Normative Theory and Business Ethics

by Jeffery D. Smith, Norman E. Bowie, Denis G. Arnold, Mitchell R. Haney, Nien-hê Hsieh

Overview

Since its inception thirty years ago, business ethics has benefited from the interdisciplinary contributions by management, political theory, sociology, and, of course, philosophy. This volume provides an updated examination of the role that moral and political philosophy can play in addressing problems in business ethics. The essays contained within its pages represent the work of new scholars and address a wide array of foundational issues such as distributive justice within firms, human rights, ethical challenges of international business, the role of virtue in business management, entrepreneurship and the relationship of markets and market actors with democratic institutions. In an important sense, this collection traces where philosophy has been and where it is headed within business ethics. Each of the contributions represent new work that, at once, strengthens the theoretical foundations of normative business ethics and provides practical insight for non-philosophers working in the field.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780742548411
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	10/23/2008
Series:	New Perspectives in Business Ethics
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Jeffery D. Smith is assistant professor and director of the Banta Center for Business, Ethics and Society at the University of Redlands.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction: Past and Present: The Role of Normative Theory in Business
Chapter 2 Chapter 1: Business-Focused Business Ethics
Chapter 3 Chapter 2: Virtue Ethics and Business Organizations
Chapter 4 Chapter 3: The Human Rights Obligations of Multinational Corporations
Chapter 5 Chapter 4: Contractarian Business Ethics Today
Chapter 6 Chapter 5: The Normative Study of Business Organizations: A Rawlsian Approach
Chapter 7 Chapter 6: Deserving Jobs, Deserving Wages
Chapter 8 Chapter 7: Institutions and Organizations: Communicative Ethics and Business
Chapter 9 Chapter 8: On the Need for Theory in Business Ethics
Chapter 10 Chapter 9: Values and Capitalism

Editorial Reviews

Jeff Smith has done the field of business ethics a great service by collecting these provocative and foundational essays in one volume. It is a wonderful collection of fresh voices on the normative foundations of business ethics. These are significant contributions to the literature that truly add value.

Kenneth E. Goodpaster

Jeffery Smith brings together some of the field's rising stars and ably highlights the points they have to make about the importance of normative theory. There are a lot of people in business ethics who really need to read this book.

Edwin Hartman

This important collection of original essays by a new generation of business ethics scholars offers a variety of perspectives on the possibilities and the limitations of ethical theory in business ethics teaching and research. As business ethics has become more interdisciplinary and practice-focused, the role of ethical theory in the field has been both challenged and transformed. So the publication of these essays comes at an opportune time for a fresh assessment of old developments and new directions for ethical theory in business ethics.

John R. Boatright