Business Ethics
Business Ethics is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of the single-semester business ethics course. This title includes innovative features designed to enhance student learning, including case studies, application scenarios, and links to video interviews with executives, all of which help instill in students a sense of ethical awareness and responsibility.
Module 1 - Why Ethics Matter
Introduction
Figure 1.1 Each of us makes innumerable decisions every day. In a business context, these choices...
1.1 Being a Professional of Integrity
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Describe the rol...
1.2 Ethics and Profitability
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Differentiate be...
1.3 Multiple versus Single Ethical Standards
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Analyze ethica...
Key Terms
business ethics the conduct by which companies and their agents abide by the law and respect t...
Summary
1.1 Being a Professional of Integrity Ethics sets the standards that govern our personal and p...
Assessment Questions
1. Which of these concepts relates to utilitarianism? consequences actions ch...
Endnotes
1. Ikujiro Nonaka and Hirotaka Takeuchi, “The Big Idea: The Wise Leader,” Harvard B...
Module 2 - Ethics from Antiquity to the Present
Introduction
Figure 2.1 Their accuracy and practical use in the marketplace made scales, held aloft he...
2.1 The Concept of Ethical Business in Ancient Athens
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Identify the r...
2.2 Ethical Advice for Nobles and Civil Servants in Ancient China
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Identify the key...
2.3 Comparing the Virtue Ethics of East and West
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Compare the orig...
2.4 Utilitarianism: The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Identify the pri...
2.5 Deontology: Ethics as Duty
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Explain Immanuel...
2.6 A Theory of Justice
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Evaluate John Ra...
Key Terms
categorical imperative Kant’s unconditional precept that we must “act only according to that m...
Summary
2.1 The Concept of Ethical Business in Ancient Athens The role of ethics in Athens during Gree...
Assessment Questions
1. Which of the following is not an intellectual virtue according to Aristotle? ...
Endnotes
1. Alfred North Whitehead, Process and Reality. An Essay in Cosmology. Gifford Lect...
Module 3 - Defining and Prioritizing Stakeholders
Introduction
Figure 3.1 Starbucks, based in Seattle, Washington, is a company with more than 250,000 employe...
3.1 Adopting a Stakeholder Orientation
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Identify key typ...
3.2 Weighing Stakeholder Claims
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Explain why stak...
3.3 Ethical Decision-Making and Prioritizing Stakeholders
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Identify the fac...
3.4 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Define corporate...
Key Terms
amenities resources made available to employees in addition to wages, salary, and other standa...
Summary
3.1 Adopting a Stakeholder Orientation An organization has duties and responsibilities with re...
Assessment Questions
1. Maintaining trust between stakeholders and organizations is ________. ...
Endnotes
1. “The Latest: Police Release Call from Starbucks Employee,” Associated Press, April 17, 2...
Module 4 - Three Special Stakeholders: Society, the Environment, and Government
Introduction
Figure 4.1 The Japanese concept of nemawashi broadly means “laying the groundwork” or “building...
4.1 Corporate Law and Corporate Responsibility
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Explain how inve...
4.2 Sustainability: Business and the Environment
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Explain the conc...
4.3 Government and the Private Sector
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Identify three p...
Key Terms
business judgment rule the principle that officers, directors, and managers of a corporation a...
Summary
4.1 Corporate Law and Corporate Responsibility While some argue that corporations have a prima...
Assessment Questions
1. True or false? Corporations that embrace CSR policies consistently produce a lower rat...
Endnotes
1. Patrick Moorhead, “Cisco’s CSR Program under CEO Chuck Robbins Is Flourishing,” ...
Module 5 - The Impact of Culture and Time on Business Ethics
Introduction
Figure 5.1 Business ethics do not exist in a vacuum. They are a reflection of the underlying va...
5.1 The Relationship between Business Ethics and Culture
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Describe the pro...
5.2 Business Ethics over Time
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Describe the w...
5.3 The Influence of Geography and Religion
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Describe the imp...
5.4 Are the Values Central to Business Ethics Universal?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Explain the diff...
Key Terms
acculturation the cultural transmission and socialization process that stems from cultural exc...
Summary
5.1 The Relationship between Business Ethics and Culture Culture has a tremendous influence on...
Assessment Questions
1. The fact that a McDonald’s in Indonesia might provide sambal chili sauce to its custom...
Endnotes
1. Janos Marton, “Today in NYC History: How the Dutch Actually Bought Manhattan (Th...
Module 6 - What Employers Owe Employees
Introduction
Figure 6.1 Fifty years ago, corporate and regulatory boardrooms were almost exclusively male an...
