Business Ethics Issues Research Articles

A Missing Voice in Islamic Business Ethics: The Ulema of Islam

The Islamic business ethics (IBE) field has overlooked a major voice in Islam that has been active since its early days to the present time in articulating what many Muslims and non-Muslims consider to be authoritative positions of Islam on business and non-business issues. The voice being missed or overlooked is that of the ulema of Islam (orthodox religious scholars). To gain a more complete and inclusive understanding of Islam and business ethics we argue this voice perforce needs to include in the conversations taking place in IBE. Moreover, such an inclusion stands to enrich and extend the discussions in IBE by providing alternative perspectives that can challenge and refine the field’s understandings of what it takes be Islam’s position on a particular business ethics topic. We demonstrate these contentions by presenting findings from a qualitative fieldwork interview based research study where we interviewed 50 ulema of Islam about their religion’s views on the ten principles comprising the UN Global Compact. Our findings reveal that orthodox Islamic scholars disagree with several principles of the UN Global Compact leading them to reject it as being compatible with Islam. These findings stand contrary to the overwhelming consensus in the IBE field that the UN Global Compact is compatible with Islam. Our findings thus illustrate the utility of including the voices of ulema in IBE research as doing so provide novel, fresh, and alternative perspectives on business ethics issues (e.g., the UN Global Compact) being discussed in this field.

Honorable Business: A Framework for Business in a Just and Humane Society, by James Otteson; The Form of the Firm: A Normative Political Theory of the Corporation, by Abraham A. Singer

James Otteson’s Honorable Business and Abraham Singer’s The Firm of the Firm are both valuable explorations of fundamental issues in business ethics. The authors’ sharply conflicting arguments can ...

Collective Impact Problems and the Promise for Business Ethics

“Collective impact problems” refer to situations where there is a collective harm or benefit, but where no single action seems to make a difference one way or the other. Collective impact problems arise when considering several pressing ethical issues in business, such as shareholder and consumer activism, business and climate change, factory farming and animal welfare, fair-trade and sweatshop labor, and corporate philanthropy. Unfortunately, business ethics textbooks do not explicitly deal with collective impact problems and, as such, students may be lacking the theoretical and practical skills necessary to deal with issues of significant moral concern. This paper helps to address this gap by introducing the reader to some collective impact cases in business ethics, detailing the challenges that collective impact problems pose for consequentialist and non-consequentialists alike, and highlighting some of the promising pedagogical benefits of using collective impact cases in a business ethics class.

Is Corporate Social Responsibility Ethical? - Recognising Ethical Issues In Business

Corporate Social Responsibility is all about companies playing their responsible part in society and giving back to society and a big part of that is fund raising for valuable cause. Companies engage in Corporate Social Responsibility when they grant benefits to the communities where they work which are neither required by law nor an integral part of their primary objective is profit oriented company. Today, however businesses must also reflect on the legal, ethical, moral and social consequences of their decisions. The purpose of working on this paper is to identify the ethical issues faced by the organization and how the unethical behavior in organization is excessively aggressive to achieve business objectives. Evidences suggest that social corporate responsibility and the maintenance of high ethical standards is not an option but an obligation for all businesses. This paper also draws the inferences that often have the ethical implications of an action are overlooked for personal gain and the benefits are usually material. This frequently manifests itself in companies that attempt to cheat environmental regulations.

Social Situational Business Ethics Framing for Engaging with Ethics Issues

This article considers the problem of how employees and observers of business ethics behaviors often do not know how to safely and effectively engage with business ethics issues and cases. The ameliorative method of social situational business ethics framing was analyzed. Key parts of the related literature from philosophy, sociology, organizational studies, and business ethics are reviewed. A literature gap between general framing theory and business ethics was identified with respect to the need for social situational framing in business ethics at the micro individual, meso organizational, and macro institutional levels. Theoretical propositions for bridging the literature gap and a wide variety of business ethics engagement case examples are developed as illustrations of and support for the propositions. Practical social situational business ethics framing implications for safe and effective business ethics engagement are considered.

The relationship between corporate governance and corporate social responsibility

