, Andrew Crane

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

64 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper reports on a study of ethical decision-making in a fair trade company. This can be seen to be a crucial arena for investigation since fair trade firms not only have a specific ethical mission in terms of helping growers out of poverty, but they tend to be perceived as (and are often marketed on the basis of) having an "ethical" image. Eschewing a straightforward test of extant ethical decision models, we adopt Thompson''s proposal for a more contextualist understanding rooted in ethnographic data. Our findings suggest that the fair trade mission of the firm is experienced as an over-riding ethical claim, which is often invoked to justify potentially ethically questionable decisions. Moreover, decision precedents emerge which can mean that the decision process is bypassed or hurried through. Finally we provide evidence that the significance of these precedents, and indeed, even moral intensity itself, could be actively shaped and constructed by organization members to support different, even shifting, conceptions of what is a morally acceptable decision for a fair trade company to make.
LanguageEnglish
Pages79-92
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Business Ethics
Volume45
Issue number1/2
DOIs
StatusPublished - 2003

Fingerprint

decision making
firm
decision model
poverty
organization
Fair trade
Ethical decision making
Ethical Decision Making
Fair Trade
evidence
Decision model
Conception
Moral intensity
Poverty
Decision process
Decision Process
Ethnographic

Keywords

  • Sustainability
  • codes of conduct
  • ethical decision-making
  • ethical mission
  • fair trade
  • human rights
  • supply chains

Cite this

Ethical decision making in fair trade companies. / Davies, Iain A.; Crane, Andrew.

In: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 45, No. 1/2, 2003, p. 79-92.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

Davies, IA & Crane, A 2003, 'Ethical decision making in fair trade companies', Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 45, no. 1/2, pp. 79-92. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024124629399
Davies IA, Crane A. Ethical decision making in fair trade companies. Journal of Business Ethics. 2003;45(1/2):79-92. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024124629399
Davies, Iain A. ; Crane, Andrew. / Ethical decision making in fair trade companies. In: Journal of Business Ethics. 2003 ; Vol. 45, No. 1/2. pp. 79-92.
@article{e35b8bf5a3be49039ea8bf2c38f261aa,
title = "Ethical decision making in fair trade companies",
abstract = "This paper reports on a study of ethical decision-making in a fair trade company. This can be seen to be a crucial arena for investigation since fair trade firms not only have a specific ethical mission in terms of helping growers out of poverty, but they tend to be perceived as (and are often marketed on the basis of) having an {"}ethical{"} image. Eschewing a straightforward test of extant ethical decision models, we adopt Thompson''s proposal for a more contextualist understanding rooted in ethnographic data. Our findings suggest that the fair trade mission of the firm is experienced as an over-riding ethical claim, which is often invoked to justify potentially ethically questionable decisions. Moreover, decision precedents emerge which can mean that the decision process is bypassed or hurried through. Finally we provide evidence that the significance of these precedents, and indeed, even moral intensity itself, could be actively shaped and constructed by organization members to support different, even shifting, conceptions of what is a morally acceptable decision for a fair trade company to make.",
keywords = "Sustainability, codes of conduct , ethical decision-making , ethical mission , fair trade , human rights , supply chains",
author = "Davies, {Iain A.} and Andrew Crane",
year = "2003",
doi = "10.1023/A:1024124629399",
language = "English",
volume = "45",
pages = "79--92",
journal = "Journal of Business Ethics",
issn = "0167-4544",
publisher = "Springer Netherlands",
number = "1/2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Ethical decision making in fair trade companies

AU - Davies, Iain A.

AU - Crane, Andrew

PY - 2003

Y1 - 2003

N2 - This paper reports on a study of ethical decision-making in a fair trade company. This can be seen to be a crucial arena for investigation since fair trade firms not only have a specific ethical mission in terms of helping growers out of poverty, but they tend to be perceived as (and are often marketed on the basis of) having an "ethical" image. Eschewing a straightforward test of extant ethical decision models, we adopt Thompson''s proposal for a more contextualist understanding rooted in ethnographic data. Our findings suggest that the fair trade mission of the firm is experienced as an over-riding ethical claim, which is often invoked to justify potentially ethically questionable decisions. Moreover, decision precedents emerge which can mean that the decision process is bypassed or hurried through. Finally we provide evidence that the significance of these precedents, and indeed, even moral intensity itself, could be actively shaped and constructed by organization members to support different, even shifting, conceptions of what is a morally acceptable decision for a fair trade company to make.

AB - This paper reports on a study of ethical decision-making in a fair trade company. This can be seen to be a crucial arena for investigation since fair trade firms not only have a specific ethical mission in terms of helping growers out of poverty, but they tend to be perceived as (and are often marketed on the basis of) having an "ethical" image. Eschewing a straightforward test of extant ethical decision models, we adopt Thompson''s proposal for a more contextualist understanding rooted in ethnographic data. Our findings suggest that the fair trade mission of the firm is experienced as an over-riding ethical claim, which is often invoked to justify potentially ethically questionable decisions. Moreover, decision precedents emerge which can mean that the decision process is bypassed or hurried through. Finally we provide evidence that the significance of these precedents, and indeed, even moral intensity itself, could be actively shaped and constructed by organization members to support different, even shifting, conceptions of what is a morally acceptable decision for a fair trade company to make.

KW - Sustainability

KW - codes of conduct

KW - ethical decision-making

KW - ethical mission

KW - fair trade

KW - human rights

KW - supply chains

UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1024124629399

U2 - 10.1023/A:1024124629399

DO - 10.1023/A:1024124629399

M3 - Article

VL - 45

SP - 79

EP - 92

JO - Journal of Business Ethics

T2 - Journal of Business Ethics

JF - Journal of Business Ethics

SN - 0167-4544

IS - 1/2

ER -

Access to Document