Business Ethics Issues Research Articles

Resisting Corporate Corruption: Cases in Practical Ethics From Enron Through The Financial Crisis, 2nd Edition. By Stephen V. Arbogast, Wiley-Scrivener, 2013; 552 Pages. Price US $75.00, ISBN 978-1-118-20855-7

The following paragraphs are reproduced from the website of the publisher [1]. Taking a unique approach to business ethics unlike the typical focus on conceptual/legal frameworks, this book features 25 case studies that cover a full range of business practices, controls, and ethics issues. The new edition is fully updated with new case studies from the recent financial crisis, comparing it with Enron's crossing of various ethical lines. Interpretive essays explore financial control systems and lessons learned from specific case studies and circumstances. Readers will find a practical toolkit they can use to identify ethics issues and tackle problems effectively within corporations.

Consumer Perceptions of Agro-Food Products with Ethical Values in Serbia: An Exploratory Study

The renewed and intensified interest in issues of business ethics is typified by growth in demand of products encompassing ethical values such as organic and Fair Trade products. Consumer attitude to foods is mainly influenced by concerns (e.g. food safety, human health, environmental impact) and commodity attributes (e.g. quality, taste, freshness and packaging). The objective of this exploratory study is to get an insight on Serbian consumer perceptions of agro-food products with ethical values (AFPEV) namely organic, Fair Trade and traditional products. The paper is based on secondary data and an online self-administered questionnaire, carried out from December 2010 through June 2011 with 104 Serbian adult consumers, dealing with understanding of and knowledge about AFP and relationships with ethical values; AFPEV buying frequency; main criteria and reasons for buying AFPEV; opinion about AFPEV price and consumer willingness to pay; potential impacts on animal health and welfare as well environmental, economic social and civic impacts of buying AFPEV; purchasing channels; and main sources of information about AFPEV. Serbian consumers have a good knowledge about AFPEV that are bought by almost all the interviewees. Most of the respondents relate ethical values to the respect of environment and organic production. The main reasons for buying AFPEV are quality, organic certification and taste. Price seems less important. The main sources of information about AFPEV are mass media, newspapers and magazines. However, the majority of Serbian consumers prefer to get information directly from the supply chain actors mainly sellers and/or producers. AFPEV are bought mainly from the specialized shops and supermarkets to achieve personal satisfaction, for health, safety, natural resources conservation, and environment protection. Consumers do not always buy sustainable products as consequences of environmental concern or to benefit the community or due to personal beliefs but mainly to give priority to health. Ethical factors are important in some cases, but they may be overstated. Results indicated that most Serbian consumers perceived that AFPEV as healthier and portray a positive attitude towards AFPEV, thus showing a high willingness to pay higher prices. Serbian consumers seem to have a positive attitude towards organic, fair trade and typical products due to the sustainable benefits that they can bring about. Therefore, institutional and domestic market conditions should be improved for insuring long-term market development and information campaigns should be organized to increase Serbian consumers’ awareness and consciousness.

Public-private partnerships in welfare system

The primary aim of this research is to offer an overview of the reflections gained from the economic literature on business ethics issues (Perrini, 2001), on corporate social responsibility (Gallino, 2005; Ricci, 2010) and on ethical probity in a narrow managerialist focus (Borgonovi, 1994) underlining the role and evolutionary dynamics of public private partnership in the design of social benefits (social card, social housing, social income, social bonds).

Ethical aspects of hunting tourism in Serbia

The aim of this paper is to examine contemporary moral controversies about hunting tourism in Serbia in the context of defined value orientations and norms of ethics of hunting tourism, as a branch of applied ethics. On the one hand, this paper summarizes conceptual definitions and specificities of hunting tourism, as a special form of tourism, and the crucial value postulates derived from the assumptions of the concept of sustainable development and biodiversity conservation, and philosophical, theological and legal settings of man?s attitude towards animals and their welfare, as well as the standard code of hunting ethics and issues of business ethics in hunting tourism, on the other. The paper also cites some examples of ethically problematic phenomena in modern hunting tourism in Serbia and offers possible solutions to overcome them.

Issues of Business Ethics in Domestic and International Businesses: A Critical Study

Ethics is a significant issue in business both on the firm level and wider phases. Ethics indicate what is right and what is wrong in business branches also lead employees and stakeholders with moral values. Ethics is the basics for an impartial internal environment in an organization. An ethical climate constituted on fair foundations and lead by executives upholding ethical standards in the first instance tend to be more achieved when compared to other firms, since fair organizational internal environment motivates employees by satisfying their necessities, enhancing the organizational performance initially, then to bringing about industry and country wide developments. Thus, the aim of this paper is to review ethical management and corporate performance with a theoretical point of view, also with comprising the international business dimension of ethics and its significance for businesses resting on profound publications.

