ABSTRACT

This chapter explores the role of stakeholder theory in employment relations. It is grounded in the related fields of business ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Underlying the chapter is the assumption that employees are important organisational stakeholders endowed with rights. After discussing the role of power in the employment relationship, two case studies are presented. The first examines the ethical implications of child labour, and investigates the question of whether children have an inalienable right to childhood. The second examines the question of whether employees have a right to participate in organisational decision-making and, if so, asks what the ‘ideal’ distribution of decision-making should be. The chapter concludes by setting out an agenda for future research, including directions for further theoretical and empirical studies.