Werner, A.

Why do managers of small and medium-sized businesses seek voluntary Living Wage accreditation? – an exploration of choice rationales

Article

Werner, A. 2021. Why do managers of small and medium-sized businesses seek voluntary Living Wage accreditation? – an exploration of choice rationales. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology. 30 (6), pp. 778-789. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2021.1908417

Publication dates
Type	Article
Title	Why do managers of small and medium-sized businesses seek voluntary Living Wage accreditation? – an exploration of choice rationales
Authors	Werner, A.
Abstract	This article explores empirically the choice rationales for voluntary adoption of the Living Wage (LW) by managers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK. Framed analytically by related concerns within the fields of employment relations/HRM in SMEs, business ethics and signalling, interviews with owners/directors from 23 SMEs identified a four-fold typology of choice rationales for the LW as: an expression of care for employees, the basis for a high quality service business model, a marker of corporate social responsibility, and a signal to challenge the practice of other economic actors. Opportunities and barriers for voluntary adoption of the LW in SMEs are considered, in addition to their economic effects. The practical implications for LW movements and SME managers are drawn out, and avenues for further research identified.
Keywords	Living Wage; small and medium-sized enterprises; choice rationales; accreditation; strategy; ethics
Research Group	Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Ethics group
Publisher	Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
Journal	European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology
ISSN	1359-432X
Electronic	1464-0643
Online	07 Apr 2021
Print	02 Nov 2021
Publication process dates
Deposited	13 Apr 2021
Accepted	20 Mar 2021
Submitted	30 Apr 2020
Output status	Published
Accepted author manuscript	Werner - Choice Rationales for LW accreditation in SMEs - AM.pdf
Copyright Statement	This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology on 07 Apr 2021, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/1359432X.2021.1908417
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)	https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2021.1908417
Web of Science identifier	WOS:000637557900001
Language	English

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