Today we are witnessing social and political dominance of large corporations. They provide for its employees moral values and business principles. Moreover, they institutionalize their codes of ethics. The theory of Business Ethics provides the moral guideline and standards for corporate life and concrete business organizations apply those standards to practice. The individual employee, as a member of a business organization, accepts those standards. Therefore, it is important to examine the foundation of the individual's moral value in Business Ethics in order to understand on what the foundation of the moral value depends on. This highly interdisciplinary text is a critique of Business Ethics as an ideology and life politics. The author discloses how contemporary business ethics grovels before corporations, how it is too weak to create a truly critical voice of American capitalist economy. The individual's treatment in corporate life is revealed through the eyes of American Protestant culture and its coercive work tradition where efficiency value usurps values of individual choice and freedom. This book suggests a new concept of an out-corporate individual.
"Business Ethics and Values" introduces students to the complexities and principles of ethical issues by focusing on developing ethical awareness and the ability to argue business ethics matters. A proven resource, the second edition of this text continues to present a successful blend of concrete issues and academic theory, suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate students with or without practical experience of the world of organisations. It gives as much importance to individual conscience at work as it does to socially responsible behaviour at the corporate level and within the global business world. Hallmark features: Broad coverage of the many issues in this subject ensures that students see the whole picture. The use of real-world case studies and simulations helps to stimulate debate and appreciate the multi-faceted aspects of ethical arguments. New to this edition: New material on the ethics of e-communication, sustainability and the ethical impact of globalisation ensures that students are learning from the most up-to-date material available. Further analysis of Anglo-American approaches to corporate governance and their ethical underpinnings. Short test and assignment questions at the end of each chapter help students to consolidate their learning. More simulation exercises and activities give students the opportunity to reflect on their attitudes to this engaging subject. A well-developed supplements package to support tutors and students includes an instructor's manual, PowerPoint slides and a companion website. Colin Fisher is Professorof Managerial Ethics and Values, Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University. Alan Lovell is Professor of Organisational Accountability and Head of the Department of Accounting, Finance & Economics, Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University.
Corporate social responsibility has become a heavily discussed topic in business ethics. Identifying some generally accepted moral principles as a basis for discussion, Individuals, Groups, and Business Ethicsexamines ethical dimensions of our relationships with families, friends and workmates, the extent to which we have obligations as members of teams and communities, and how far ethics may ground our commitments to organisations and countries. It offers an innovative analysis that differentiates amongst our genuine ethical obligations to individuals, counterfeit obligations to identity groups, and complex role-based obligations in organised groups. It suggests that often individuals need intuitive moral judgment developed by experience, reflection and dialogue to identify the individual obligations that emerge for them in complex group situations. These situations include some where people have to discern what their organisations' corporate social responsibilities imply for them as individuals, and other situations where individuals have to deal with conflicts amongst their obligations or with efforts by other people to exploit them. This book gives an integrated, analytical account of how our obligations are grounded, provides a major theoretical case study of such ethical processes in action, and then considers some extended implications.
Today we are witnessing social and political dominance of large corporations. They provide for its employees moral values and business principles. Moreover, they institutionalize their codes of ethics. The theory of Business Ethics provides the moral guideline and standards for corporate life and concrete business organizations apply those standards to practice. The individual employee, as a member of a business organization, accepts those standards. Therefore, it is important to examine the foundation of the individual's moral value in Business Ethics in order to understand on what the foundation of the moral value depends on. This highly interdisciplinary text is a critique of Business Ethics as an ideology and life politics. The author discloses how contemporary business ethics grovels before corporations, how it is too weak to create a truly critical voice of American capitalist economy. The individual's treatment in corporate life is revealed through the eyes of American Protestant culture and its coercive work tradition where efficiency value usurps values of individual choice and freedom. This book suggests a new concept of an out-corporate individual.
Care is a human ability we all need for growing and flourishing. It implies considering the needs and interests of others, and the quality of how we relate to each other is often defined by care. While the value of care in private life is widely recognized, its role in the public sphere is contested and subject to political debates. In work organizations, instrumentality frequently overrides considerations for colleagues’ and co-workers’ well-being, while relationships are often sacrificed in the service of performance and meeting organizational targets. The questions this volume attempts to address concerns the organizational conditions that make care flourish and how a caring organization functions in practice. Specifically, we examine what it means to care for each other and what enhances caring behaviours in organizations. The volume ultimately focuses on how caring relations can contribute to making organizations better places. In this perspective, care involves the recognition of, and the limitations of, work as a key aspect of personal and social identity. Because care exceeds the sphere of individual intimacy, the book will also centre on the necessity for building caring institutions through a political process that considers the needs, contributions, and prospects of many different actors. This book aims to contribute to academic discussions on care in organizations, care work, business and organizational ethics, diversity, caring leadership, well-being in organizations, and research ethics. Managers, consultants, policy-makers, and students will find reflections about the goodness of care in organizations, and guidance about the ethical and practical difficulties of pursuing the project of building caring organizations.
