1. SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
UNIVERSITY OF DUBLIN - TRINITY COLLEGE
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BUSINESS ETHICS BU7548
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2. 2
QUESTION NO. 6
Present the key features of the nature of work and consumption in post-
modern society as exampled in the sociological analyses of Baumann and
others. Do these features serve to increase or decrease the power and
influence of business corporations in society?

3. 3
Introduction
The key features of the nature of work and consumption, that of domination through the
lure of emancipation, as exemplified by Baumann in his view of post-modern society,
only serve to increase the power and influence of business corporations in society. They
do so by fuelling the capitalist “Ideological State Apparatuses” to ensure the
reproduction of the conditions of production in society, as outlined by Althusser (1970).
The key features of post-modern society, that of work as intertwined with consumption
and not separate from it, forms an ideology that dominates for the good of corporate
interest by creating an illusion of emancipation for its subjects. This ideology is an
inherent part of corporations to ensure the continuation and growth of their influence
and power in societies. It is essential for postmodern consumer society, that in order “to
increase their capacity for consumption, consumers must never be left to rest. They need
to be constantly exposed to new temptations to keep them in the state of perpetual
suspicion and steady disaffection” (Bauman, 1999, P. 36). It is only through “the
excitement of a new and unprecedented sensation—not the greed of acquiring and
possessing nor wealth in its material, tangible sense” (Bauman, 1999 P. 36) that draws the
consumer and keeps them in the loop of corporate influence.

4. 4
Modernism
The 18th century gave rise to modernism, which celebrated the enlightenment with
objective rational thinking, as its new God. (Adorno & Horkheimer, 1994). Modernism
saw the "Death of the Author" (Nietzsche, 1882), where the meaning of the text itself is
held accountable, and, Barthes maintained (1977), was the "Birth of the Reader," for
post-modernity, where the key relevance is not in what is said, but by how and in what
context it is interpreted by the reader. Here, it is important to point out that the terms
Modernity and postmodernity relate to the period, whereas modernism and post-
modernism concern a set of thoughts (Venkatesch et al, 1993). "Modernism refers to the
social-cultural economic idea systems and institutions, it signifies the development of
science as the basis of universal knowledge, secularism in human thought, the pre-
eminence of rational structures in the social and economic order.” (Firat & Venkatech,
1995, p.240) It reflects the rule of reason, rational order, eminence of the subject, rise of
science and the scientific method, the emergence and growth of industrial capitalism and
a distinction between the sphere of production from the sphere of consumption.
Modern industrial capitalism represents “production to be a value creating activity and
consumption to be a value-destructive activity” (Firat & Venkatesch, 1995). In this
manner, it sees consumption as a profane act (Dalgliesh, 2014). These thoughts are
rooted in the modern concept, which is based on the principle of separations (Firat &
Venkatech, 1995). The separation of home from workplace, “time for work” from “time
for play”, the separation of activities “into public” from “into private” domains; as
examples supported the separation referred to the consumption from production.
Increasingly, activities in the private domain are consumptive, whereas those related to
the public domain are productive (Dalgliesh, 2014).

5. 5
Post-Modernism
Post-modernism, on the other hand recognizes the consumer as a commodity. Unlike
modernism, it “denies rationality, referring to the fragmentation and multiplicity, and
even unknowability of reality” (Bouagina & Triki, 2014, p.104). It “doesn’t give the
importance to the research and employment of a particular method but only to the
theory generated” (Bouagina & Triki, 2014, p.104). Goulding (2003) added that the
postmodern researchers are concerned with the practical application of their results, and
with the rise of industrial capitalism, this ideology is that of maximizing profit.
Postmodernism responds by elevating consumption to the level of production. In this
way, consumption is also a value producing activity as well as experience of consumption
in a social space, thus joining the “life world” (Firat & Venkatech, 1995, p. 242; Edgell,
Hetherington & Warde, 1997). Metanarratives, which are statements implying rigid
objectivism and deeper analysis of the world from a scientific and rational perspective
(Goulding, 2003), give way for the importance of ideology as a metanarrative that is
formed to reaffirm the existing social structures, that of corporations growing in power
while the rest of society is subdued to the fringes.
We now deal with a communicative consumer oriented by the language as much as by
the rational thought. (Bouagina & Triki, 2014, P. 105) According to Firat and Venkatesh,
postmodernism was “inspired by a desire to become detached from all metanarratives
that require conformity to a single way of perceiving reality” (1993, p. 220).
Postmodernists call for a diversity or multiplicity of narratives, liberation from all
conformity, and a freedom to experience as many ways of being as desired. Cova and
Cova (2009) present post-modernity as the attainment of the quest for individuals’
liberation. However, it is important to note that the construction of the theory of
Postmodernism is a paradox, as the qualitative research evaluation criteria are based on
positivist notions of reliability, validity and generalizability (Annells, 1996 as cited in
Goulding, 2003).

