Description
Book SynopsisBusiness Ethics: The Big Picture asks students to focus on the assumptions underlying the activity of business. Why does society provide special protections for businesses? What is the purpose of a corporation? What do businesses owe society? And are there some things that shouldn’t be distributed by the free market? These questions are addressed through classic readings from such central figures as Adam Smith and Karl Marx, in addition to contemporary selections from Milton Friedman, R. Edward Freeman, Debra Satz, and others. A number of compelling real-world case studies are also included.
Trade Review“This text provides a solid foundation for an introduction to business ethics. Accessible introductions to the sections and to individual articles, combined with discussion questions at the end of each article, make for a pedagogically useful text. The Foundations section provides a concise introduction to different theoretical approaches to ethics, and I am pleased to see the inclusion of a chapter on feminist theory and business ethics, something I have long thought was needed in texts like this. Drawing on classical and new works, the range of topics is short enough to cover in one semester yet broad enough to engage in many of the issues encountered in the field.” — Kira Tomsons, Philosophy Instructor, Douglas College
“In this fine volume, extended excerpts from an array of writers are paired with concise introductions and questions for discussion that illuminate the ethical concepts at hand. This book leads readers toward practical applications while challenging their preconceptions of right and wrong in business.” — Scott E. Randolph, Department of Business Administration and Management, University of Redlands
Table of Contents
- John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism
- Immanuel Kant, Deontology
- Thomas Hobbes, Contractarianism
- Aristotle, Virtue Ethics
- Alan Tomhave & Mark Vopat, “On the Disconnect Between Business and Professional Ethics”
- Milton Friedman, “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits”
- Albert Carr, “Is Business Bluffing Ethical”
- Norman Gillespie, “Business of Ethics”
- Karl Marx & Fredrick Engels, from The Communist Manifesto
- Adam Smith, from The Wealth of Nations
- Ronald F. Duska, “The Why’s of Business Revisited”
- Anthony Flew, “The Profit Motive”
- Peter A. French, “Corporate Moral Agency”
- John Danly, “Corporate Moral Agency: The Case for Anthropological Bigotry”
- Alan Tomhave & Mark Vopat, “The Business of Boycotting: Having Your Chicken and Eating it Too”
- John Orlando, “The Fourth Wave: The Ethics of Corporate Downsizing”
- Wayne Cask, “Decency Means More than ‘Always Lower Prices’: A Comparison of Costco to Walmart’s Sam’s Club”
- R. Edward Freeman, Kirsten Martin & Bidhan Parmar, “Stakeholder Capitalism”
- Kenneth J. Arrow, “Social Responsibilty and Economic Efficiency”
- Robert A. Larger, “Whistleblowing and Employee Loyalty”
- Deborah Satz, “Noxious Markets”
- Dan Arielly, “Beer and Free Lunches: What is Behavioral Economics, and Where Are the Free Lunches?”
- Janet Borgerson, “On the Harmony of Feminist Ethics and Business Ethics”
- John Alexander, “Environmental Sustainability versus Profit Maximization: Overcoming Systemic Constraints on Implementing Normatively Preferable Alternatives”
- Mark Vopat & Alan Tomhave, “When In Rome: Globalization, International Business, and Multi-National Corporations”
- Appendix: Case Studies
