Business Ethics from the 19th Century to Today


Book Description

This book combines elements of economic and business history to study business ethics from the nineteenth century to today. It concentrates on American and British business history, delving into issues such as slavery, industrialization, firm behavior and monopolies, and Ponzi schemes. This book draws on the work of economists and historians to highlight the importance of changing technologies, religious beliefs, and cultural attitudes, showing that what is considered ethical differs across time and place.




Business Ethics from Antiquity to the 19th Century


Book Description

This book combines elements of economic and business history to study business ethics from antiquity to the nineteenth century. This book begins with so-called primitive people, showing how humans began to exchange goods and commodities from trade as a way to keep peace and prosper. The ancients considered the value and ethics of business, and many of their reflections influenced medieval Catholic thinkers and business participants. Protestants elevated working and profit-making to the respectable and virtuous, and some groups, such as Quakers, came to exemplify good business ethics. This book draws on the work of economists and historians to highlight the importance of changing technologies, religious beliefs, and cultural attitudes, showing that what is considered ethical differs across time and place.




Business, Ethics and Institutions


Book Description

This book is the first systematic scholarly study on the business history of Turkey from the nineteenth century until the present. It aims to place the distinctive characteristics of capitalism in Turkey within a global and comparative perspective, dealing with three related issues. First, it examines the institutional context that shaped the capitalist development in Turkey. Second, it focuses on the corporate actors, entrepreneurs and business enterprises that have led the national economic growth. Third, it explores the ethical foundations and social responsibility of business enterprises in the country. The comparative and historical approach sets the volume apart from previous books on the subject. Business, Ethics and Institutions aims to strengthen scholarly and policy understanding of Turkish capitalism and the diversified business groups which dominate the economy by providing a deep analysis of the evolution of political and social institutions which shaped corporate activity. It demonstrates the key role played by large family-owned business groups in Turkey’s development. It also seeks to identify both the similarities and the differences in the Turkish pattern of economic development, making comparisons with Japan, an early example of catch-up, and a more successful model than Turkey. The comparative perspective makes the book highly relevant to a wide range of scholars interested in the institutional foundations of modern capitalism and will be of value to researchers, academics, and students in the fields of business and economic history, ethics, organizational studies, and entrepreneurship.




The Moral Background


Book Description

In recent years, many disciplines have become interested in the scientific study of morality. However, a conceptual framework for this work is still lacking. In The Moral Background, Gabriel Abend develops just such a framework and uses it to investigate the history of business ethics in the United States from the 1850s to the 1930s. According to Abend, morality consists of three levels: moral and immoral behavior, or the behavioral level; moral understandings and norms, or the normative level; and the moral background, which includes what moral concepts exist in a society, what moral methods can be used, what reasons can be given, and what objects can be morally evaluated at all. This background underlies the behavioral and normative levels; it supports, facilitates, and enables them. Through this perspective, Abend historically examines the work of numerous business ethicists and organizations—such as Protestant ministers, business associations, and business schools—and identifies two types of moral background. "Standards of Practice" is characterized by its scientific worldview, moral relativism, and emphasis on individuals' actions and decisions. The "Christian Merchant" type is characterized by its Christian worldview, moral objectivism, and conception of a person's life as a unity. The Moral Background offers both an original account of the history of business ethics and a novel framework for understanding and investigating morality in general.




Business Ethics Today


Book Description

Business Ethics Today: Foundations is an anthology produced from a Business Ethics Conference which took place in June, 2010. Underlying the Conference and this text is the belief that the Protestant Reformation created a culture for business that is fundamental to the commercial world as we know it today. As a society moves away from the acceptance of Christianity, the principles arising from this culture are at risk. Foundations enables a reflection on the core beliefs as articulated in the Westminster Confession of Faith and their impact on doing business. Men like Peter Lillback, Chuck Colson, Wayne Grudem, and Philip Ryken have each written chapters engaging in these important discussions in Business Ethics. With these men and many others, Foundations is a must read for anyone passionate about doing business in God's world.




Business Ethics


Book Description

Ethical aspects of business and the economy are of increasing concern in business practice, higher education, and society in general. This concern results from significant business scandals and economic crises, such as the financial crisis of 2008 and the following great recession, as well as from pressing current and future challenges for the economy, such as sustainability and globalization. As a result, there is a growing demand for normative analysis and orientation for business and the economy, where business ethics has become a crucial part of organizational management, risk management, branding, and strategic management. Business Ethics: Methods and Application provides a new systematic approach to normative business ethics that covers the complex and various ethical challenges of modern business. It aims to train analytical thinking skills in the field of business ethics and to approach ethical issues in business in a rational and systematic way. The book develops a number of specific methods for business ethics analysis that are tailored for ethical decision-making in business and for analyzing complex ethical topics in business. The book discusses fundamental ethical questions regarding the meaning of business and the economy for the individual person, society, the environment, and people around the world. As a result, Business Ethics: Methods and Application develops normative guidelines for business in the 21st century and its fundamental challenges and will be key reading for undergraduate, postgraduate, and MBA students of business ethics, business strategy, business and society, and related fields.




Business Ethics in the 21st Century


Book Description

This work provides a critical look at business practice in the early 21st century and suggests changes that are both practical and normatively superior. Several chapters present a reflection on business ethics from a societal or macro-organizational point of view. It makes a case for the economic and moral superiority of the sustainability capitalism of the European Union over the finance-based model of the United States. Most major themes in business ethics are covered and some new ones are introduced, including the topic of the right way to teach business ethics. The general approach adopted in this volume is Kantian. Alternative approaches are critically evaluated.




The Oxford Handbook of Business Ethics


Book Description

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.




Ethical Business Cultures in Emerging Markets


Book Description

This study examines the intersection of human resource development and human resource management with ethical business cultures in developing economies, and addresses issues faced daily by practitioners in these countries. It is ideal for scholars, researchers and students in business ethics, management, human resource management and development, and organization studies.




Business Ethics


Book Description

A series of high-profile events in recent years have highlighted the growing need to cover ethical issues in international business and raise awareness of the responsibilities that need to be integrated into all levels and all subjects. Utilising the knowledge from a wide selection of expert contributors and illuminated by a case study for each chapter, this comprehensive volume makes a compelling case for business ethics to become an integrated consideration across the business disciplines, rather than an afterthought in the curriculum.