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| Name | Ethical Decision Making in Fair Trade Companies |
| Author(s) | Davies, I. and A. Crane |
| Editor | Matten, Dirk |
| Year | 2003 |
| Publication Type | Report |
| Web Location | http://www.eldis.org/go/home&id=19295&type=Document |
| Keywords | Decision Making, Corporate Image, Organizational Behavior, Business Ethics, Corporations -- Public Relations, Professional Ethics, Psychology, Industrial, Personnel Management, Corporate Culture, Moral & Ethical Aspects, Choice (Psychology), Codes Of Co |
| Areas of Interest | Corporate Governance; Corporate Social Responsibility; Globalization; Human Rights; Leadership |
| Citation | I. Davies; A. Crane. 2003. Ethical decision making in fair trade companies. Nottingham, United Kingdom: International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility, Nottingham University Business School. |
| Summary | This paper reports on a study of ethical decision-making in a fair trade company. It sheds light on decision-making processes of fair trade companies so that they can be better understood and more eff |
| Abstract / Description | This paper reports on a study of ethical decision-making in a fair trade company. It sheds light on decision-making processes of fair trade companies so that they can be better understood and more effectively facilitated to achieve progress towards the protection of human rights in the global economy. The findings of the study are based on research in a prominent UK commercial, start-up fair trade company, Day Chocolate. Findings include: - it is necessary to keep in mind the context of the controversial shift in the fair trade movement away from its charity-supported background, towards a more commercial position a fair trade company aims to meet mass-market expectations but needs to maintain its ethical image - the issue of ethical decision making in fair trade companies appeared to be primarily framed by respondents as a question of competing goals, colliding values, and multiple interests - ethical dilemmas usually came up regarding two issues: firstly the issue of whom it was appropriate for the company to have a business relationship with, and secondly how various partners and other stakeholders were to be dealt with - all members of staff had spent time in less developed countries and done some form of volunteer work involving either the environment or fair trade, therefore knowingly or not, the company made an effort to hire people who will already be socialised into thinking of fair trade and ethics 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 (i.e. marketing fair trade chocolate to children) - not many fixed codes were in place to guide the decisions to be made on many issues giving much importance to precedents thereby cutting out stages of an ethical decision-making process - precedents could also be actively shaped and constructed by organisation members to support different, even shifting, conceptions of what is a morally acceptable decision. |
| Publisher/Organization | International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility, Nottingham University Business School |
| Cluster Library | Business and Human Rights |
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