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| Tekijä: | Winkler, I. |
| Otsikko: | The representation of social actors in corporate codes of ethics. How code language positions internal actors |
| Lehti: | Journal of Business Ethics
2011 : JUL, VOL. 101:4, p.653-665 |
| Asiasana: | business ethics stakeholders Germany languages data analysis social structure hierarchical organizations |
| Kieli: | eng |
| Tiivistelmä: | This article considers codes of ethics as written documents that represent social actors in certain ways through the use of language. It presents an empirical study that examined the German Dax30 companies' codes of ethics. A critical discourse analysis-approach was adopted in order to reveal how the code-texts produce a particular understanding of the diverse internal social groups for the readers. Language is seen as social practice that functions at creating particular understandings of individuals and groups, their interrelation, their desired behavior. The results imply that codes of ethics do not represent employees as an empowered or morally enlightened group; instead they are seen as passive receivers of rules and regulations. Moreover, codes of ethics classify employees needing to be monitored and controlled by the higher corporate hierarchy levels. To sum up, code language enforces compliance through the maintenance of existing building of new asymmetries between the various groups within a company. Consequently, the article discusses a quite different concept of code effectiveness. Reproducing and reemphasizing hierarchical relations could also result in code compliance, possibly without needing to develop the moral employee committed to ethical values. |
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