Justifying non-compliance. A case study of a Norwegian biotech firm

This paper draws on an incident of non-compliance in a Norwegian biotech firm to explore the justification behind regulatory infringement in a small, high-tech organisation. A number of interpretations are possible: the firm may lack attention, ability or knowledge to comply; it may have violated the regulations on the basis of principled disagreement, or on the basis of an interpretation of adequate compliance; the non-compliance may have resulted from a rational calculation of risks and opportunities. Rather than supporting one particular interpretation, the case study highlights the very complex, messy and 'un-boxable' nature of firm behaviour.