Issues in Business Ethics

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Latest release: September 20, 2023
Series
53
Books
People in Corporations: Ethical Responsibilities and Corporate Effectiveness
Book 1·Dec 2012
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Georges Enderle Before presenting some introductory remarks on the topic of this volume I should like to outline briefly the context from which this selection of articles originates. (It seems to me necessary to emphasise these circumstances in order to make clearer the contours of what is said and what is not said and to understand it better. ) This context involves, flrstly, a general evaluation of the state of the business ethics debate today and, secondly, considerations of the question of what attitude and strategy should be chosen in order to promote business ethics most effectively. On the present state of affairs of the business ethics debate Today, it is extremely difflcult, if not impossible, to gain even a rough overview of the business ethics debate in the different countries of Europe and North America. Many activities take place in informal circles and on a local and regional level; linguistic and other barriers impede the spread of information about them and, often, they are not even labelled "business ethics". At the same time, so many other things sail under the flag of "business ethics" that one sometimes wonders if it should not be replaced by another flag, for instance new methods of public-relations or better motivation of company's employees. Yet, in spite of these difflculties in deflning business ethics activities, one statement at least can be made with certainty.
The Ethics of Business in a Global Economy
Book 4·Mar 2013
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Paul M. Minus Overview The papers gathered in this volume were first presented for reflection and discussion at a landmark event in March 1992. The International Conference on the Ethics of Business in a Global Economy, held in Columbus, Ohio, brought together over 300 participants from twenty-two nations in six continents. This was the most geographically diverse body of leaders ever assembled to consider issues of ethics in business. Approximately two-thirds of them were business executives; the others came mainly from the fields of education and religion. Knowing the context from which this book emerged will help readers understand its composition and content. As can be quickly seen, the fourteen authors who have contributed to it come from different areas of the world and from different fields of endeavor. One finds, first, essays on the book's central theme by business leaders from four nations. Next there are analyses of three key topics by scholars active in the fields of economics and ethics. Then come statements by practitioners of four major world religions on the relevance of their respective traditions to the ethics of business. Finally there are six brief case studies prepared by two business ethicists about specific ethical issues arising in international business. The authors address different facets of one of the most dramatic new facts of our time: the globalization of business. With many corporations now operating around the world and others planning a significant expansion of markets, this development is destined to accelerate in coming decades.
Business Ethics: Japan and the Global Economy
Book 5·Mar 2013
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Business Ethics: Japan and the Global Economy presents a multicultural perspective of global business ethics with special emphasis on Japanese viewpoints. In contrast to the typical business ethics book written primarily from the viewpoint of Western culture and economy, the majority of the work is by Asian scholars, providing an historical overview of the religious, scientific and cultural phenomena which converged to create modern Japanese business ethics. Perspectives from socioeconomics, sociology, social contract and applied business ethics contribute to the analysis of moral issues. A new Japanese approach to moral science, Moralogy, is introduced and its implications for phenomena such as the Keiretsu system are explored. Concurrently, prominent Western ethicists explore the role of moral language and the implications of Kantian ethics and contractarian approaches for developing universal moral standards.
Because Japan is an economic superpower, it is critical to understand the hidden economic culture, work ethic, and way of thinking in business. We must realize these are the results of an integration of historical factors, such as Shintoism, Buddhism, Confuctianism and modern Western science and technology. Business Ethics: Japan and the Global Economy provides philosophical and anthropological analyses of the Japanese economic mind, departing from previous stereotyped approaches. Theoretical discussions based upon social contract theory are presented in order to build ethical norms with cross-cultural activity for multinational economic activities. From such a universal stance, practical proposals are presented to transnationalize the Keiretsu system and other Japanese economic institutions.
Multinational Corporations and the Impact of Public Advocacy on Corporate Strategy: Nestle and the Infant Formula Controversy
Book 6·Dec 2012
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Multinational Corporations and the Impact of Public Advocacy on Corporate Strategy: Nestlé and the Infant Formula Controversy presents an in-depth analysis of the infant formula controversy and the resulting international boycott of Nestlé products launched by various social activist groups and church organizations. The actions of those groups culminated in the passage of the first international marketing code under the auspices of the World Health Organization.
Based on exhaustive and unique research, the book details the Nestlé case and uses it to analyze a number of other major issues bearing on contemporary business strategy and operations in the national and international arena. Issues addressed include:
  • The rising phenomenon of social activism and its affect on public opinion and public policy;
  • The changing role of churches and other religious groups and their impact on corporate strategy and behavior;
  • The emergence of UN affiliated international bodies, as both arbiters and regulators of market conduct of multinational corporations;
  • The changing dynamics between multinational corporations and host countries;
  • The factors which determine a company's behavior and its ability to adapt to changing societal expectations. £/LIST£ Multinational Corporations and the Impact of Public Advocacy on Corporate Strategy: Nestlé and the Infant Formula Controversy presents a microcosm of business society conflicts being played out in all parts of the world. This scholarly book will be of great interest to academics in the areas of management, business ethics, social conflict, and international regulation. It will also appeal to a broad corporate and government audience and to anyone interested in contemporary world affairs and the increasing globalization of socio-economic conflicts.
