Abstract
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 79-92 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Journal of Business Ethics |
Volume | 45 |
Issue number | 1/2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2003 |
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Keywords
- Sustainability
- codes of conduct
- ethical decision-making
- ethical mission
- fair trade
- human rights
- supply chains
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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
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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
JF - Journal of Business Ethics
SN - 0167-4544
IS - 1/2
ER -