Organizations as Argument: A Case of Monitoring Sweatshops

• In Event: Exploring the Ontological Foundations of Organization

Abstract

Abstract
Organizations as Argument: A Case of Monitoring Sweatshops

Relying on Aristotle’s discussion of argument and Heraclitus’ contribution to the dialectical, an argument is made that organizations can be seen as argument, both metaphorically and literally. A case study is used to explore the theoretical proposition that organizations can be defined as argument and to investigate the role of artistic and inartistic proofs in organizational emergence and survival. Emphasis is given to the power of the enthymeme to initiate and sustain organizations and is illustrated via the case study of the development of the Fair Labor Association (FLA) and the Workers Rights Consortium (WRC) in response to sweatshops.

Author

• Robin P. Clair, Purdue University