Corporate governance (CG) is a corporate governance system for large companies which includes policies and procedures for corporate social responsibility (CSR). The present study examines the relationships between CG and CSR, and analyzes the studies that separate or combine the explanation of the two concepts.CG can be interpreted as the relationship between governors and stakeholders. Angyal (2009) and Auer (2017) agree that the two phenomena coexist and are connected at several points. The goals of the two phenomena are intertwined, compliance with other important requirements (environmental, labor law) besides the primary corporate goal. CG is a system based on the sharing of power and roles between owners, management and boards (board, supervisory board). The roles of ownership, supervision, and control are separated. The division of power means that the boards keep the management under strict control and the owners can account for the boards (Tasi, 2012). According to Tasi (2012), responsible CG involves careful management; financial planning and implementation; control mechanisms for the operation of the company; company transparency and business ethicsissues; publicizing corporate information and corporate social responsibility policies and practices. Angyal (2009) sees that CG and CSR are intertwined “neither intersection, nor intersection, nor parallelism, but coexistence”. (Angel,2009: 14). It does not agree with the incompatibility of corporate governance or corporate governance and social responsibility, in practice the former two are more common. Corporate governance encompasses corporate social responsibility policies, procedures, and can be interpreted as the relationship between governors and stakeholders. The authors of the studies analyzed agree that the two phenomena coexist and are connected at several points. The goals of the two phenomena are intertwined with compliance with other important requirements (environmental, labor law) besides the primary corporate goal.
 JEL Classification: G30; G39, M14

Removing the Blinders: Increasing Students’ Awareness of Self-Perception Biases and Real-World Ethical Challenges Through an Educational Intervention

Business ethics educators strive to produce graduates who not only grasp the principles of ethical decision-making, but who can apply that business ethics education when faced with real-world challenges. However, this has proven especially difficult, as good intentions do not always translate into ethical awareness and action. Complementing a behavioral ethics approach with insights from social psychology, we developed an interventional class module with both online and in-class elements aimed at increasing students’ awareness of their own susceptibility to unconscious biases and, consequently, unethical behaviors. We deployed this intervention within a problem-based learning course (137 undergraduate students), in which students completed real-world projects for actual business clients. Our results suggest that although students appeared universally aware of the importance of ethical issues in business and generally espoused intentions to act ethically, those who received the intervention were significantly more likely to recognize their own susceptibility to perpetuating unethical business behavior and to identify ethical issues specific to their real-world projects. These results have important implications for behavioral ethics pedagogy and provide a de-biasing interventional approach for bridging classroom knowledge with real-world skills.

Gendered differences in the representation of men’s and women’s relationship to marriage and childbearing in business and economic contexts: A reading of the South African television soap opera Generations: The Legacy

abstractGenerations: The Legacy, a South African television soap opera, presents multi-layered representations of the daily lives of middle and upper class South Africans. It negotiates issues of culture, family dynamics, gender-based violence, abuse, business ethics, crime and generational wealth. The Broadcast Research Council (2019) reported that, in 2018, the programme had over eight million viewers in South Africa. Generations: The Legacy enjoys a daily 30-minute primetime slot on SABC 1, from 8pm, and it is broadcast internationally in Jamaica and India. Cultural and economic legacy dynamics form the narrative hub around which the story revolves, which is already apparent from the programme’s title. In the soap opera, male characters are represented as custodians of successful business leadership and as active participants in related socio-political dealings. Women, however, are represented as supportive participants in these business and economic dealings. The representation of women further suggests that women are incapable of independently and successfully participating in the generation of wealth. This article considers gender representations in the popular programme, with specific reference to themes around marriage and childbearing in business and economic contexts, and how these representations differ between male and female characters. In analysing the popular South African soap opera, this article will build on Connell’s (1987) concept of the gender order. The conclusion reached is that, although the programme realistically depicts the differentiated gendered roles of men and women in business and economic contexts, with marriage and childbearing as key contributors to the plot dynamic of such relationships, it fails to successfully challenge patriarchal perceptions of women’s rights and their roles in business and economic dealings.

Multi‐source research designs on ethical leadership: A literature review

AbstractThe aim of this article is to undertake a systematic literature review (SLR) of empirical research that uses multi‐source methods for collecting data about Ethical Leadership (EL). Research on this sensitive subject benefits from the inclusion of data from more than one source, in order to be better supported, and thus contribute to a deeper understanding of leadership and business ethics issues. The search strategy retrieved a total of 50 multi‐source empirical studies on the topic of EL, published until December 2017. This SLR shows that (a) research on EL has focused mostly on the perceptions of followers, possibly because they are the most accessible target of its outcomes, thus restricting the scope of this body of research; (b) EL is studied mainly through consideration of its consequences, a restriction that hinders explanation of the causal processes involved in ethical leadership, which remains a research arena in need of development. The systematic inclusion of other stakeholders in multi‐source methods is advanced as a way to further develop the field.

“Don't try to teach me, I got nothing to learn”: Management students' perceptions of business ethics teaching

AbstractInterest is growing towards including business ethics in university curricula, aiming at improving ethical behaviour of future managers. Extant literature has investigated the impact of ethics education on different ethics‐related students' cognitive and/or behavioural outcomes, considering variables related to training programmes and students' demographic aspects. Accordingly, we aim at assessing students' understanding of business ethics issues, by focusing on the differences in students' perceptions depending on gender, age, work experience, and ethics courses taken. Testing our hypotheses on a sample of 307 management students at a Polish university, and controlling for social desirability bias, we obtained mixed and partially surprising results. We found significant differences in students' understanding of business ethics depending on their gender and age (female and older students showed more ethical inclinations), but not depending on having taken ethics courses—actually perceptions of such courses worsened after taking them. Besides, work experience was not a significant variable. Moreover, course exposure intensiveness (i.e., number of ethics courses completed), and time passed since completion of the latest course, did not confirm hypothesized effects on most of the dependent (sub)variables. These findings stimulate further questions and challenges for future research (e.g., around course design and methodology, and social/cultural/contextual issues).

