Thesis (MA (Philosophy))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis entails a critical analysis of the concept of compliance. The latter can briefly
be defined as rules and policies developed with regard to employee behaviour with the
goal of controlling and monitoring unethical behaviour. This thesis presents a critical
explication of compliance based on various levels of analysis. Firstly, this will be done by
discussing the context of the historical development of compliance, stemming from and
starting with the bureaucratization of the economy and the practical implementation
thereof in business. The historical overview entails a discussion of the development of
management models.
This provides the context for explicating the problem that these management models are
geared towards the restriction of the autonomous individual for the purpose of control.
This is achieved through the removal of the individual agent’s responsibility over his/her
work. The latter, however, elicits resistance from the employee which I discuss in terms
of the implicit contract (between the employer and the employee). Initially, this problem
of resistance was addressed by mechanization, but with the global shift towards a servicedriven
economy such methods were no longer applicable. Moreover, this shift brought
about the development and implementation of post-Fordist models of management,
focused on human capital. It is then within this management model that compliance was
developed as the most commonly used method of control.
According to my argument then, compliance was initially implemented as a method of
instilling ethical behaviour in business; however its practical application failed in
achieving such promises. I argue that the reason for the failure of compliance pertains to
the very definition thereof which does not make allowance for the individual moral agent.
This is demonstrated by explicating the manner in which compliance is implemented, with specific reference to culture lag. This refers to the exponential growth of information
and communication technology in which ethical measures to address the problems causes
by the latter, could not develop with parallel speed.
Compliance finds culture lag especially difficult to address, since the creativity of the
individual moral agent that is cardinal to resolving the problem of culture lag, is not made
allowance for in the structures of compliance. This is exacerbated by the importance
given in the structures of compliance to controlling tacit knowledge, since the latter is
increasingly considered as a form of capital within the service-driven economy.
In the final instance, I argue that compliance stands directly opposed to the principles of
ethics and as such fails to address the problem of unethical behaviour. A possible solution
to this is considered when looking at ideas with reference to trust, self-respect and
responsibility. The latter, in turn, yields a possible solution to the original problem,
namely that the individual moral agent is not acknowledged in the structures of
compliance, and in some cases even totally discarded. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis behels ‘n kritiese analise van die konsep van ‘compliance.’ Compliance kan
in Afrikaans vertaal word as ‘inskiklikheid’ – maar word in ‘n besigheidskonteks gebruik
om te verwys na die implementering van ‘n stel reëls, of ‘n spesifieke beleid, wat daarop
gemik is om onetiese gedrag van werknemers te monitor en te beheer. Hierdie tesis bied
‘n kritiese ondersoek van ‘inskiklikheid,’ gegrond op verskillende vlakke van analise, wat
insluit die historiese ontwikkeling van ‘inskiklikheid’, die burokratisering van die
ekonomie, en die praktiese implikasies daarvan vir besigheid. In die historiese oorsig val
die klem op die ontwikkeling van bestuursmodelle.
Dit verleen ‘n konteks aan die probleem dat al die betrokke bestuursmodelle daarop
gemik was om die outonomie van die individu te beperk, en daardeur beter beheer oor
sy/haar aksies te verkry. Dit is gedoen deur die individu in die werksopset van sy/haar
verantwoordelikheid te ontneem. Dit het egter die teenreaksie van weerstand by
werknemers ontlok, wat bespreek word in die konteks van die implisiete kontrak (tussen
werkgewer en werknemer). Hierdie probleem van weerstand, is aanvanklik deur
toenemende meganisasie aangespreek. Maar in die konteks van die globale oorgang na 'n
meer diens-gedrewe ekonomie, was meganisasie nie meer 'n volhoubare oplossing nie.
Verder, binne 'n diens-gedrewe ekonomie word idees van menslike kapitaal op prys
gestel, soos in die bestuursmodel wat hierdie fase kenmerk, naamlik ‘post-Fordism’. Dit
is binne hierdie konteks dat inskiklikheid ontwikkel het as die algemeenste manier
waarop beheer oor werkers uitgeoefen word.
Volgens my argument is inskiklikheid aanvanklik ge-implementeer as ‘n metode om
etiese gedrag binne ‘n besigheidskonteks te handhaaf. Inskiklikheid het egter nie aan hierdie verwagting voldoen nie. Die rede hiervoor is dat inskiklikheid teenstrydig is met
die konsep van die individuele morele agent. Dit word duidelik as die wyse waarop dit
ge-implementeer word, ondersoek word, spesifiek aan die hand van die voorbeeld van die
‘kultuurgaping’ [‘culture lag’]. Laasgenoemde verwys na die gaping tussen nuwe
tegnologie en etiese respos wat ontstaan as gevolge van die eksponensiële groei in
kommunikasie- en informasietegnologie en die oënskynlike onvermoë van besighede om
dit in hul etiese beleid aan te spreek. Bydraend tot die probleem is dat die kreatiwiteit van
die individuele morele agent wat voortdurend benodig benodig word om hierdie gaping te
oorkom, nie in die strukture van inskiklikheid erken word nie. Dit is veral belangrik,
inaggenome die toenemende belangrikheid wat in die strukture van inskiklikheid verleen
word aan die beheer van implisiete kennis [‘tacit knowledge’], omdat dit in binne die
diensgedrewe eknomie toenemend as kapitaal beskou kan word.
In die laaste instansie argumenteer ek dat ‘inskiklikheid’ direk teenstrydig is met die
beginsels van etiek, en misluk dit as ’n metode om die probleem van ‘culture lag’ sowel
as ander kwessies op te los. ’n Mootlike oplossing word ondersoek waneer idees rondom
vertroue, self-respek en verantwoordelikheid verken word. Met verwysing na
laasgenoemde is dit moontlik om die oospronklike rede vir weerstand aan te spreek,
naamlik dat die individuele morele agent deur ‘inskiklikheid’ oor die hoof gesien word,
en dit selfs in sekere opsigte heeltemal agterweë gelaat word.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/4279 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Keyser, Jean |
| Contributors | Hattingh, J. P., University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Philosophy. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 190 p. |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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