  • Ethics and Consultancy: European Perspectives
    Book 7·Dec 2012
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    The present volume in a series of books produced from European Business Eth ics Network (EBEN) conferences in Europe, is a compilation of plenary speeches and papers presented at the 1993 EBEN conference in Oslo, Norway. The theme of this year's conference was "The Use of Consultancy: Ethical Demands and Require ments" and there was a special focus on Eastern Europe. Of over 40 papers present ed at the conference from 165 participants representing 23 countries, we present here 20 selected by the editors as providing an overview of the latest thinking from both academicians and practitioners on the subject of ethics in consulting. Due to strict constraints on space in this volume, several valuable papers presented at the conference must be published elsewhere. We have also tried to maintain the unique flavor of the papers by authors whose mother tongue is not English. The consulting profession is booming in Europe, both in the West and in the for mer Communist Bloc countries. However, it has not previously been subjected to rigorous scrutiny from the ethical point of view. The conference planning commit tee thus sought to put the spotlight on the spreading phenomenon of buying and selling consultancy services within the European Union, within Europe and with the new Eastern Europe. The conference addressed several ethical challenges facing either the buyers or providers of consultancy services in both the private and public sectors.
    Ethics Management: Auditing and Developing the Ethical Content of Organizations
    Book 10·Dec 2012
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    • Why is ethics important to organizations?
    • What are the characteristics of an ethical organization?
    • How can we audit the ethics of an organization?
    • What measures and activities stimulate the ethical development of organizations?

    This book addresses these questions.
    It is easier to say that ethics is necessary than to tell how to organize ethics. This book provides a fundamental and coherent vision on how ethics can be organized in a focused way. This study examines the assumptions for organizing ethics, the pitfalls and phases of such a process, the parts of an ethics audit and the great variety of measures.
    The methods and insights illustrated in this book are based partially on practical research. One of these methods, the Ethics Thermometer, was based on more than 150 interviews at various organizations. The Ethics Thermometer has been applied in a great variety of profit and not-for-profit organizations in order to measure an organization's perceived context, conduct and consequences.
    This book will be important to scholars in the field of business ethics, as well as to managers and practitioners. For scholars, this study provides general knowledge about auditing and developing the ethics of an organization. A summary is given of the criteria by which the ethical content of an organization can be measured. For managers and practitioners, this study provides concrete suggestions for safeguarding and improving ethics within their organizations.
    Business Ethics in Theory and Practice: Contributions from Asia and New Zealand
    Book 13·Apr 2013
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    This book originated in a symposium on business ethics that took place in the Faculty of Commerce at the University of Canterbury in September of 1997. Professor Werhane, who was a visiting Erskine Fellow, provided the keynote address, and many of the papers in this collection were originally presented at this symposium. We are grateful to Kluwer Publishers for the opportunity to publish these essays in their series on International Business Ethics. We want to thank the Olsson Center for Applied Ethics at the Darden School, University of Virginia, and the Erskine Trust and the Department of Management at the University of Canterbury for their support of Professor Werhane's fellowship, research for this text, and funding for its production. We especially want to thank Lisa Spiro, who copy-edited and prepared the manuscript for publication. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW This book originated in a symposium on business ethics that took place in the faculty of commerce, at the University of Canterbury, in September 1997. Professor Werhane, who was a visiting Erskine Fellow, provided the keynote address. Contributions to the proceedings were. inter-disciplinary, spanning theory and practice. Subsequent contributions were obtained from within New Zealand and from Asia. The book starts off on rather a pessimistic note: the new managerialism (the kind of thing Scott Adams jokes about in the world-famous Dilbert cartoons) is economically suspect and psychologically damaging.
    Women on Corporate Boards of Directors: International Challenges and Opportunities
    Book 14·Mar 2013
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    Both the practitioner and academic communities have voiced strong opinions regarding the progress of women in reaching the executive suite and the corporate boardroom. Proponents on each side of the current debate offer evidence suggesting the accuracy of their respective positions. One view holds: "The fight is over. The battle is won. Women are now accepted as outside directors in the preponderance of corporate boardrooms" (Lear, 1994: 10). An alternative perspective, however, suggests there is much progress left. An illustration of the type of remaining barriers is provided by T. J. Rodgers, chief executive officer (CEO) of Cypress Semiconductor Corp. , who has commented that "a 'woman's view' on how to run our semiconductor company does not help us" (Rodgers, 1996: 14). Regardless of where one falls along the spectrum anchored at one end by the view that women have made substantial progress in reaching the upper echelons of corporations and anchored at the other end by the view that women have barely begun to penetrate the "inner sanctum" of corporations, the central issue is the extent to which women have succeeded in cracking the proverbial "glass ceiling. " The glass ceiling is a metaphorical barrier which prevents women from attaining the upper-most organizational positions (e. g. , Karr, 1991; Morrison, White, Van Velsor, and the Center for Creative Leadership, 1992; Powell & Butterfield, 1994; U. S. Department of Labor, 1991).
    Spirituality and Ethics in Management
    Book 19·Dec 2005
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    The signi? cance of “spirituality in management” is acquiring considerable international recognition. It is one of the “hottest” emerging ? elds in management. A number of recent events underscore this development. In February 2000 the Indian Institute of Management organized a “Corporate Reputation for Competitive Advantage” workshop in Calcutta, which focused on spirituality, ethics and leadership. The conference “Business, Religion and Spirituality” was held at the University of Notre Dame in April th 2000. In April 2001 the International Academy of Business Disciplines held its 13 annual meeting in Orlando, Florida and had a track on Spirituality in Organizations. In April 2002 a world conference was organized in New York entitled “Spirit in Business: Ethics, Mindfulness and the Bottom Line. ” These and other important scienti? c events clearly show that spirituality is no longer considered to be purely a matter of individual search, and is becoming more and more recognized in management and business ethics circles. Our “Spirituality in Management” workshop was held in July 1–3, 2001 in Szeged, Hungary. It was jointly organized by the Business Ethics Center of the Budapest University of Economic Sciences, the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration and the Department for the Study of Religion of the University of Szeged. Scholars and practitioners from 13 countries represented disciplines as diverse as economics, business, management studies, philosophy, theology, sociology, and medical anthropology. Participants included PETER PRUZAN, Copenhagen Business School (Denmark); S. K.