Posts by Rob
Doing the Business 2013 – We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks
November 12, 2013
Founded by the Australian ‘Internet Activist’ Julian Assange, Wikileaks (not affiliated with Wikipedia!) claims to bring “important news and information to the public” whilst ensuring that “journalists and whilstleblowers are not jailed for emailing sensitive or classified documents”. A safe haven for would-be corporate or government whistleblowers (e.g. US army private Manning) Wikileaks has been …
How do consumers negotiate citizenship in online dialogue?
September 24, 2013
Piercing the brand ‘veil’ in social media: How do consumers negotiate citizenship in online dialogue? Douglas Holt asks the question: “Why do brands cause trouble?” pointing to the potential for brands to act as explicit signifiers of product attributes (e.g. quality / reliability) and as implicit markers of wider corporate responsibilities (e.g. social justice …
Responsible Tourism – a research note
May 14, 2013
Ever since ‘sustainable tourism’ emerged in response to the negative impacts of the tourism industry, it has been the subject of much scepticism and critique. Of particular note is the question of whether tourism can be thought of as a sustainable practice at all; “it’s either sustainable or its not!” As these (absolutist) debates rumble …
“That’s the way we do things round here”
February 5, 2013
Thoughts on Business Ethics and Corporate Culture ‘Post- 9/11’, ‘post-Katrina’ and ‘post-Enron’. In a world defined by the passing of major catastrophes, there is an underlying optimism that such profoundly unsettling events also mark the beginning of something better, less horrific and morally progressive. Each new ‘post-’ seemingly galvanizes a collective urge for a …
‘Getting away from it all’: social responsibility in tourism
September 11, 2012
Amongst a series of thoughtful comments on my last blog (thank you!), it was noted that in spite of some negative impacts on the environment, tourism was a powerful force in addressing social issues such as poverty and unemployment. In this blog, I put forward the main social benefits of tourism and reflect upon the …
Can we shop for a better world?
June 18, 2012
This year’s ICCSR conference dedicated a track and Special Issue to this topical question, with specific reference to the inconsistencies in ethical consumer behaviour. In interviews, consumers often express a profound concern for social and environmental issues and identify how they will carry their attitudes into the stores (buying eco, fair trade, organic – or …
‘Getting away from it all’: further reflections on responsible tourism
June 12, 2012
….In the last holiday blog I mentioned that tourism, even ostensibly responsible forms of ‘spending time away’, embodies certain tensions and contradictions. One question posed was: 1. To what extent can tourism be responsible for the environment when most holidays involve flights to foreign destinations, and require comparatively high usage of resources? This excerpt fleshes …
‘Getting away from it all’: reflections on responsible tourism
April 19, 2012
Its that time of the year again! The overindulgence of Christmas is but a distant memory. New Years’ dieting resolutions have become derailed by an ‘unholy’ binge on Easter Eggs and golden chocolate bunnies (you know which ones I mean, greedy!). Outside the blossom is bursting, the temperatures are up (more or less) and the …
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