Moral Issues in Business

Abstract

It is difficult to imagine an area of study that has greater importance to society or greater relevance to students than business ethics. As Moral Issues in Business enters its third edition, business ethics has become a well-established academic subject. Most universities offer courses in it, and scholarly interest continues to grow. Business ethics has an interdisciplinary character. Questions of economic policy and business practice intertwine with issues in politics, sociology and organisational theory. Although business ethics remains anchored in philosophy, even here abstract questions in normative ethics and political philosophy mingle with analysis of practical problems and concrete moral dilemmas. Furthermore, business ethics is not just an academic study but also an invitation to reflect on our own values and on our own responses to the hard moral choices that the world of business can pose. The purpose of this text is fourfold – to expose students to the important moral issues that arise in various business context; to provide students with an understanding of the moral, social and economic environments within which those problems occur; to introduce students to the ethical and other concepts that are relevant for resolving those problems; and to assist students in developing the necessary reasoning and analytical skills for doing so. Although the book’s primary emphasis is on business, its scope extends to related moral issues in other organisational and professional contexts.