Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide reflections on business ethics in the 25-year window from 1992-2017, and to then seek to examine some of the concerns for the future of which we all need to be cognizant.
Design/methodology/approach The paper represents the reflections of a now retired academic who spent the period from 1992 to 2017 researching in the area of business ethics.
Findings In the world of commerce, we are still seeing the same alleged behaviours by corporations from developed economies that have dogged business for so long. Have we moved forward and how far have we moved are difficult to determine.
Research limitations/implications The paper is based on the reflections on 25 years of research in the area of international business ethics. The limitation is that the paper is based on the experiences of one academic.
Practical implications The paper points to considerations that are required if the field of business ethics is to move forward in a positive manner.
Originality/value The paper looks at many of the pertinent issues facing the field of commerce in respect to business ethics now and into our foreseeable future.
PurposeInternational mergers are becoming more widespread among medium‐sized companies that for decades have held a prime position in their home country market, but who now feel threatened that they may not be of a significant size to continue to be viable in the international marketplace. The purpose of this paper is to examine the merger of one Australian company and one of its former competitors in the international marketplace from the perspective of the congruence between their espoused ethical cultures in business prior to the merger.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire comprising 46 questions was sent to the public relations manager of each organisation prior to the merger. These managers were asked to fill in the questionnaire and to provide a copy of their code of ethics.FindingsThe research found that organisations need to not only have a code of ethics, but also need to focus especially on the area of code augmentation to ensure that they communicate the ethos of their code to their employees. The examination of the content of the code and the artefacts in place to communicate the ethos of each company's code would enable one to compare for ethical congruence between the two companies. The examination of these ethical artefacts highlighted that the companies appeared to have been quite divergent in their commitment to business ethics when they entered the merger. If companies are to merge across country, and thus cultural boundaries, they need to examine the ethical standpoints of potential partners in order to alleviate any potential conflicts from an ethical, corporate culture perspective.Originality/valueThis paper provides useful information for those companies planning to merge across country, and thus cultural boundaries.
Introduces a collection of essays derived from presentations at the 2001 conference, "A Century of Citizenship in Australia and Canada" by offering remarks on the meaning of citizenship in Australia & Canada. It is asserted that there has been nearly no dialogue on the nature of citizenship in the broader sense of belonging & of the individual's moral & legal rights & responsibilities vis-a-vis society. Further, there has been consideration of the legal mechanics of citizenship. In Australia, this is seen as a case of avoidance rather than neglect. J. Zendejas
This e-book includes articles that focus on higher educational issues and concerns at business schools worldwide. The collection of articles includes a discussion of the possible impact of measurements and rankings within research and education; an examination of the importance and impact of leadership education which is contextually relevant, an investigation of how business schools can organize their research, and meet the demands from the business community; and also a piece which examines the translation, censorship, and publication of Philip Kotler's Marketing Management in the Soviet Union. In his commentary Professor Kotler shares his personal views about his influence on marketing in the Soviet Union.
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Purpose– The aim of this research was to determine the evolution of engagement with business ethics in the top 500 Australian corporations operating in the private sector from 1995 to 2010.Design/methodology/approach– Primary data were obtained via a non-sponsored and unsolicited self-administered mail questionnaire distributed to a census of the top 500 Australian companies operating in the private sector administered in both 1995 and 2010. This paper examines and compares the responses of the companies that possessed a code of ethics at those times.Findings– This paper finds that business ethics has continued to evolve over the period of the study and that, in most cases, such an evolution has been positive, with the majority of companies exhibiting high levels of engagement.Research limitations/implications– While the responses provided a rich picture of the evolution of Australian corporate engagement with business ethics, further longitudinal research exploring international and cross-cultural contexts would add to this understanding of organisational engagement.Practical and social implications– It would seem that codes of ethics have evolved beyond a regulatory requirement and are now considered an integral component of the corporate culture and commercial practice in the majority of Australia's top 500 companies.Originality/value– Despite a history of business ethics research, longitudinal studies seeking to understand the evolution of corporate engagement to business ethics are exceedingly rare. This paper, unique and original in its focus on an Australian context, provides a basis for future studies focused on exploring international and cross-cultural contexts. This paper makes a substantive and valuable contribution to the literature as it quantifies the evolution of corporate engagement over a 15-year period.