The ethics of employment relations in China: a meta‐analysis

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate the extant literature on ethics of employment relations in China. Toward that goal, a meta‐analytic approach is employed to conclude the business ethical issues from different results and lay foundation for further research by deeply understanding ethics of employment relation in China.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review procedure is developed to identify all relevant articles and meta‐analytic procedures are used to identify issues related to ethics of employment relations in China.FindingsThe results suggest there are not many researches on business ethics, especially ethics of employment relations in China. The authors examine the researches about business ethics in research methodology, research perspective, ethical dimensions of employment relations and relationship between variables and find some disadvantages. The authors feel ethics of employment relations in China should cause more concern, in both the theoretical and practical areas.Originality/valueThe paper explores academics’ perceptions towards ethical issues related to employment relations and shows the importance of ethics during the development of Chinese companies.

El derecho mercantil entre la ética de los negocios y la responsabilidad social

La cuestión de la ética de los negocios puede ser abordada tanto desde un punto de vista teórico, como atendiendo a las repercusiones prácticas que afectan a la fisiología y a la patología de la vida empresarial. En este texto se consideran tres visiones acerca de esta cuestión, que nacen del pensamiento de Vicenzo Buonocore: la primera atiende a la función social de la empresa; la segunda tiene en cuenta la organización interna y las vertientes decisionales de la empresa; por su parte, la última perspectiva de estudio se refiere a la organización de la actividad externa y al respeto del principio de legalidad por parte de la empresa. A partir de estas perspectivas individuales se intenta verificar si existe un nexo entre ellas, además de dar respuesta a algunos interrogantes relacionados con las mismas.

Business ethics and corporate governance: An African socio-cultural framework

Lately, there have been various discussions about the values of the African Ubuntu philosophy in many aspects as it relates to issues of human relationships, business ethics and corporate governance. As a governing philosophy, the Ubuntu is inclusive in nature as it considers all members of the community (organisation) as one entity aiming at achieving one purpose. There have been assertions that the ultimate success of any organisation operating in an African environment is premised on this Ubuntu framework. This study aimed at establishing corporate governance approach as practiced by organisations within an African context. Thus, this paper analyses and reports on research findings pertaining to issues of general business ethics and corporate governance approaches within an African context. The study results show that Africa’s socio-cultural framework that is premised on the Ubuntu philosophy resonates with general principles surrounding business ethics and corporate governance. Central to the findings is the revelation that Africa’s socio-cultural framework has a direct impact on business ethics, corporate governance approaches and overall corporate performance of organisations operating in Africa. It is expected that the study findings will influence organisations in Africa to adhere strictly to the provisions and recommendations of the new King III report on good corporate governance.

INTEGRACJA ETYKI BIZNESU I DEONTOLOGII ZAWODOWEJ BIEGŁEGO REWIDENTA: WYMIAR JURYDYZACJI ORAZ KODYFIKACJI

This article is about the integration issues of business ethics and professional conduct in relation to audit services rendered by auditors. Characterized in the selection of contemporary approaches to business ethics and professional ethics. The article poses the thesis that integrative dimension of business ethics and auditing profession is reflected in the processes juridisation and codification.

Business ethics, CSR, sustainability and the MBA

AbstractThe issues of business ethics, corporate social responsibility and sustainability have come to attract increasing attention in management education in recent years, at least from the perspective of potential employers, accrediting bodies and business school alumni. This paper examines the extent of penetration of these three subjects in to global MBA curricula through an examination of course content and structure pertaining to the Financial Times Global MBA Rankings top 100, the Australian Financial Review BOSS top 17 ranked Australian MBAs, and the seven MBA programmes currently offered by universities in New Zealand. The findings reveal that: a variety of delivery modes are utilised; while the teaching of ethics has achieved considerable penetration, only about fifty percent of MBA programmes include it as a required subject (and even then it may only constitute part of a larger subject); and that the teaching of sustainability has achieved much lower penetration, with only six percent of MBA programmes examined incorporating the topic into their core curriculum. Implications for the design of MBA programmes and future research directions are then discussed within the context of a business environment in which increasing prominence is being given to these subject areasx.

Business ethics, CSR, sustainability and the MBA

AbstractThe issues of business ethics, corporate social responsibility and sustainability have come to attract increasing attention in management education in recent years, at least from the perspective of potential employers, accrediting bodies and business school alumni. This paper examines the extent of penetration of these three subjects in to global MBA curricula through an examination of course content and structure pertaining to the Financial Times Global MBA Rankings top 100, the Australian Financial Review BOSS top 17 ranked Australian MBAs, and the seven MBA programmes currently offered by universities in New Zealand. The findings reveal that: a variety of delivery modes are utilised; while the teaching of ethics has achieved considerable penetration, only about fifty percent of MBA programmes include it as a required subject (and even then it may only constitute part of a larger subject); and that the teaching of sustainability has achieved much lower penetration, with only six percent of MBA programmes examined incorporating the topic into their core curriculum. Implications for the design of MBA programmes and future research directions are then discussed within the context of a business environment in which increasing prominence is being given to these subject areasx.

