Ethics in the Economy

Abstract

Ethik in der ÖkonomieEconomic sociologists lack coherent theories concerning how ethical disputes arise within economic life, and what effects their management has on organizational performance. Using formal codes of ethics within firms as its disciplined focus, we can develop a preliminary conceptualization of ethics in organizations, a series of hypotheses about how codes work, and a preliminary sketch of a reesearch program that follows from these principles.

Social Control Agents and the Evolving Definition of Wrongdoing: The Case of the Gray Area Around the Mafia

“…Apart from the law, scholars (Zelizer, 2007) underline how social control agents may elaborate ethical codes or uphold moral standards and commonly held values in defining wrongdoing. For example, codes of conduct elaborated by international associations of corporations stigmatizing child labor have been instrumental in labeling this practice as wrongful, especially in countries lacking prohibitory legislation.…”

“…For example, codes of conduct elaborated by international associations of corporations stigmatizing child labor have been instrumental in labeling this practice as wrongful, especially in countries lacking prohibitory legislation. Codes of conduct in turn invoke universal moral principles (Zelizer, 2007) by which all companies should abide. In many instances, law and moral standards may be combined by social control agents in variable and complex ways (Heimer, 2010).…”