6. 6
Work & Consumption
Bauman argues that the postmodern consumer society leads to the domination of people
while promising emancipation (Bauman, 1999; Dalgliesh, 2014). It is important to
recognize, that in consumer society, “consumers are first and foremost gatherers of
sensations; (…) collectors of things only in a secondary and derivative sense” (Bauman,
1999 P.35). In this sense, consumption as an attainment of personality is a key aspect of
the consumer society. Curbatov (2003) stressed this pluralism of styles and added the
need of the hyperreality and the self-expression through consumption. The traditional,
modernist relationship between needs and satisfaction is reversed: the promise and hope
of satisfaction precedes the need promised to be satisfied and will be always greater than
the extant need (Bauman, 1999). According to postmodernism, consumption is
permitting the construction of consumer identity and therefore a consumer society (Firat
and Venkatesh, 1995; Goulding, 2003). The consumer becomes an equal participant in
the determination of this self-construction, seeking to construct symbols by the myths,
narratives and simulations (Harris, 1988), of consumer ideologies. In other expression,
Firat & Venkatesh (1995, p. 245) notice: “the consumer is a producer and what s/he
chooses to consume is for the purpose of producing something”.
Different consumption patterns produce different mentalities, where reality becomes
only an illusion, an image, sought by the consumer (Cova 1996). In modern society, the
human being thus produced is one who is ready, able, and willing to be commodified and
objectified, to be consumed by the system, in this case corporations, which need it for
labour and economic power. Consumers assign value created during the consumption,
appropriating meaning(s) to the products they buy (Raaj, 1993) and that personal identity
is created by the usage rather than by the production (Cova & Cova, 2004). Cova (1996)
argues that the consumer is suspended the given meanings, images, versus constructed
meanings experiences. In this sense, “desire does not desire satisfaction. To the contrary,
desire desires desire” (Taylor & Saarinen, 1994, p. 11).

7. 7
The Role of Ideology in Increasing Influence of Corporations
Postmodernism portrays “a liberated consumer, unpredictable in his choices, in the
search of emotional experiences and a well-being, the authenticity…”(Bourgeon-
Renault, 2007, p.3). In this sense, “the world becomes characterized by the image, the
illusion and the simulation (Bourgeon-Renault, 2007, p. 13). This outlines the importance
of ideology on keeping the frame of power within and working towards corporations is
central to ensuring the reproduction of capitalist modes of production. (Althusser, 1970.)
Marxist theory sees ideology as another repressive apparatus of the state, which works to
ensure power remains within the higher-class (1848; 1867).
Althusser’s influence is Lacan’s ‘Mirror Stage’, a standpoint on the formation of a social
subject where ideology exists even before the birth of the subject (1970). An individual
becomes a subject without making a conscious choice on the matter; one is assigned a
gender, born into a family, given a name, race, nationality and stature in the class system.
Each subject can be seen as “set of internally imposed limitations on its number of
permutations and combinations which have no necessary or genetic links to other
systems” (Smith, 1984, p.180). Voloshinov echoes this vision, ‘the logic of consciousness
is the logic of ideological communication, of the semiotic interaction of a social group.”
(1973, p.11) Bauman fears that materialism and the fulfilment of ideological as well as
biological desires are the only way how the individual in this system recognizes the self:
as a fulfiller of bodily and ideologically projected desires, not only out of materialistic
self-interest, but for stature in society, the ideology under which the subject falls is
determined on their success in the capitalistic system.
The reproduction of the conditions for capitalism, in Marx’ and Althusser’s view, is
ensured by social compliance to the system. In order to survive the established order in
society, people are subject to its behavioural norms, striving towards an ideology of
materialism in the capitalist structure. (Marx, 1848; Marx, 1867, Althusser, 1970). The
maintenance of the capitalistic structure through ideology is the key for submitting to
established societal structures and setting an example for following generations to ensure
the continuation of a system that exploits desire for the sake of desire. “The promise is

8. 8
all the more attractive the less the need in question is familiar” (Bauman, 1999, P. 37) so
having an ideology based around emancipation from domination keeps the system
operational.
Marxist theory sees two structures maintaining order in society, the infra and
superstructure (1848; 1867). Althusser views the infrastructure acting like the base,
relying on the unity of the productive forms and the relations of production, while the
superstructure is built on repressive state apparatus along with ideologies that make the
world function smoothly (1970). Bauman (1999) reflects this view with his view of work
and consumption as intertwined to dominate society for the sake of corporate power
under the guise of emancipation through consumer liberation. This system ensures the
dominated continue to strive to eventually be the agents of exploitation and repression.
Rebelling against the established system would be to scrutinize ones means of existence
and in turn damaging themselves and their stature in society.
The effectiveness of what Althusser calls ‘Ideological State Apparatuses’ cannot function
without the best interest of society in mind, its proclaimed ideological standpoint,
otherwise it would not maintain dominance (1970). Societal formation has to recreate
and re-impose itself in face of continual evolvement of new historical circumstance, the
process in which ideology plays the key role. The superstructure, therefore, depends on
the way in which ideology forms subjects, as they are the ones to whom power will be
passed on. Exemplifying the power and significance of language, Derrida contradicts de
Saussure and maintains that societal language is constantly in shift (Derrida, 1966; Harris,
1988). This way, language of the ideology must constantly be adapting to the function it
was made serve and reflects the superstructures’ dependence on the infrastructure for
orientation and purpose. Williams (1977) notes on the importance of an ever-changing
dialogue ‘in each transition, is a historical development of social language itself: finding
new means, new forms and then new definitions of a changing practical consciousness’
(p.372).

9. 9
Conclusion
The key forces of work and consumption in postmodernism, those of driving ideology
towards capitalist modes of production, ensure to contain and expand power of business
corporations. Ideology is essential in the consciousness of subjects to allow them to carry
out their societal duties and maintain coherence within the system, allowing control and
dominance by existing sources of power: business corporations. The system works to
continue itself, adjusting to historical change in order to maintain a dominant, capitalist
ideology in society, through what Bauman views to be postmodern thinking. Ideology is
essential in forming the subjects’ desire to be part of the system, as opposed to mere
compliance. This reflects Bauman’s view of consumer society as both emancipating and
dominating (1999; Dalgliesh, 2014). Ideology for the subject works to place them within
societal structure, where they form a self in comparison with others, while ideology by
the subject is a set of ideals that the individuals impose on themselves to justify their
position in society and continue to take part in its functions and compete. Both of these,
under the existing post-modern framework of industrial capitalism, work to maintain
power within corporations, forging an ideology of domination under a guise of
liberation.

10. 10
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