Speaking of business ethics: Bourdieu and market morality as a discursive practice

Abstract

While communication of business ethics has increased in importance, it is often understood as being more of immaterial than material value. However, recent studies have demonstrated that language and communication can have important social consequences, changing institutional logics and daily practices in economic fields. This conceptual paper explores how sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of practice can help us understand how market morality as a discursive practice for value formation is subject not only to linguistic exchange but also market positioning and economic value. The paper offers an inter-disciplinary view of business ethics in combination with socio-linguistics, contributing with propositions for how moral language serves as a currency for business ethics, providing implications for future studies of business ethics as a socio-economic practice.