Exploring the Meaning of Legal and Moral Responsibilities in Contract Fulfillment: A Phenomenological Study of Individual Experiences
Main Article Content
Abstract
Legal obligations and moral responsibilities are central to contract fulfillment, yet the subjective experiences of individuals navigating these responsibilities remain underexplored. Existing research primarily focuses on legal compliance, often neglecting the personal and cultural factors that influence how individuals approach contracts. A gap exists in understanding how people reconcile legal duties with their moral and social obligations. This study adopts a phenomenological approach to explore the lived experiences of individuals fulfilling contractual obligations and how legal and moral considerations shape these experiences. Using a purposive sampling technique, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 participants, who shared their personal experiences in fulfilling contracts. The data collected were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), which allowed for an in-depth exploration of how participants made sense of their legal and moral responsibilities. The analysis revealed that while legal compliance is important, moral values and social trust play a more significant role in shaping individuals’ decisions regarding contract fulfillment. These findings highlight the complex interplay between legal duties and personal ethics, offering a more holistic understanding of contract performance. This research contributes to the field by emphasizing the need for legal frameworks that consider both legal and social dimensions. Future studies could build on these findings to explore how these subjective experiences vary across different legal systems and cultural contexts.
Article Details
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Alrob, Z. A., & Shields, J. (2022). A COVID-19 State of Exception and the Bordering of Canada’s Immigration System:Assessing the Uneven Impacts on Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Migrant Workers. Studies in Social Justice, 16(1), 54–77. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.26522/SSJ.V16I1.2691
Anderson, K., Corong, E., Strutt, A., & Valenzuela, E. (2023). The Relative Importance of Global Agricultural Subsidies and Tariffs, Revisited. World Trade Review, 22(3–4), 382–394. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1474745623000101
Beckett, K., & Brydolf-Horwitz, M. (2020). A kinder, gentler drug war? Race, drugs, and punishment in 21st century America. Punishment and Society, 22(4), 509–533. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/1462474520925145
Brooks, E., de Ruijter, A., Greer, S. L., & Rozenblum, S. (2023). EU health policy in the aftermath of COVID-19: Neofunctionalism and crisis-driven integration. Journal of European Public Policy, 30(4), 721–739. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2022.2141301
Chalise, S., & Naranpanawa, A. (2023). Potential impacts of climate change and adaptation in agriculture on poverty: The case of Nepal. Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, 28(4), 1540–1559. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/13547860.2021.1982194
Chin, M.-Y., Ong, S.-L., Foo, L.-P., & Mutsvangwa, S. (2023). The Impact of COVID-19 on Trade Performance in the World Economy. International Economic Journal, 37(4), 511–529. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/10168737.2023.2255852
Choroś-Mrozowska, D. (2022). The Impact of COVID-19 on EU-China Trade Flows. Comparative Economic Research, 25(4), 161–178. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.18778/1508-2008.25.34
Dagdeviren, H., Balasuriya, J., Luz, S., Malik, A., & Shah, H. (2020). Financialisation, Welfare Retrenchment and Subsistence Debt in Britain. New Political Economy, 25(2), 159–173. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/13563467.2019.1570102
Huang, R. (2024). The climate impacts and potential benefits of services export growth in developing countries. Science of the Total Environment, 913. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169775
Lin, Z., Meng, F., Wang, D., Liao, D., Sun, Y., Hou, J., Liu, G., Giannetti, B. F., Agostinho, F., & Almeida, C. M. V. B. (2023). Unfolding carbon inequality across Belt and Road Initiative countries and regions under a global trade network. Ecological Modelling, 482. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2023.110411
Mikhailov, A. Yu. (2020). Cryptocurrency market development: Hurst method. Finance: Theory and Practice, 24(3), 81–91. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.26794/2587-5671-2020-24-3-81-91
Rodríguez-Pose, A., & Sotiriou, A. (2021). Trading with richer and poorer countries: Trade integration and regional inequality in Greece. Annals of Regional Science, 67(3), 697–725. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00168-021-01062-1
Tetteh, B., Baajike, F. B., Baidoo, S. T., & Nuamah, E. (2024). Women’s economic empowerment in Africa: Is economic globalization friend or foe? International Social Science Journal, 74(253), 1011–1031. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1111/issj.12493
Wang, W., Chen, W.-Q., Diao, Z.-W., Ciacci, L., Pourzahedi, L., Eckelman, M. J., Yang, Y., & Shi, L. (2021). Multidimensional Analyses Reveal Unequal Resource, Economic, and Environmental Gains and Losses among the Global Aluminum Trade Leaders. Environmental Science and Technology, 55(10), 7102–7112. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c08836
Wei, Y., Chung, K. H. K., Cheong, T. S., & Chui, D. K. H. (2020). The Evolution of Energy Market and Energy Usage: An Application of the Distribution Dynamics Analysis. Frontiers in Energy Research, 8. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2020.00122