Study title

Particular corporations have been heavily criticised for behaviour which detractors see as immoral. Intensely political campaigns have targeted the likes of Nike, for its use of subcontracted 'sweatshop' labour. Most recently the failures of self-regulation in the banking industry have led many to question the ability of businesses to make morally acceptable decisions. In response to critics some corporations have begun to emphasise new ideas that corporations need to be 'socially responsible' or 'good global citizens'. In some cases such initiatives may be motivated by the need for positive public relations. Yet some approaches to corporate responsibility place a very real organisational and financial burden on the companies willing to take part. It is possible that corporate decision-makers genuinely use these ideas to decide among different courses of action in areas where the risk of moral critique is high. This research project seeks to understand periods of challenge to corporate behaviour, investigating the ways that challengers make moral claims on corporations and the ways that corporate decision-makers negotiate their responses. How seriously the latter group take the moral dimension of corporate activity, and whether their responses can ever satisfy the various challenging groups, will be key questions here.