Purpose

This paper is concerned with the historical record of one business in the UK, which has long laid claim to the moral high ground in the conduct of its affairs – the amalgam of consumer co-operative business organisations, which eventually merged to become the Co-operative Group at the beginning of the 21st century. This paper aims to offer an assessment of the record of the British consumer co-operative movement’s efforts to abide by and promote its values and principles during the first 137 years of its existence (1863 to 1990).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is developed using largely qualitative research methods and a variety of sources. These include archival resources and business-historical materials such as committee minutes and correspondence. These materials have been complemented by several semi-structured recorded interviews with senior members of the Co-operative Group.

Findings

The authors develop several conclusions. First, where ethical choices were possible and no serious commercial interests were impaired, the co-operative movement could and usually did do its best to adhere to its principles. Second, in several instances, commercial interests did frequently trump ideals. Finally, the organisational structure of the movement made it very difficult to ensure that co-operative principles and values were adhered to.

Originality/value

This paper presents a unique case-study that examines the inherent tension between commerce and ethics in the co-operative movement.

中文翻译：

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有一点道德的商业还是有一点商业的道德？1863-1990 年英国消费者合作的难题

目的

本文关注的是英国一家企业的历史记录，该企业长期以来一直在其事务中占据道德制高点——消费者合作企业组织的合并，最终合并为 Co- 21世纪初的运营集团。本文旨在评估英国消费者合作运动在其存在的前 137 年（1863 年至 1990 年）期间努力遵守和促进其价值观和原则的记录。

设计/方法/方法

这篇论文主要是使用定性研究方法和各种来源编写的。其中包括档案资源和商业历史材料，例如委员会会议记录和信函。这些材料还辅以与合作组织高级成员的几次半结构化录音访谈。

发现

作者得出了几个结论。首先，在道德选择是可能的并且没有严重的商业利益受到损害的情况下，合作社运动可以并且通常会尽力遵守其原则。其次，在一些情况下，商业利益确实经常胜过理想。最后，运动的组织结构使得很难确保遵守合作原则和价值观。

原创性/价值

本文提出了一个独特的案例研究，研究了合作运动中商业与道德之间的内在张力。