ABSTRACT
Some economists would have us view business decision-making as simply a matter of mechanically responding to external forces, in such a way that issues of moral responsibility in business are ruled out of order. The entrepreneur does the bidding of the consumer, or is eliminated by market competition, period. This chapter presents a critique of mainstream economics, revisiting the debate as to what role ethical considerations can or should play in business. We will argue that this characterization of the market process presents the market as a closed text in which only the most narrowly defined choices can lead to economic success, thereby rendering opposing and radical reinterpretations impossible. The field of cultural studies ought to be particularly well-placed to see the market as instead a polysemic dialogue, a text that is open to a wide array of potential readings. It should be able to help us to challenge the notion that the only thing that matters in making business decisions is the “bottom line.”