PurposeThis paper aims to propose a model of ethics education for corporate organizations framed as an holistic approach to the problem of how to teach ethics.Design/methodology/approachAs a conceptual/viewpoint piece, this paper recognizes that for ethics education to be successful, individuals and corporations must have an appreciation of their role in the society at large. In addition, there needs to be preparedness on the part of the corporation to engage in an ethical manner with the marketplace with which it interacts.FindingsEthics education should not exist in a vacuum, that is just within the organization, but it should reflect the values of the organization as they impact upon and are impacted upon by society in general.Research/limitations/ implicationsThis model is predicated on a belief that organizations must craft their ethics education program with as much care and enthusiasm as they craft their strategic plan. The employees are the organization's representatives and they need to be made as clear as one can make them as to the ethical philosophy of the company and what is expected of them. Adults have a capacity for greater reasoning and reflection on their life experiences than children and thus the concept of "andragogy" provides a more satisfactory method to fashion education programs for adults than some more traditional methods that focus on training and not education.Practical implicationsWhen considering the ethics education of its employees, corporations need to place that education in context as it relates to the organization and the wider society as a whole. It is suggested that an ethics education program needs to provide a framework for understanding the concepts of ethics and moral development. Using this framework as the basis for the education offered, the education program is then expanded into an examination of a range of ethical issues presented in a variety of ways.Originality/valueThis paper proposes an integrated way to approach ethics education that ensures that the antecedents of the program are considered in the context of the ethics of individuals, the society and in turn the organization, hence the holistic approach.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe a model of cause‐related marketing (CRM) for both profit‐driven (PD) and non‐profit (NP) organizations.Design/methodology/approachThe model consists of two parallel internal and external organizational processes – one representing the process of a NP organization and the other a PD organization. They are interlinked as the outcome of a CRM‐partnership is dependent upon their mutual efforts.FindingsThe authors argue that it is essential to remember that a CRM‐partnership is a challenge and risk for both the PD and NP organizations that may harm their reputation and position in the marketplace and/or society. CRM has benefits as well as downsides that should not be underestimated nor neglected.Research limitations/implicationsWill the involvement of the PD or NP organizations in the resultant partnership be perceived as commercialism, altruism or a combination of both, in the marketplace and society? A focus on both processes opens up opportunities for further research.Practical implicationsA contribution is that the CRM‐model may be used as a guide for both PD and NP organizations in order to reveal whether a CRM‐partnership is appropriate for them with a potential partner or not. It may also indicate whether the motives are based upon commercial reasons or altruistic reasons or a combination of both.Originality/valueThe model enables these organizations to think through the process prior to engaging in CRM.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the implementation, communication and benefits of codes of ethics in the public sector of Sweden.Design/methodology/approachThe research is based on a longitudinal approach. It examines the ethos of codes of ethics in the largest public sector organizations of Sweden in 2001‐2002 and 2005‐2006.FindingsOnly a few of the largest public sector organizations in Sweden have indicated that they possess codes of ethics. This finding may be explained by the current judicial legislation that governs Swedish society. The public codes of ethics have been established both recently and, in part, years ago.Research limitations/implicationsA suggestion for further research would be to examine the implementation, communication and perceived benefits of public sector codes of ethics in other countries. Another area of further research would be to replicate the reported surveys in the future to examine the existence of potential trends.Practical implicationsWhen it comes to the perceived benefits of public sector codes of ethics there appears to be only minor acknowledgement of the code being used to resolve ethical problems in society. However, there is a strong conviction that the code of ethics positively influences the operations of public sector organizations.Originality/valueThe paper examines the ethical implementation, communication and benefits put in place by private companies to embed codes of ethics into their organizations.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the measures put in place by the largest public sector organizations in Sweden in order to communicate the ethos of their codes of ethics to their employees.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based upon a longitudinal survey approach.FindingsIn the public sector organizations of Sweden the use of regulations and staff support is rather modest in respect to the inculcation of codes of ethics artefacts into the organisations. This longitudinal approach indicates an overall increase across the examined areas in the usage of measures to support the ethos of public sector codes of ethics.Research limitations/implicationsThe artefacts to support the ethos inherent in public sector codes of ethics are rarely explored in the literature. This paper helps to fill this gap with the present longitudinal approach.Practical implicationsOne could speculate that society at large and its public sector organizations may have been influenced not only by the scandalous happenings of recent years in Swedish business, but also by the impact of an Anglo‐Saxon style of "corporatisation", whereby public authorities take on the form of a corporation or business brought on by globalisation.Originality/valueThe present paper may be used as a point of reference for further research efforts.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the insights and a proposal into the structure of standards of business conduct and its intended applications.Design/methodology/approachThe case study is based upon an inductive content analysis of corporate ethics artefacts.FindingsIt is concluded that the standards of business conduct may be highly prescriptive in world wide corporations, but that there should be an explicit commitment to a flexible and dynamic approach to the application of standards of business conduct.Research limitations/implicationsAn examination of the actual behaviour of a corporation's operations was beyond the scope of the present research, but such a study has potential for future research. This would open up the wider question of how corporations can minimise the gap between corporate intentions and actual outcomes in business operations across national and cultural boundaries.Practical implicationsThese diverse national and cultural contexts that world wide corporations encounter must be taken into consideration in the content of their standards of business conduct.Originality/valueThe authors emphasise the concern of recognising that the contexts surrounding standards of business conduct are dynamic. Corporate codes of ethics should be regarded as dynamic artefacts. A framework of application is proposed.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to suggest that research can become the main change agent at business schools. Research can foremost take place within undergraduate programs, using philosophical approaches. Graduate programs can to a greater extent use applied approaches, suited for the needs of the business community.Design/methodology/approachThough an analysis of history of universities and a literature search on knowledge creation and innovation, the author believe that business schools can benefit from using radical approaches in marketing and organizational design when focusing on research.FindingsUndergraduate programs can be more research focused, using insights from the history of universities and recent findings in marketing and organizational design as illustrations. Graduate programs can benefit from being more practically oriented.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research can benefit from using conceptual foundations to a greater extent, and use concrete business schools as empirical settings.Practical implicationsResearch can be the main focus of undergraduate programs. Graduate schools can make more use of applied approaches, suited for the needs of the business community. The author also suggest how the administration at business schools can stimulate research, and meet the needs of the business community.Originality/valueUsing a historical analysis of universities, combined with a literature search on how to combine innovation with knowledge creation, as the author's reference the opinion that research can be regarded as a change agent at business schools. Such an approach can make it possible organize the relationship between the faculty and the administration in new ways.
