Business Ethics

Contents

1. Business and Ethics

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Moral development and moral reasoning

1.3 Philosophical foundation of ethics

1.4 Moral responsibility and co-operation

1.5 Corporate responsibility

2. Ethical Principles in Business

2.1 Introduction

2.1 Conventional morality and ethical relativism

2.2 Utilitarianism

2.3 Building a good society

3. Moral Issues in Business

3.1 Moral issues in business

3.2 Business does not exist in isolation

3.3 Justice and economic systems

3.4 Environmental protection and consumer safety

3.5 Whistle blowing

3.6 Social responsibility and social responsiveness

3.7 Arguments for and against a company’s involvement in social action

3.8 Role of the government

3.9 Social audit

4. Ethics in Functional Areas

4.1 Marketing

4.2 Advertising

4.3 Trade secrets

4.4 Copyright and intellectual property rights

4.5 Corporate disclosure

4.6 Insider trading

4.7 Accounting

4.8 Finance

4.9 Corporate takeover

4.10 Employment, wages and unions

4.11 Discriminatory action including the gender factor

5. Ethical Behaviour

5.1 Institutionalizing ethics

5.2 Professional ethical codes

5.3 The boy scout law

5.4 Girl scout law

5.5 Hypocrites Oath

5.6 Corporate codes

5.7 Formal committees

5.8 Control and audit systems for enforcing ethical behaviour

5.9 Towards a more ethical society – the corporate contribution