Blending theory and practice, this innovative, interdisciplinary text equips students to act as ethical change agents who improve the moral performance of their work organizations. Written in a reader-friendly style, the book is structured around levels of organizational behavior. Author Craig E. Johnson examines ethics in not just corporations but all types of workplace organizations, including nonprofit, government, military, and educational entities.
This introductory textbook begins by discussing basic tenets of ethical theory and their relevance to business practices. It then addresses a business' particular obligations to its employees, its customers, and society as a whole. Issues like collective bargaining, sexual harassment, safety, inside
This book develops an intellectual framework for analyzing ethical dilemmas that is both grounded in theory and versatile enough to deal rigorously with real-world issues. It sees ethics as a necessary foundation for the social infrastructure that makes modern life possible, much as engineering is a foundation for physical infrastructure. It is not wedded to any particular ethical philosophy but draws from several traditions to construct a unified and principled approach to ethical reasoning. Rather than follow the common academic practice of seeking a reflective equilibrium of moral intuitions and principles, it builds on a few bedrock principles of rational thought that serve as criteria for valid argumentation. It develops the ideas from the ground up, without presupposing any background in ethics or philosophy. Epistemologically, the book views ethics as parallel to mathematics, in that it relies on generally accepted proof techniques to establish results. Whereas mathematics rests on such proof paradigms as mathematical induction and proof by contradiction, ethics can be seen as relying on proof by applying consistency tests, such as generalizability and respect for autonomy. Utilitarianism also plays a key role, but it is reconceived as a deontological criterion. This approach obviously requires that these criteria be formulated more rigorously than is normally the case. To accomplish this, the book begins with the classical idea that an action is distinguishable from mere behavior by virtue of its having a coherent rationale, where coherence requires passing certain consistency tests such as generalizability. An action is therefore inseparable from its rationale, and generalizability is defined in terms of consistency with the rationale. A utilitarian criterion receives a similar treatment with respect to a means-end rationale. Respect for autonomy is grounded in a carefully developed action theory that takes into account such concepts as joint autonomy, implied consent, and the permissibility of interference with unethical behavior. It provides an account of responsibility that is both practical and theoretically satisfying, and it yields a novel solution of the much-discussed trolley car dilemmas. The book is written for a general audience and strives to be as readable and engaging as possible, while maintaining rigor. It begins by dispelling a raft of misconceptions that trivialize ethics and block its development as an essential tool of modern life, such as the notion that ethics is just a matter of opinion without rational foundation. After presenting the ethical principles just described, along with many examples, it provides several chapters that analyze real-life dilemmas, many obtained from the author’s students and professional workshop participants. One cannot understand physics or chemistry without seeing how their principles are applied to real problems, and the same is true of ethics. These chapters demonstrate that a unified normative theory can deal with a wide range of real cases while achieving a reasonable level of objectivity and rigor.
Corporations have a social responsibility to assist in the overall well-being of their communities through the compliance of moral business standards and practices. However, many societies still face serious issues related to unethical business practices. Business Ethics and Diversity in the Modern Workplace investigates the ethical frameworks within modern corporations and their impact on the communities they serve. With a focus on autonomous decision making in complex quandaries, this book is an all-inclusive reference source for students, researchers, practitioners, and managers who are concerned with the various ethical dilemmas within businesses, as well as evaluating moral issues impacting societal welfare.
How companies can significantly boost ethics and morale. Shares a wealth of effective ideas used around the country, from hiring and firing to compensation and communication. Includes an extensive bonus section on writing an effective corporate ethics code.
Why do honest and decent employees sometimes overstep the mark? Drawing on scientific experiments and examples from business practice, Muel Kaptein discusses why good people sometimes do bad things and how they rise above this behavior.
Bestselling author John C. Maxwell shows you how the Golden Rule works everywhere, and how, especially in business, it brings amazing dividends. There's no such thing as business ethics. How can that be? Because a single standard applies to both your business and personal life-and it's one we all know and trust: the Golden Rule. Now bestselling author John C. Maxwell shows you how this revered ideal works everywhere, and how, especially in business, it brings amazing dividends. This book offers: * Stories from history, business, government, and sports that illustrate how talented leaders invoked this timeless principle * Examples of difficult business decisions-layoffs, evaluations, billing clients, expansion-and how the Golden Rule applies to each * The five most common reasons people compromise their ethics-and how you can prevail over such moral obstacles * How applying the Golden Rule to business builds morale, increases productivity, encourages teamwork, lowers employee turnover, and keeps clients coming back. John C. Maxwell not only reveals the many ways the Golden Rule creates the perfect environment for business success, but does it with great wisdom, warmth, and humor. Backed by flawless research and the ideas of history's best thinkers, this engaging book brilliantly demonstrates how doing the right thing fosters a winning situation for all, with positive results for employees, clients, investors, and even your own state of mind. Business runs much more smoothly, profits increase, and you know that you've set the groundwork for years of future prosperity...and it's all thanks to the tried-and-true Golden Rule.
This timely book explores new social justice challenges in the workplace. Adopting a long-term perspective, it focuses on value conflicts, or ethical dilemmas, in contemporary organisations and ways to overcome them. Matthieu de Nanteuil demonstrates that the existence of value conflicts is not in itself problematic, but problems arise as actors do not have a frame of justice that allows them to overcome these conflicts without renouncing their deeply held values.
Ethics is not just about morality; it is a complex dimension of personal and corporate life that can lead to higher performance by both business and society. Customers, employees and business partners seek predictable corporate behaviour that is aligned with stated personal, workplace and democratic values. Ethics training can help to achieve this. This business ethics primer is a valuable tool for raising ethical awareness in your organisation. Reflecting on employees' personal values and world views, it then examines their impact on the development and application of your organisation's mission, vision and values and finally, your organisation's impact on the societies and environment in which it operates. Three Dimensional Ethics: Implementing Workplace Values concludes with a unique chapter on ethics and doing business in China, illuminating roles in corporate stakeholder responsibility that align with principles in the Confucian Analects. Lagan and Moran provide a practical perspective on business ethics training that is lively, relevant and useful with insights into managing corporate values such as: Ethical frameworks Ladder of escalation options Ethical dilemmas Ethical decision making models Ethics audits Codes of ethics and Codes of conduct Vision and values models Stakeholder commitment steps Governance checklists Addressing values gaps Knowing your values The four virtues Stages of moral development Reflection and action Training tools include Australian and global case studies, definitions, tips, snapshots of ethical approaches, models, quotes, checklists, discussion panels, workshops, scenarios and exercises.
