A HISTORY OF BUSINESS ETHICS (original) (raw)
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An Historical Perspective on the Interplay of Christian Thought and Business Ethics
Business & Society, 2010
To provide effective guidance for business decisions, a set of ethical principles must be stable over time, rather than responding to changes in the business environment for expediency sake. This article examines the ability of religious principles to maintain such stability by reviewing the historical relationship between commerce and Christianity, beginning with early Christianity and concluding with the Enlightenment. The changes in five constructs are examined: ownership of land, acquisition of wealth, attitude toward work, charging of interest and acceptability of trade. For each construct, the attitude evidenced in early Christianity was, at least to some degree, inimical to business as we view it today. That perspective changed over time, with the practice becoming at first acceptable and later even admired. The authors conclude that ethical principles based on referents from outside business are ineffective as a check on the undesirable effects of business on society. Keywords business ethics, history of business ethics, Christianity and business ethics, religion and business ethics For tyme. .. has taught all Ages that noe penalties nor policie, could yet interpose between ye Merchant & his profit. William Sanderson as quoted in Robertson (1933).
The Field of Business Ethics in the United States: Past, Present and Future [1]
Journal of General Management, 2002
Business Ethics has made much progress over the last 40 years, both as an academic discipline and in business practice. But it still has a long way to go. The academic field of Business Ethics is of relatively recent vintage in the United States, dating back, generously measured , approximately four decades. However, prescriptions and proscriptions regarding the behaviour of merchants, traders, artisans, farmers, seafarers-indeed, all persons engaged in what today we would consider ' business activity'-extend back millennia, indeed, from the beginning of recorded history in both the East and the West. In the West, the Code of Hammurabi contained multiple injunctions relating to the conduct of economic life which reflected and informed the norms prevalent during the eighteenth century BC in Babylonia. Ari stotle's Nicomachean Ethics (especially Book Five) has much to say about the ethical conduct of economic enterprise [2]. The three Western monotheistic religions are infused with teachings rel ating to the ethical aspects of economic activity. Within Judaism, halakkhah-literally 'road ', 'path', or 'way'-which derived from Hebrew Scripture and may be thought of as 'codified ethics' or 'legislated morality' is replete with dictates relating to the conduct of 'Jewish economic man'. 'In the hour when an individual is brought before the heavenly court for judgment, the person is asked: Did you conduct your business affairs honestly ?' [3].
The power of a parable. The religious “origins” of business ethics
Człowiek i Społeczeństwo, 2016
Business ethics deals with ethical aspects of management and entrepreneurship, activities closely linked to “this world’s” problems. Surprisingly enough religious traditions have their impact on the argumentation in this field. The paper focuses on two biblical parables: on the talents and on the good Samaritan. Both are not only present in business and management literature but also widely discussed in the context of today’s economy and society. The first one seems to be a basis of the doctrine of corporate social responsibility in its original form presented within the “gospel of wealth” movement. The second one however offers even more opportunities to discuss the responsibilities of business in today’s world. So the religious narratives cannot be ignored within business ethics. This conclusion applies, of course, to all religions, esp. the Asian ones in view of the fact of the rapid development of Chinese or Indian economies.
Ray Markey (ed.), Into the Magic Wardrobe: The Past as a Gateway to Present and Future. Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Conference of AAHANZBS, 10-11 December 2012, Macquarie University, Centre for Workforce Futures, Macquarie University.
Since the 1970s, a discursive formation has arisen around the timeless concern that is commonly labelled “business ethics” today. Often dismissively characterised as an oxymoronic expression, business ethics is also an odd beast from the perspective of the broader history of ideas. Moral criticism of business practice particularly in the US during the 1960s and 70s has led to the development of new theories, notions and standards of moral reasoning in a business setting that claim particularly to be based in (secular) reason, not received religious (i.e. traditionally moral) values. This paper investigates the origins of this approach to the moral aspect of decision-making in a business setting, one which is quite different to that which previously prevailed in commercial education and practice, particularly in terms of its increasing divorce since the 1970s from institutional religious understandings.
Business in relation with ethics
Musaazi Hamza , 2022
Morals define an individual, businesses, customer retention and ultimately business success. This draft contains a glimpse of how businesses need morality in order to maintain both internal and external environment needs
Business ethics from a historical perspective
duplication.net.au
This paper proposes three periodisations in the history of business ethics. Different styles and kinds of discourse were produced in each of the periods. The first includes the broader social critiques of the period of industrialisation. The Fordist era, on the other hand, produced the first attempts to describe the social responsibilities of business and standards of business conduct. The last, the post-Fordist period, saw the application of ethical theory to business matters.