PurposeTo develop an analytical tool that captures the linkages between academic and business innovation. To assess dominant notions of information society, doctoral education and business school as well as their influence on current European focus in terms of R&D policy.Design/methodology/approachIntegration of findings from various streams of research with those of recent European reports. Illustration of R&D policy dilemmas with the case of management development.FindingsProvides an analytical tool which details academic and business innovation activities – the innovation value‐added cycle model. Identifies apparent biases in empirical reports by which R&D incentives may produce other than their intended outcomes (the doctoral paradox).Research limitations/implicationsThe empirical reports are exclusively European and qualitative. The findings are illustrated with the case of management development only.Practical implicationsThe analytical tool may support the strategic participation of individuals (researchers and entrepreneurs) as well as communities (universities and locations) in the international innovation division of labour. The three decisional dilemmas in terms of R&D incentives may support decision making of supra‐national, national and local authorities as well as business schools.Originality/valueThe paper details the linkages by which academic and business value‐added activities are acknowledged. In addition, it raises awareness on the potential bias of policy‐makers towards positivist knowledge, entrepreneurial researchers and entrepreneurial universities to the detriment of post‐positivist knowledge, researching entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial locations, respectively.
PurposeThis paper aims to highlight the importance and impact of leadership education which is contextually relevant. It is based on a case study of an innovative learning programme, Nexus, at a leading business school in South Africa (Gordon Institute of Business Science). South African institutional leaders are under increasing pressure to take on a significant role in guiding the organization in a manner that is in tune with the political mandate of social transformation.Design/methodology/approachNexus has been operating as a leadership development programme for five years, and various evaluation methods have been employed to assess the success and impact of the programme. This paper therefore has a multi‐phased approach which will look at the different stages of the programme's development, what methods were used, and how participants' perspectives have changed over time.FindingsThe evaluations show that Nexus contributes to an individual's leadership development, in particular, by understanding the broader issues affecting their organisations and society, how to work in diverse environments, and how to build trust across networks.Originality/valueThis paper highlights alternative, mainly out‐of‐classroom, learning methods which have been assessed in a specific case study over a period of four years. This case study has informed leadership development recommendations, which in turn hopes to influence the scope of leadership education in business school institutions.
PurposeA set of principal parameters (i.e. time, context, gap, outcome, and consequence) influences the ethical performance evaluation (EPE) of business practices in the marketplace and society. The purpose of this paper is to describe a managerial framework of EPE based upon these parameters.Design/methodology/approachCase illustrations are used to underpin the introduced managerial framework of EPE.FindingsThe EPE of business practices is not only dependent upon the ethical values and principles of today, but those principles of tomorrow may be equally, or even more, crucial. The EPE of business practices is also dependent upon the surrounding context and its specific ethical values and principles. Furthermore, it is dependent upon the gap between different perceptions of ethical values and principles and if the outcome of the corporation's ethical values and principles are proactive or reactive in relation to the reigning ethical values and principles in the marketplace and society. Finally, it is also dependent upon the potential and eventual consequences of ethical values and principles.Research limitations/implicationsThe only way that we can "objectively" evaluate past ethical values and principles is through the use of ethical values and principles at the time and in respect to the context at hand. Research tends to fail when considering the longitudinal and evolutionary dimensions in the exploration of ethical values and principles in business practices. There is too much focus upon on‐the‐spot‐accounts in the past and in current research efforts. An important area for further research is how to deal with the durability and variability of ethical values and principles in business practices in the marketplace and society. The key may be a stronger emphasis on longitudinal research efforts that may explore them over time and as contexts evolve. Ethical values and principles are connected and re‐connected over time and across contexts in one way or another. They have a past, a current status and a future.Practical implicationsThe decision as to whether business practices are ethical or unethical is – relatively speaking – easy to determine from a narrow perspective, however, the decision whether business practices are ethical or unethical becomes complicated as the perspective is widened and deepened. An introduced managerial framework of EPE provides a generic foundation and structure to examine the acceptability versus unacceptability of business practices.Originality/valueThe paper introduces a managerial framework of EPE, followed by case illustrations. It addresses the impact of time on ethical values and principles in any context on the potential and eventual gaps, outcomes and consequences in business practices. The managerial framework of EPE may also be used in non‐business areas whenever found applicable and convenient to use.