Astroturfing Global Warming: It Isn’t Always Greener on the Other Side of the Fence

Astroturf organizations are fake grassroots organizations usually sponsored by large corporations to support any arguments or claims in their favor, or to challenge and deny those against them. They constitute the corporate version of grassroots social movements. Serious ethical and societal concerns underline this astroturfing practice, especially if corporations are successful in influencing public opinion by undertaking a social movement approach. This study is motivated by this particular issue and examines the effectiveness of astroturf organizations in the global warming context, wherein large corporate polluters have an incentive to set up astroturf organizations to undermine the importance of human activities in climate change. We conduct an experiment to determine whether astroturf organizations have an impact on the level of user certainty about the causes of global warming. Results show that people who used astroturf websites became more uncertain about the causes of global warming and humans’ role in the phenomenon than people who used grassroots websites. Astroturf organizations are hence successful in promoting business interests over environmental protection. In addition to the multiple business ethics issues it raises, astroturfing poses a significant threat to the legitimacy of the grassroots movement.

Institutional Logics in the Study of Organizations: The Social Construction of the Relationship between Corporate Social and Financial Performance

ABSTRACT:This study examines whether the empirical evidence on the relationship between corporate social performance (CSP) and corporate financial performance (CFP) differs depending on the publication outlet in which that evidence appears. This moderator meta-analysis, based on a total sample size of 33,878 observations, suggests that published CSP-CFP findings have been shaped by differences in institutional logics in different subdisciplines of organization studies. In economics, finance, and accounting journals, the average correlations were only about half the magnitude of the findings published in Social Issues in Management, Business Ethics, or Business and Society journals (mean corrected correlation coefficientof .22 vs. .49, respectively). Specifically, economists did not find null or negative CSP-CFP correlations, and average findings published in general management outlets (= .41) were closer to Social Issues in Management, Business Ethics, and Business and Society results than to findings reported in economics, finance, and accounting journals.

The Business of Pain Medicine: The Present Mirrors Antiquity

The practice of pain medicine is often considered a fledgling field, as are the economic, business, and related ethical issues associated with providing these services. This article first traces the history of pain care and its relationships to industry and business, as well as the impact of government regulations over the ages. The authors challenge the view that the commonly discussed health care issues facing pain medicine are new by tracing the business and regulatory-related antecedents of pain care practice from the first through 21st century. The controversies associated with the practice of delivering pain-related health care services in an ethical manner are discussed with specific reference to the early work of clinicians, health care activists, and policy makers. The early activities of noteworthy individuals such as Pliny the Great, Hua T'o, John Locke, Benjamin Franklin, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., William Morton, Henry and William James, Heinrick Dresser, and other recent health care activists are reviewed. Issues of practitioner liability and regulatory restrictions on practice are also discussed in a historical context. The authors conclude that familiar ethical dilemmas commonly arose in past centuries, and history may be repeating itself with respect to the concerns now being discussed within our field. These arguments are reflected against the pain medicine Ethics Charters of the American Academy of Pain Medicine throughout the document. Finally, we outline the challenges for the present and future. With an understanding of these eight historical events as a backdrop, we may be at an opportune time to better address these issues in a manner that could provide the most effective pain care in our society.

“Business Ethics Everywhere”

This article introduces an experiential exercise that enhances students’ ability to identify ethical issues and to respond to them in ways that consider the relationship between organizational factors and ethical action. Students identify a required number of ethical incidents in their workplaces during a specified period. Students submit a written description for each incident, drawing from moral philosophical frameworks and/or other ethical concepts to label the issue as one that either exemplifies a “best practice” or “raises concern.” For “best practice” examples, students consider the implications of the practice on the organization and its stakeholders and whether and how the practice could be improved. For examples that “raise concern,” students explain what the ethically appropriate action would be, indicate whether they would take that action, report any reservations they have about taking that right action, and consider how to behave ethically in a way that would bring about desired outcomes without incurring negative outcomes. Then, a subset of submissions is selected for an in-class discussion. Using examples from students’ own experiences engages them and underscores for them the relevance of business ethics issues. Instructions for facilitating classroom discussion and variations for adapting the exercise are provided.

