1st Edition

Business Ethics Brief Readings on Vital Topics

By Archie B. Carroll Copyright 2009
    304 Pages
    by Routledge

    300 Pages
    by Routledge

    These readings grew out of the author's monthly column on business ethics in the business section of the Athens Banner-Herald newspaper. Written in an open and engaging style, the book features topics that are timely, each followed by several thought provoking discussion questions. The book includes readings on the current financial crisis in order to challenge today's students to confront the economic reality in which they will have to live. An excellent addition to any Business Ethics course.

    1. Thinking About Business Ethics and Corporate Citizenship: Business Ethics Teaching and Learning-- Business Ethics Can Be Learnefd in a Classroom; Cheating on the Rise in College Students’ Work; Scandal Shows Lack of Ethics; Business Schools Need Stronger Emphasis on Ethics; Business Purpose-- Profits are a Definite Business Need, But Not Purpose; More to it than Simply Making Money; Corporate Ethics Help Reap Dividends; Responsibility, Profitability Go Hand in Hand; Company Reputation is a Key Factor in Reaching Objectives; Greed and Cheating-- Greed Plays is Hand in Real Life; Greed is the Top Suspect for Recent Slide in Ethics; Greed Drives the Subprime Loan Market; ‘Wall Street’ Shows Greed Isn’t Good; Do we Live in a Cheating Culture? Questionable Ethics Abound in Wall Street Crisis; Trends in Business Ethics in Recent Years-- Survey shows hope for ethics in business; Repentance, reform next steps in 2003; Executives Should Consider These New Year’s Resolutions; Survey Says Not Many Think Highly of Executives’ Ethics; Ethics trends in ‘07 may get worse in ‘08; Troubling Currents Lead to the Perfect Financial Storm; Two Scandals and the Decade Isn’t Over Yet 2. Compliance, Companies, and Corporate Governance: Compliance Issues-- Lawyers, Not Law Rules This Nation; Are America’s Lawyers on a Feeding Frenzy? Is Compliance with Federal Laws Killing Ethics in Business? Companies-- Who’s to Blame for Enron’s Fall from Grace? Trial of Ex-Enron Execs Reveals an Ethical Tsunami; Prosecutions of Top Execs Has an Upside; Merck’s Record Reflects Two Different Faces; HealthSouth Gives the South an Ethics Scandal of its Own; Is Wal-Mart a Microcosm of America’s Future? Pepsi Takes Moral High Road in Trade Secret Case; Accounting Firms Are Expected to be Ethical; Constant News Has a Downside Corporate Governance-- Slack Corporate Governance Costs us All; Compensation for Execs Often Seen as a Scam; Shareholder Activism Blossoms in the Spring 3. Ethical Leadership -- the Heart of Moral Direction: Ethics in Leadership-- Ethical Leaders Vital in New Millennium; From Moral Management to Moral Leadership; True Leadership Bears Four Main Responsibilities; Integrity is Foundation of Leadership; Ethical Leadership has Four Realms; Character Counts when it Comes to Business Success; Spitzer’s Character Undermines Ethics; Finding ‘Sweet Spot’ of Leadership in Working World Servant Leadership-- Greenleaf Brought Origins of Servant Leadership; What Are the Core Characteristics of Servant Leadership? 4. Ethics Issues and Guidelines for Decision Making: Ethics Issues in Decision Making-- Questioning if it Pays to Be Ethical; Have You Yet to Discover your Moral Compass Spinning? Challenge Isn’t Knowing, But Doing Right Thing; Knowing and Motivating Ethics in Business; Do Executives Display Same Ethics on Golf Course as they Do at Work? Speeding Metaphor as a Tool for Teaching Good Business Ethics Ethics Guidelines and Policies-- Iron Law May Guide Practices; The ‘Big Three’ Moral Guides for Businesses; Concepts of Fairness Often Influence Business Ethics; In Business, Golden Rule the Bestseller Business Must Polish Golden Rule; No Doubt Honesty Remains Best Policy in Business; Bill George Offers Guide for Ethics; The Truth Always Comes Out; Drucker’s Management Principles Still Crucial; Ten Social Sins than can Affect Business Contacts 5. Spirituality and Business Ethics: Spirituality in the Workplace; Making Connection Between God and the Workplace; Secular Side of Spirituality and the Bottom Line; The Forgiveness Factor’s Role in Work Place; Forgiveness is a Process that can Enhance Operations; Commandments Form Root of Business Ethics; One Rule Can Best Guide Practices 6. Ethics, Organizations, and Management: Field of Management Ethics Opened by Watergate Scandal; Pressure May Force Ethical Hand; The Signs of Ethical Breakdown in Organizations; The Four Vital E-Words of Organizations Today; Trust is the Key when Rating Great Workplaces; Ethics Programs Go Beyond Compliance Strategy; Crisis Management is an Urgent Topic Again; Honesty’s Star is Rising in Job Recruiting; Secretaries Face Ethical Issues at Work as Well; How May Secretaries Respond to Ethical Pressures They Face? 7. Stakeholders, Environment and Sustainability: Stakeholder Approach-- The Stakeholder Approach to Business Ethics Environment and Sustainability-- Green Business Can Enhance Profits, Ethics; Environmental Initiatives Becoming Mainstream; Sustainability is More than a Buzzword 8. Employee Stakeholders: Workplace Fraud is a Huge Daily Problem; Workplace Violence Number Two Cause of Death at Work; Pay Attention to Warning Signs of Workplace Violence; Balance Needed in Weighing Surveillance, Privacy; Day Laborers Have Worked their Way into National Issue; Considering the Ethics of Illegal Immigration; Holidays a Prime Time for Stealing; Ethics Seen Differently By Women; Whistle-Blower Details Exposure of Fraud; Cell Phone Becoming an Ethics Issue 9. Consumer Stakeholders: Customers Should Expect Reasonable Business Ethics; Satisfied Customers Should Top Company Priorities; Attention to Service May Help Avoid ‘Waiting-in-Line’ Rage; Drug Ads Should Be Restricted; Lessons from ChoicePoint’s Breach in Security; Credit Card Companies Thrive on Consumer’s Carelessness; Consumers Own Worst Enemy with Credit Cards; Credit Card Companies Using Questionable Marketing; Rebates Have Crossed Line into Scam Territory 10. Global Topics in Business Ethics: Answering Question of What’s Behind Anxiety Over Globalization; Global Capitalism’s Impact Inspires Opposing Views; Sweatshop Issue Won’t Fade Away; Self-regulation Best Way for Companies to Better Sweatshops; Business Ethics Take Italian Turn; Studying in Italy Provides Lessons in Ethics; Classic Case of Corporate Responsibility Still Unresolved at Bhopal; American Business Must Consider China Factor; Globalization Has Changed Social Contracts

    Biography

    Archie B. Carroll has served on the faculty of the Terry College of Business, University of Georgia since 1972. Positions he has held include President of the Society for Business Ethics, Chair of the Social Issues in Management Division of the Academy of Management, and Fellow of both the Academy of Management and Southern Management Association. He recently completed terms on the Editorial Review Boards of Business Ethics Quarterly, Journal of Management, and Business and Society.