Representational Approaches Matter

Journal of Business Ethics · 2007 · Volume 73 · Issue 1

Abstract

This paper raises the question of how ethical issues arising out of social inequities involving international business in developing countries can be represented, and articulates a conceptual framework that identifies and maps four different approaches to representing or making sense of such issues. A fieldwork-based case study on the child labor issue in Pakistan’s soccer ball industry illustrates the argument that representational practices do matter, and that when representational approaches go awry, they end up savaging the well-being of the poor in the developing world.

Keywords

child labor, corporate social responsibility, international business, postcolonial, representation

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