Old and New in Business Ethics Theory

Annals of the University of Petrosani, Economics, 2010

The aim of this paper work is to conclude a short confirmation for business ethics. A redundant argument for business ethics, should, in our opinion start from the philosophical field. A major problem with business ethics is the foreclosing of philosophy, society and politics from its debate area. Before understanding the common sense for business ethics, we have to know how to act in a moral way. It is important to understand the identity of the human being, its signification and goals. Therefore the first part of this research enclose to philosophy, pointing out three aspects concerted to morality. We consider that only after a proper analyze of the human being, we can argue for business ethics and its implication in different area. Otherwise "business" becomes a problem for "ethics" and "ethics" become a problem for "business".

Philosophy for Business Ethics”, 2022

The chapter describes the fundamental philosophical challenges for the application of Business Ethics in management today. For the past few years, we notice some significant concepts in the business environment, such as Corporate Social Responsibility, Principles for responsible management education, Sustainable Development Goals, or the last comprehensive document: "Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development". Several professional studies write about the objectives of the philosophical background of ethical thinking in the business environment. Most of them agree that there is a need to change the Western intellectual paradigm of capitalism. Philosophy is supposed to help. The philosophical analysis shows that the neoliberal philosophy of economic thinking and the utilitarianistic concept has shown its limits. The chapter looks for the key factors of the current crisis of managerial thinking and offers some philosophical solutions. The author opens up limits of rationalism (consequences of the French Enlightenment) and modern positivism and belief in technological progress. The next borders are documented by speculative thinking, limits of human experience (empiricism), romantic feelings, and danger of uncontrolled emotions (e.g., in marketing and sale). Management gurus try to improve management theories, strategies, and daily practice. However, if we have to offer up-to-date answers to the current challenges, we must look for values and philosophical principles that are not conditional and relative. The chapter culminates in a managerial transcendence menu, value anchoring in comprehensive philosophical orientation for future solutions of business challenges and ethical dilemmas. The changes are not real without a reliable philosophical basis and value concept. The author tries in this way to build an essential and missed bridge between business practice and philosophical thinking with three relations: ethics and business, philosophy and business, and finally, the philosophical challenges of business ethics.

International Journal of Research in Commerce and Management, 2016

Ethics in Business has gained momentum over the last few decades with the advent of competition. A decade ago competition was relatively low. However, with the increase in struggle at an alarming rate, some business organizations are resorting to unethical practices which are ultimately harming the human kind and their values. There is a growing realisation all over the world that ethics is very essential for any business to grow. Ethics and business go together; it means if there are good ethics, there is good business. Even the government of every nation across the world is stressing upon business corporate to be ethical and follow ethical practices. "In law a man is guilty when he violates the rights of others, but in ethics, he is guilty if he only thinks of doing so." Hence, higher education must pay more attention to helping students understand how to lead ethical lives. The aim of this study is to investigate the common sources of ethics and to understand the impact of business ethics over the organization as well on the nation by analysing its pros and cons.

Economics. Ecology. Socium

Introduction. Ethical conduct emerges as a topic of discussion especially when conflicts arise between people, which cannot be resolved by regulation because of new circumstances and situations, or when legal norms prove insufficient or are disregarded, therefore leading to ethically unacceptable practices. Ethical issues of this kind are now at the forefront of social treatment, mainly because modern management practices have become increasingly problematic, areas of activity are expanding, and businesses and other forms of activity are increasingly under ethical pressures from multiple stakeholders. According, ethical behaviour is becoming a global issue and a pressing topic both in general and professional discussions; scientific analysis is therefore extremely relevant. Aim and tasks. This article’s aim is to study the ethical principles and morally ethical problems that arise in various business environments, such as medical, technical, legal, and commercial, as well as in sect...

Annales. Etyka w Życiu Gospodarczym, 2017

The article is a review of issues connected with business ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the last 20 years. Two decades have passed since the Sixth Polish Philosophical Congress took place in Toruń, where—for the first time in the history of Polish philosophical conventions—business ethics was recognized as a philosophical sub-discipline. It manifested itself in a special subsection of the Congress devoted to the topic, which was also kept at the next congress meetings. The paper is not a full review and most likely is not free from subjectivism. This is partly due to the fact that the subject matter falls within the scope of the philosophy of practicality—as the author interprets and refers to the philosophical system of Tadeusz Kotarbiński.

Journal of Business Ethics, 1998

The orientation of this paper is that there is no special science of “business ethics” any more than there is one of “medical ethics” or “legal ethics”. While there may be issues that arise in medicine or law that require special treatment, the ways of relating to such issues are derived from a basic ethical stance. Once one has evolved such an ethical stance and thus has incorporated a fundamental mode of relating to her or his fellow human beings, the “how” to deal with various ethical “issues” will follow as a natural consequence of one’s ethical stance or modality. It is not necessary, in the formation of one’s fundamental ethical stance to know if one is a utilitarian or a deon- tologist. It is doubtful whether Buddha knew what kind of ethics he was practising. If one conceives of ethics as something extrinsic to various disciplines and attempts to first practise a discipline and then to apply ethics to modify the results of that discipline it is entirely possible that conflicts will result between what is perceived of as the proper pursuit of that discipline and the ethical considerations. The argument of this paper is that it is more efficacious (in addition to being more true) to take ethical considerations into account in the construction of the definition of the discipline. This paper is devoted to showing that business and ethics are not two different and com- peting fields of interest (thus requiring a discipline of business ethics to be grafted onto the study of business enterprise), but that ethical concerns are part and parcel of the very concept of a business enterprise and the internal operation of a business organization.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MULTI SCIENCE, 2020

In the business world, a failure can be triggered by a mistake in determining and implementing a strategy. Various cases show how business failure can occur in an increasingly complex industrial and market structure. One thing that is certain in the complexity of business is competition. Competition is increasingly complicated and tighter, of course, requires the right business strategy. However, on the other hand, ethical strategies may occur in order to maintain the existence of a business. Furthermore, in a contemporary business reality like this, the role of ethics is very much needed. Ethics provide space for dialogue for business complexity and competition. This paper will discuss theoretically the role of ethics as a business strategy in the contemporary business climate. This is a reflective article using experts perspective about business ethic. The main data sourced form journals text, books, and digital sources such as expert blog and so on. All data will be categorized and analyzed to get the spirit of ethic that must be present at the business activity.

Quaderni del Dipartimento di Economia, Finanza e …, 2009

The paper concerns the connection between different tipologies of business ethics (kantian, utilitarian, aristotelic) and the alternative vision of economic development, company's organizational and managerial context together with interest in Common Good more or less associated to profit to which they have given rise. In this comparison virtue ethics stands out for its capacity of creating, specially through the business virtue of generosity, social capital so precious to economic development at every level, for its capability of increasing people's well-being, and for its capacity to make the production of relational goods (among which Common Good), on which people's happiness depends, easier. Gift's paradigm recovery can also be helpful to prevent other financial and economic crisis like the actual one which has had, like less striking but deepest cause, the triumph of avarice's vice on the virtues of giving (generosity and justice).