The Oxford Handbook of Business Ethics is a comprehensive treatment of business ethics from a philosophical approach. Each chapter is written by an accomplished philosopher who surveys a major ethical issue in business, offers his or her own contribution to the issues that define that topic, and provides a bibliography that identifies key works in the field.
This book presents a selection of articles with focus on the theoretical foundations of business ethics, and in particular on the philosophy of management and on human rights and business. This implies identifying and discussing conflicts as well as agreement with regard to the philosophical and other foundations of business and management. Despite the general interest in corporate social responsibility and business ethics, the contemporary discussion rarely touches upon the normative core and philosophical foundations of business. There is a need to discuss the theoretical basis of business ethics and of business and human rights. Even though the actions and activities of business may be discussed from a moral perspective, not least in the media, the judgments and opinions relating to business and management often lack deeper moral reflection and consistency. Partly for this reason, business ethicists are constantly challenged to provide such moral and philosophical foundations for business ethics and for business and human rights, and to communicate them in an understandable manner. Such a challenge is also of scientific kind. Positions and opinions in the academic field need to be substantiated by thorough moral and theoretical reflection to underpin normative approaches. Far too often, business ethicists may agree on matters, which they approach from different and sometimes irreconcilable philosophical standpoints, resulting in superficial agreement but deeper-lying disagreement. In other cases, it may be of high relevance to identify philosophical standpoints that despite conflicting fundamentals may arrive at conclusions acceptable to everyone.
The Handbook of Business Ethics: Philosophical Foundations is a standard interdisciplinary reference handbook in the field of business ethics. Articles by notable philosophers and economists examine fundamental concepts, theories and questions of business ethics: Are morality and self-interest compatible? What is meant by a just price? What did the Scholastic philosophers think about business? The handbook will cover the entire philosophical basis of business ethics. Articles range from historical positions such as Aristotelianism, Kantianism and Marxism to systematic issues like justice, religious issues, rights and globalisation or gender. The book is intended as a reference work for academics, students (esp. graduate), and professionals.
Take a seat in the boardroom. What will you decide? Corporations make difficult decisions about the right thing to do every day, but as an organization made up of people with different perspectives and values, how can a business behave ethically? This is Business Ethics offers a dynamic and engaging introduction to the study of corporate morality. Offers real-world practical advice for navigating ethical dilemmas in business, developed and explained through illustrative high-profile case studies like the Ford Pinto case, Enron, Walmart and British Petroleum. Explores how ethical theory informs business policy and practice. Presents unresolved contemporary case studies for consideration, inviting readers to participate in the decision-making and offer their own recommendations. The latest in the This is Philosophy series, This is Business Ethics features supplemental online resources for instructors and students at https://www.wiley.com/enus/thisisphilosophy/thisisbusinessethicsanintroduction
Business ethics has largely been written from the perspective of analytical philosophy with very little attention paid to the work of continental philosophers. Yet although very few of these philosophers directly discuss business ethics, it is clear that their ideas have interesting applications in this field. This innovative textbook shows how the work of continental philosophers - Deleuze and Guattari, Foucault, Levinas, Bauman, Derrida, Levinas, Nietzsche, Zizek, Jonas, Sartre, Heidegger, Latour, Nancy and Sloterdijk - can provide fresh insights into a number of different issues in business ethics. Topics covered include agency, stakeholder theory, organizational culture, organizational justice, moral decision-making, leadership, whistle-blowing, corporate social responsibility, globalization and sustainability. The book includes a number of features designed to aid comprehension, including a detailed glossary of key terms, text boxes explaining key concepts, and a wide range of examples from the world of business.
Packed with examples, this book offers a clear and engaging overview of ethical issues in business. It begins with a discussion of foundational issues, including the objectivity of ethics, the content of ethical theories, and the debate between capitalism and socialism, making it suitable for the beginning student. It then examines ethical issues in business in three broad areas. The first is the market. Issues explored are what can be sold (the limits of markets) and how it can be sold (ethics in marketing). The second is work. Topics in this area are health and safety, meaningful work, compensation, hiring and firing, privacy, and whistleblowing. The third area is the firm in society. Here readers explore corporate social responsibility, corporate political activity, and the set of ethical challenges that attend international business. Issues are introduced through real-world examples that underscore their importance and make them come alive. Arguments for opposing positions are given fair hearings and students are encouraged to develop and defend their own views. Key Features Introduces each topic with a real-world example, which is referenced regularly in the subsequent argument. Contains a critical evaluation of capitalism and socialism, with a focus on private property, the market system, and the welfare state. Explores the limits of markets and encourages students to ask what should and should not be for sale. Explores the phenomena of corporate political activity and ethical consumerism. Includes initial chapter overviews and – at the end of each chapter – study questions and suggested additional readings.
In this textbook we examine the extent to which moral values play a role as productive forces for companies and the economy as a whole, and explores the effect of ethical and unethical behavior at both levels. We show how ethics improves productivity, and provide specific ethics tools for practical application for both students and managers. Stemming from an overall interdisciplinary approach, this textbook fills a gap in the literature on ethics in business. Following a textbook structure, we first derive knowledge from scientific studies that are relevant for students, and then summarize the results. We explain ethical assessment approaches, and then provide an ethical assessment of economic behavior using case studies. Roleplaying and games are used to explain the behavior of people in relation to ethics. The 2nd edition has been completely revised and expanded to include new findings from the behavioral sciences (psychology, social psychology, sociology and behavioral economics). In particular, the research on emotions, motivation and group behavior have given rise to many new impulses in business ethics. In addition, new case studies and new chapters were included, like Politics and Morality, Theories of Justice, Global Ethics, and Institutions as Solutions to Specific Game Situations (game theory). This book is important for students and researchers as well as policymakers and business executives due to its focus on applications.
Using an interdisciplinary focus, this book combines the research disciplines of philosophy, business management and sustainability to aid and advance scholar and practitioner understanding of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This book offers students a philosophical introduction to the ethical foundations of business management. It combines lessons from Kant with virtue ethics and also touches upon additional approaches such as utilitarianism. At the core of the book lies the concept of the nexus of imperfect managerial duty: building and reinforcing the virtuous managerial team, engaging in reasoned discourse among all stakeholders, and diligently pursuing business responsibilities, including the creative efforts necessary for modern organizations. Case illustrations of these applications are presented throughout the book, including chapter appendices. Ancillary videos, test and answer banks and sample syllabi are available online via the author’s website.