Enlarging the Conversation

Abstract

To date, BEQ has published contributions mainly from philosophers and social scientists. With these essays, we hope to expand this interdisciplinary conversation. The origins of this special issue extend back to a DePaul University conference some ten years ago, when Richard T. De George asserted that there was little that philosophers could learn from religious thinkers that would be of value for the field of business ethics (De George, 1986a). The challenge nestled deep in this author, much like the proverbial irritating grain of sand in the shell of an oyster, and it continues to merit serious reflection: what can religious approaches offer to the field? Are there indeed any pearls of insight to be harvested? Is there even an academic field of what might be termed religious business ethics?

Corporate Social Responsibility: A Three-Domain Approach

“…Instead of only relying on the principles of moral rights and justice, the threedomain model utilizes the category of deontological principles because it has the potential to more specifically capture a broader range of potential ethical justifications that have been suggested in the literature as duty-based in nature. Examples include: religious doctrine (see Herman 1997; De George 1999: 80); Kant's categorical imperative (Kant 1988); Ross's prima facie obligations (Ross 1930); or more specific core values such as trustworthiness (i.e., honesty, integrity, reliability, loyalty); responsibility (i.e., accountability); caring (i.e., avoid unnecessary harm); and citizenship (i.e., assist the community, protect the environment) (Josephson 1997).…”

Religion and CSR: a systematic literature review

“…Deontological principles of religiosity compliment the ethical dimension, which otherwise focuses on conventional moral rights and justice. The utilization of deontological principles captures a broader range of potential ethical justifications (Herman 1997;De George 1999). Thus, it seems unsurprising that, with the inclusion of deontological standards, there is barely a dimension without the influence of the ethical domain, when dealing with the intersection of CSR and religion.…”