Introduction to Business covers the scope and sequence of most introductory business courses. The book provides detailed explanations in the context of core themes such as customer satisfaction, ethics, entrepreneurship, global business, and managing change. Introduction to Business includes hundreds of current business examples from a range of industries and geographic locations, which feature a variety of individuals. The outcome is a balanced approach to the theory and application of business concepts, with attention to the knowledge and skills necessary for student success in this course and beyond. This is an adaptation of Introduction to Business by OpenStax. You can access the textbook as pdf for free at openstax.org. Minor editorial changes were made to ensure a better ebook reading experience. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recent evidence readily confirms that ethical conduct in human interaction has declined in the context of business, but also in virtually every phase of life. An alarming number of government leaders at all levels have demonstrated by their conduct that their primary goal is the pursuit of self-interest for themselves, their party, and their constituents - regardless of whether the choices they make are in the long-term best interests of those whom they are obligated to serve.Academic institutions and their leaders similarly seem to be either tied to past assumptions and traditions that seem, or blatantly out of touch with the needs of their students and the communities that they serve. Increasingly, college and university academic programs are being taught by part-time and temporary faculty who are paid less than their elementary and high school counterparts who lack their educational preparation, level of knowledge, or responsibility in preparing students for their chosen careers. Non-governmental organizations also struggle to earn the respect of the public, and their trustworthiness has been called into question as chief executive officers and staff receive high salaries, but lack accountability for achieving results or acting with integrity. Those who work in the media are as a group no longer trusted to provide an objective and unbiased assessment of the news. Even religious institutions are under attack and their leaders are being asked to be accountable to the standards which their doctrines advocate.Implicit in ethical conduct is the responsibility to identify the far goals of human achievement - rather than short-term interests that undermine long-term value creation and outcomes that best serve society. Abraham Maslow has wisely noted that the pursuit of efficiency must be evaluated in terms of the specific goals intended to be achieved, but the ramifications of individual and collective actions often seem to be out of focus, misdirected, and short-sighted.The purpose of this book is to identify key ethics-related issues facing individuals and organizations in the 21st century, and to offer recommendations and encouragement to those who choose to raise the bar for their standards of conduct. This volume combines established thinking about ethics and morality with new insights and ethical perspectives that have never before been addressed by traditional business ethics.The authors are comfortable in challenging the status quo and failures of so many leaders and organizations who have been unable to earn the trust of the general public. In criticizing the failures of institutions and their leaders, this book is also a plea to those who lead to rethink the standards and criteria which they have adopted about duties that they owe to others.Many of the insights contained within this book invite readers to begin from within themselves by examining their identities and their assumptions about their ethical beliefs. The evidence about personal ethical standards suggest that individuals rarely make conscious decisions regarding their own actions, and fall into patterns that they later acknowledge to be questionable and less than ideal. This book challenges the way that leaders make decisions about moral conduct and asks those who read this book to reassess the impacts of the choices that they make.Finally, this volume encourages readers to discover the best version of themselves. Only when people strive to achieve their highest potential are those individuals likely to optimally benefit others and create a better world. Ultimately, ethics is about each person''s responsibility to constantly improve and to help others along the way.We trust that this book will challenge the thinking of its readers, that it will become the source of dialogue and even possible disagreement about duties and obligations. Our intention is that this book will ultimately inspire individuals to think more clearly about the way that they interact with others and how they can best fulfill their highest purpose in life.
Business Ethics: An Ethical Decision-Making Approach presents a practical decision-making framework to aid in the identification, understanding, and resolution of complex ethical dilemmas in the workplace. Focuses exclusively on three basic aspects of ethical decision making and behavior—how it actually takes place, how it should take place, and how it can be improved Uses real-life examples of moral temptations and personal ethical dilemmas faced by employees and managers Discusses the biases, psychological tendencies, moral rationalizations, and impact of self-interest as impediments to proper ethical decision making Includes relevant examples of ethical misconduct and scandals appearing in the news media
Ethics & Business: An Integrated Approach for Business and Personal Success gives students the practical knowledge and skills to identify ethical dilemmas, understand ethical behavior in themselves and others, and advocate for ethical behavior within their organization. The course focuses on three ethical questions: the individual, the organization, and the societal perspective. These questions and views explore different areas of business ethics, such as the use and abuse of power, challenges to honesty and integrity, and participation in ethical interventions such as reporting, repair, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Most business ethics courses are based on a single point of view. Depending on the viewpoint, this might be based on philosophical theory, organizational behavior, or a legal and regulatory compliance approach. As an author team, we combine and integrate these points of view into a unified whole by incorporating unique content, original videos, and adaptable case studies to assist students in making ethical decisions in their professional and personal lives.