Dissenting Discourse: Exploring Alternatives to the Whistleblowing/Silence Dichotomy

In recent times, whistleblowing has become one of the most popularly debated issues of business ethics. Popular discussion has coincided with the institutionalisation of whistleblowing via legal and administrative practices, supported by the emergence of academic research in the field. However, the public practice and knowledge that has subsequently developed appears to construct a dichotomy of whistleblowing/silence; that is, an employee elects either to ‘blow the whistle’ on organisational wrongdoing, or remain silent. We argue that this public transcript of whistleblowing/silence overshadows the importance of continuing research into alternative (individual or collective) employee behaviour. Drawing on original research with a financial services organisation, our research uncovers a dissenting discourse that operates through implicit communication, such as codes, sarcasm and jokes. We suggest that this hidden transcript offers significant opportunities for employees to act ethically, and offers the potential to sustain an ethical organisational culture.

The current world business meltdown: Islamic religion as a regulator

PurposeThis paper aims to provide an account of how Islam regulates the processes and interactions in areas of the economy and trade. It seeks to provide insights on business ethics and social responsibility from the perspective of the Islamic religion.Design/methodology/approachA survey of literature on the two issues business ethics and social responsibility is carried out. The various arguments advanced here rest on the teachings of the holy book of Islam (The Quran) and the teachings of the Prophet of Islam (Mohammed).FindingsFor Muslims, ethics in business may only be obtained if one has complete faith in God. From the perspective of the Quranic revelations, it is apparent that Islam has given the solution for ethical problems and the religion of Islam teaches about good morals and ethics in a business life.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper can be enhanced and extended further to examine the reality of business ethic conduct and social responsibility in Muslim countries.Practical implicationsThe existence of irregularity in the spheres of honesty and transparency (i.e. information), and the existence of uncontrolled greed have led to the deterioration of morals in business dealings. The world has an opportunity to share information and learn.Originality/valueThe paper provides good information on the two issues of business ethics and social responsibility particularly from the view point of Islam. This is very important since the provided insights will add to the body of knowledge in those areas in business. The originality of the paper is based on the careful interpretation of some Quranic verses and the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed. It can be a good source of information for persons who have business dealings in Muslim countries.

Ethical awareness of Chinese business managers and accountants and their views on the use of off-book accounts

Abstract This paper reports the survey results of ethical awareness of Chinese business managers and accountants on business ethical issues and their assessment of the nature of off-book accounts (OBAs) usage from the perspective of ethical viewpoints. We find that Chinese respondents can, overall, make appropriate ethical judgments on explicitly unethical business behaviors but they may still adopt a relatively tolerant view towards some business behaviors that are less explicit in deviation from the general business ethics. Regarding the ethical assessment of the use of OBAs in practice, Chinese respondents can generally recognize the illegitimacy and irrationality of the OBAs and they hold reservations on the so-called positive effects of OBAs. In addition, the paper has further analyzed the impacts of a series of influential factors (e.g., gender, age, education, job occupation, work experience, firm size/listing status, and business ownership) on the ethical judgments of general business ethical issues and the ethical assessment of the nature of OBAs made by the respondents respectively.

Business Ethics in the South and South East Asia

This article attempts to understand the state of teaching, training and research in business ethics in the South and South East Asian region. The countries surveyed are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. The diversity across countries in the region is high in terms of economic development, political structuring and human development. The degree of privatization and globalization is varied across countries since each of them is in a different phase of transition. In an earlier survey on Business Ethics, published in 1997, India was the only country from this region that was represented. In the current survey, 12 countries from the South and South East Asia are represented. While Business Ethics in academia is widely present, Corporate Social Responsibility, Governance and Sustainability though relatively new appear to be growing rapidly. Business Ethics courses tend to focus on functional ethics, managerial ethics and implementing codes of ethical conduct. Across the 12 countries, Business Ethics is taught either as an elective or a core course in most institutions. Training emphasis across countries is varied. While training institutions in India appear to be high, the presence of multinational consultants in Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka is significant. The research focus across countries in the region is weak. The high convergence on the top issues in Business Ethics, across respondents in different countries, is worthy of mention.

A Global Comparative Analysis of the Global Survey of Business Ethics

This article concludes this special issue of the Journal of Business Ethics that focussed on the Global Survey of Business Ethics as field of Training, Teaching and Research. The article provides a comparative global analysis of the findings in the eight world regions that participated in this global survey viz. Central Asia, East Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, Oceania, South and South-East Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. The eight regions are compared with regard to their findings on the terminology used to refer to Business and Economic Ethics, the prevalence of Business and Economic Ethics, themes covered in training and teaching programs on Business and Economic Ethics, themes covered in Business and Economic Ethics research, and major business ethical issues that are foreseen over the next 5 years. Broad patterns, continuities and discontinuities that emerged in a comparison across the eight regions are identified and discussed. Finally, the article is concluded by identifying some crucial issues for the further development of the field of Business Ethics.