Common Sense Ethics

Many business ethics books take a basically collectivist approach to the subject. They speak in terms of collective rights and interests, the public interest, social justice, the greatest good for the greatest number, and so forth. If individualism is mentioned at all, it is mentioned disparagingly. This book takes a different approach. While some of the contributors to this volume take the more popular, collectivist approach, many of them do not. Thus, this book offers a more balanced presentation of business ethics than that found in most books on the subject. The book is divided into four parts. The contributors to Part I offer an enlightening look at the philosophical foundations of business ethics via discussions on the teaching of business ethics, on the relationship between capitalism and morality, on the philosophical concepts of selfishness, exploitation, and the profit motive, as well as a unique chapter where business ethics issues are looked at against the foil of the philosophy of Ayn Rand. Part II addresses business ethics issues that involve the relationship of the corporation to outsiders. Among the topics discussed are the concept of corporate duty and social responsibility, environmental issues, and business ethics applied to so-called anti-competitive practices. Part III discusses some issues regarding the responsibility of the corporation to insiders, and Part IV covers some of the ethical responsibilities of employees and the corporation. A major contribution to the field of business ethics, this edited work is recommended for scholars, practitioners, and the general public.