European Business Ethics agenda based on a Delphi analysis

PurposeThis paper examines the flow of thoughts on Business Ethics research lines from experts of European countries.Design/methodology/approachA Delphi method was used to achieve consensuses among the perceptions and opinions of experts about Business Ethics matters. Moreover, the research agenda is investigated using a Delphi process developed with the participation of 12 experts from eight countries (France, Spain, the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, and Hungary) from March to September 2015.FindingsThe state of the art based on the expert panel’s consensuses on the emerging issues in Business Ethics permits the early detection of emerging lines, thus narrowing the research line and decreasing subject selection time. Additionally, an active research map has been constructed based on researchers, countries, and lines of investigation.Originality/valueThere is a gap in the representation of the research on certain management topics in Business Ethics, so this research will constitute a significant and valuable tool for novel researchers. It is useful for creating a research agenda.

Separation or integration of journalistic and business responsibilities? Corporate responsibility in Finnish media companies

ABSTRACTNot only do media organisations serve a societal role, they also influence societies through their behaviour as businesses. Therefore, the full range of the responsibilities of media organisations extends to include issues of both journalism ethics and business ethics. This article examines sector-based corporate responsibility as a way to integrate journalistic and business responsibilities. Empirically, the article examines how journalistic and business responsibilities unfold in large Finnish media companies. The analysis shows that “dual thinkers” narrow corporate responsibility only to environmental issues and, consequently, fail to address large areas of social responsibility, whereas “integrative forerunners” make meaningful connections between journalistic and business responsibilities. For media managers, the article offers insights into how sector-based corporate responsibility can weave industry-specific responsibilities into general corporate responsibility issues.

The Ethical Issues of Aviation Business in Indonesia

Aviation business in Indonesia still has a bad image in the international community because of some ethical cases involving the airline companies. The purpose of this study is to explore the ethical issues of aviation business in Indonesia and to find out how to improve the application of business ethics. This research is an explorative study. Data is obtained through observation, literature study and in-depth interviews with key-informants regarding the ethical issues of aviation business in Indonesia. The results show that the critical issues in aviation business ethics in Indonesia has been identified: 1) the issue of flight safety, 2) environmental issues, and 3) the issue of professional ethics, specifically drug abuse by pilots and crew. The efforts that should be made to improve the application of business ethics in aviation services are to build a corporate culture that has philanthropic responsibility and to make public policy based on moral values, religion and Indonesian culture.

Training the CSR Sensitive Mind-Set: The Integration of CSR into the Training of Business Administration Professionals

Current corporations are subject to stringent requirements in terms of sustainable development; however, a relevant problem is highlighted on the basis of the studies conducted. On the one hand, corporations experience greater or lesser pressure, while on the other hand, it must be admitted that the problem of demand for professionals, which is presupposed by the insufficient quality of training in higher education institutions, is important. This is somewhat strange given that the issues of business ethics, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability have attracted increased attention in management education in recent years, and a five-fold increase in the number of stand-alone ethics courses has been noted since 1988. This interaction could contribute to the development of CSR, however a certain dissonance of cooperation between higher education and business exists, as there is a lack of leadership in this area in the study programs of business administration approved by the states, as well as in higher education institutions. Given these facts, the goal of the paper is to analyze the Master of Business Administration programs in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia to offer direction to the challenge of integrating corporate social responsibility (CSR) into management and training. The method of analysis of professional business and administration training program content in terms of the integration of CSR was used during the survey. Using panel data of 28 full-time MBA programs, our findings show that that the core parts of MBAs under analysis merely—and mostly indirectly—cover CSR issues through one core course on business ethics. However, the leading MBA programs are currently missing an opportunity by ignoring their responsibility to support the training of CSR-minded future business administration professionals. The results of our research may act as a guide to which areas should be modified and/or changed.

