Business Ethics as Practice

Abstract

In recent years, a succession of corporate scandals has rocked the international business community. As a result, many companies have invested considerable time, money and effort on the development of ethics management programs. However, in many cases, such programs are nothing more than insurance policies against corporate liability, designed merely to limit the fallout of scandals should they occur. In Business Ethics as Practice, Mollie Painter-Morland urges us to take business ethics seriously by reconsidering the role of ethics management within organizations. She redefines the typical seven-step ethics management program from within – challenging the reader to reconsider what is possible within each aspect of this process. In doing so, she draws on the insights of Aristotle, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Foucault and numerous contemporary organizational theorists and sociologists to create the space for the emergence of a morally responsive corporate ethos.

Sharing Vocabularies: Towards Horizontal Alignment of Values-Driven Business Functions

“…Therefore, our evaluation of horizontal alignment needs to consider the fit between different values-driven business functions alongside their vertical alignment with each level of the organization. To bring the focus to domains of responsibility that are of specific relevance to value-based business functions, we draw upon the literature that discusses CSR integration (Bondy et al 2012) and ethics management (Painter-Morland 2008. This literature frames these vertical connections as 'phases' in the implementation of values-driven business, i.e.…”

“…its mission and vision. Formulating value-commitments with true ethical intent means conducting one's business according to lived values, serving and protecting stakeholder interests and properly integrating the organization's values with the organization's overall strategic direction (Painter-Morland 2008). This process should involve stakeholder engagement, plus some assessment of the beliefs, practices and artefacts that contribute to an ethical organizational context (Weaver et al 1999).…”

“…Socio-cultural processes, whether viewed as micro-, meso-or macro-level forces (Aguilera et al 2007), are also critical to align values-driven business. In the first place, a very important socio-cultural factor in the formulation phase, is how values-driven business is motivated, and how the 'business case' for values-driven business is substantiated (Painter-Morland 2008). This involves analysing how sound ethical and socially responsible business practices can help mitigate risks, limit liability, help the organization develop a competitive advantage, attract and retain top talent, create productive and healthy workplace cultures and build strong ethical reputation amongst all stakeholder of the organization, including investors, customers and suppliers that prefer to do business with ethical organizations (Margolis et al 2001).…”

“…'Values-driven' business is generally understood to refer to enterprises that espouse visions, missions and behaviours grounded in ethical values, rather than simply financial considerations or fear of litigation or other sanctions (Barrett 2006;Painter-Morland 2008). Company reports reveal that responsibility for values-driven business is assimilated into corporate environments through diverse functions and activities (Adams and Frost 2008;Searcy and Buslovich 2014).…”

Understanding the Behavioral Paradox of the Companies’ by Using "The Corporation" Documentary

“…It makes it unrealizable to sort out a variety of values that flow within a complex system as being either "business" priorities or "ethical" considerations. Complexity theory seems to propose that business discretion and individuals' sense of normative propriety may not be of a distinctly different order at all (Morland, 2008). However, the main problem is the lack of information or utilitarian approach of managers.…”