The ethics of the living wage: a review and research agenda
Article
Werner, A. and Lim, M. 2016. The ethics of the living wage: a review and research agenda. Journal of Business Ethics. 137 (3), pp. 433-447. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2562-z
Type | Article |
---|---|
Title | The ethics of the living wage: a review and research agenda |
Authors | Werner, A. and Lim, M. |
Abstract | To date, business ethicists, corporate social responsibility scholars as well as management theorists have been slow to provide a comprehensive and critical scrutiny of the Living Wage concept. The aim of this article, therefore, is to conceptualize the living wage (LW) in its philosophical as well as practical dimensions in order to open up the ethical implications of its introduction and implementation by companies. We set out the legal, socio-institutional and economic contexts for the debates around the LW and review arguments for, and against, it. Key philosophical arguments from the perspectives of sustainability, capability and externality are invoked and discussed in order to demonstrate the issues and challenges involved for companies, state and civil society actors. Relevant examples from the private sector are examined to demonstrate some of the practical issues involved when the LW is introduced by employers. The article also recommends avenues for a research agenda into the LW for business ethicists, CSR and management researchers in contexts such as the UK, where a voluntary, rather than mandatory, approach to the implementation of the LW is adopted. |
Keywords | Living wage; Business ethics; Corporate Social Responsibility; Voluntarism; United Kingdom |
Research Group | Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Ethics group |
Publisher | Springer |
Journal | Journal of Business Ethics |
ISSN | 0167-4544 |
Electronic | 1573-0697 |
Publication dates | |
Online | 12 Feb 2015 |
01 Sep 2016 | |
Publication process dates | |
Deposited | 10 Mar 2015 |
Accepted | 31 Jan 2015 |
Submitted | 30 Jul 2014 |
Output status | Published |
Publisher's version | License |
Copyright Statement | © The Author(s) 2015. |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2562-z |
Web of Science identifier | WOS:000382140200001 |
Language | English |
https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/item/84z58
Download files
60
total views12
total downloads1
views this month1
downloads this month