Business Ethics and CSR in University Curricula in Nepal

The paper aims at examining the current practices concerning the education of business ethics (BE) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the university curricula in Nepal. Since the issue of business ethics and CSR has the direct bearing on business and management domain, the paper has explored the syllabi of management and business schools. The study — based on a descriptive approach — sought to draw out a perspective on the content and pedagogy of the BE and CSR module in Nepali varsities. Encompassing the existing Nepali universities and/or the business schools under their fold, the study discovered that Tribhuvan University, the only central and national university of Nepal, has offered more the BE and CSR contents either as a separate, independent module or as an integral part of other related subjects in a larger number of bachelors and masters programmes. Yet, pedagogical arrangements have to be specified and ameliorated in most of the universities in Nepal. Since BE and CSR are relatively very young modules in graduate and post graduate levels, the study findings should prove instrumental for Nepali universities to formulation of curricular plans and strategies vis-a-vis foreign business schools in the days to come.

Culture and business ethics – a comparative perspective

Abstract Accelerating growth in business globalization places managers in an international environment with more ethical challenges. Ethical principles that govern businesses in a particular culture may not match with the conditions, norms and customs of other cultures. The article aims to examine comparatively the role of culture in explaining ethical issues and dilemmas in organizations. Treating the issue of business ethics in companies nowadays offer different perspectives depending on the influence of the cultural context of countries where these companies operate. Each cultural context shows its specificity, in addition to legal regulations, customs, habits or moral issues, which deserve to be highlighted in a paper on how to conduct business from an ethical perspective.

Thematic Symposium: Business Ethics, Peace and Environmental Issues (T0004)

Large parts of the recent business ethics debate either focus on ethical behavior in and of companies or discuss corporate duties vis-a-vis its stakeholders. Also theories on Corporate Social Responsibilities or Corporate Citizenship often take a management perspective putting duties of business organizations in the center of their considerations. Less attention is paid to the infuence of business in the broader ecological and social context. Thus, for example, environmental threads such as ozone depletion or global warming are directly linked to our way of doing business. The same is true also in the social context. Here business activities may influence the social stability of regions or countries, like it can be seen actually in Greece and other South European countries. This shows that corporations’ impact on the macrolevel deserves more scholarly attention in the feld of business ethics.

企業倫理と消費者問題 : 消費者支援基金の試み(自由論題)

企業倫理と消費者問題 : 消費者支援基金の試み(自由論題)

Emoluments and Implications from Conflict of Interest Laws and Private Sector Fiduciary Duty

In this article, the ethics of public service and the relatively untested Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution will be considered and contrasted with the jurisprudence surrounding conflict of interest in the private sector. Part I establishes the framers’ understanding of law and ethics for U.S. public service. Part II considers the clause itself, and whether it applies to the office of the President. Part III relates just a few of the foreign-based business interests of the 45th U.S. President and how they could compromise his loyal discharge of duties to the nation he serves. Part III also analyzes the President’s plan to avoid conflicts of interest, finds it inadequate, and concludes that only full disclosure of his tax returns would reveal the complete range of conflicts that might color his judgment as President of the United States. Moving beyond the descriptive to the more normative business ethics issues, Part IV describes the insights of behavioral psychology to demonstrate how common it is for people and politicians to overlook their own conflicts of interest, even where those conflicts strongly influence their decisions. Part V summarizes observations related to conflict of interest laws and fiduciary duties in business, lending support to the conclusion that Trump’s attempt to hold the office of president would be untenable in other contexts. Returning to legal issues raised by the President’s conflicts of interest, Part VI describes the federal lawsuit filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). CREW seeks an injunction on Mr. Trump’s holding office while holding various assets subject to foreign governmental influence, and Part IV offers insight into how a challenge to standing could be overcome. Both courts and Congress — the ultimate judges of the President’s conflicts of interest, at least until the next election cycle — should support the original intent and plain meaning of the Emoluments Clause. Without Congressional action, however, it is unlikely that the President’s conflicts of interest will be resolved early in his term of office.

The Benefits of Business Ethics - Ethical Behavior of Decision Makers: the Empirical Findings from Croatia

Abstract More than ever before, the ability of managers to recognize and deal with complex business ethical issues has become a significant priority. Ethical behavior has always been a concern for managers because they are the ones that have major responsibility in company when it is about business ethics. Managers’ work is manly the work of making decisions. On a daily basis they are making decisions - big and small ones - on which company future depends. Interest in business ethics and ethical behavior is on the rise, especially in recent years when widespread moral corporate scandals have brought this topic to the fore. Therefore, the organizational environment demands effective managers - decision makers -with the ability to behave ethically and the ability to make right choices. There is no doubt that the ethical behavior of decision makers is of strategic importance for successful business. It could be acknowledged that among the numerous different factors that can determine a company’s progress, the key elements that contribute to a more successful achievement of company competitive advantage is the ethical behavior of managers. This paper aims at analyzing the benefits of business ethics and at identifying the ethical behavior of managers in a big company in Croatia. Qualitative research was conducted and interesting and somewhat puzzling results were found. Based on the overall findings, this research offers the foundation for future research in this area. The implications of the findings are discussed in terms of value for managers and their companies due to the improvement and development of business ethics and their ethical behavior.