Education and Development for Corporate Ethics

Abstract

Business and management ethics have assumed a high profile in recent years. This has sometimes provoked a sceptical, even cynical, reaction from those who express doubt concerning the feasibility or relevance of teaching the subject. Addresses some common misconceptions and offers clarification. The general aims of ethics programmes are considered, and the importance of experiential learning, in addition to lecture‐based inputs, is stressed. Discusses the importance of feelings, emotions and interpersonal skills, as well as theoretical understanding, as components of the overall learning experience in relation to ethics in organizations. This is then related to the practice of management development. Addresses the difference between the rather dramatic, if rarely encountered, cases often used in ethics programmes, and the more routine character of the everyday ethical issues actually confronting managers for much of the time.