6.1 The Workplace Environment and Working Conditions
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Identify specifi...
6.2 What Constitutes a Fair Wage?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Explain why comp...
6.3 An Organized Workforce
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Discuss trends i...
6.4 Privacy in the Workplace
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Explain what con...
Key Terms
business purpose exception an exception to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 t...
Summary
6.1 The Workplace Environment and Working Conditions A company and its managers need to provid...
Assessment Questions
1. How often should managers in a workplace anticipate an inspection from the Occupationa...
Endnotes
1. 2020 Women on Boards, “2020 Gender Diversity Index Key Findings,” 2016. https://...
Module 7 - What Employees Owe Employers
Introduction
Figure 7.1 What responsibilities do employees have to coworkers and to the company, as well as ...
7.1 Loyalty to the Company
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Define employees...
7.2 Loyalty to the Brand and to Customers
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Describe how emp...
7.3 Contributing to a Positive Work Atmosphere
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Explain employee...
7.4 Financial Integrity
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Describe an empl...
7.5 Criticism of the Company and Whistleblowing
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Outline the rule...
Key Terms
brand a type of product or service marketed by a particular company under a particular name ...
Summary
7.1 Loyalty to the Company Although employees’ and employers’ concepts of loyalty have changed...
Assessment Questions
1. The common law concept that requires an employee to render loyal and faithful service ...
Endnotes
1. Schmidt v. Blue Lily Farms LLC, No. A08-1398. (Minn. Ct. App. July 21, 2009). ...
Module 8 - Recognizing and Respecting the Rights of All
Introduction
Figure 8.1 The globalization of the economy highlights one of the advantages of a diverse workf...
8.1 Diversity and Inclusion in the Workforce
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Explain the bene...
8.2 Accommodating Different Abilities and Faiths
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Identify workpla...
8.3 Sexual Identification and Orientation
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Explain how sexu...
8.4 Income Inequalities
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Explain why inco...
8.5 Animal Rights and the Implications for Business
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Explain rising c...
Key Terms
animal rights the entitlement of nonhuman animals to ethical treatment diversity dividend...
Summary
8.1 Diversity and Inclusion in the Workforce A diverse workforce yields many positive outcomes...
Assessment Questions
1. Diversity and inclusion at all levels of a private-sector company is ________. ...
Endnotes
1. Novid Parsi, “Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Gets Innovative,” Society for Hu...
Module 9 - Professions under the Microscope
Introduction
Figure 9.1 What are the ethical challenges in entrepreneurship? In social media and advertising...
9.1 Entrepreneurship and Start-Up Culture
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Identify ethical...
9.2 The Influence of Advertising
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Discuss how soci...
9.3 The Insurance Industry
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Discuss whether ...
9.4 Ethical Issues in the Provision of Health Care
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Identify ethical...
Key Terms
advertising commercial messages urging the purchase of new or improved products or services th...
Summary
9.1 Entrepreneurship and Start-Up Culture The atmosphere surrounding entrepreneurs and their s...
Assessment Questions
1. What characteristic is common to most entrepreneurs? A. an advanced degree B...
Endnotes
1. Patrick Henry, “Why Some Startups Succeed (and Why Most Fail),” Entrepreneur, Fe...
Module 10 - Changing Work Environments and Future Trends
Introduction
Figure 10.1 Ethical managers will understand new business models and the new economies being dr...
10.1 More Telecommuting or Less?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Identify the ben...
10.2 Workplace Campuses
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Compare the work...
10.3 Alternatives to Traditional Patterns of Work
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Explain the bene...
10.4 Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and the Workplace of the Future
LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Discuss the appl...
Key Terms
access economy a nontraditional business model in which consumers participate on both sides of...
Summary
10.1 More Telecommuting or Less? Remote workers save themselves the time and cost of a commute...
Assessment Questions
1. Which of the following is not a prospective benefit to the firm of implementing a tele...
Module 11 - Epilogue: Why Ethics Still Matter
Introduction
Figure 11.1 Business ethics starts right where you are and leads you down the road of life with...
11.1 Business Ethics in an Evolving Environment
Not only does the world seem to have shrunk, but the twenty-first century pace of change seems to...
11.2 Committing to an Ethical View
Professional values and ethical reasoning are traits valued by all good employers. In fact, we ha...
11.3 Becoming an Ethical Professional
“‘Professionalism’ is the conduct, aims or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or ...
11.4 Making a Difference in the Business World
On what will you base your professional identity? Do you believe an employer’s enlightened self-i...
Endnotes
1. Pratik Patel, “Applying Virtue Ethics: The Rajat Gupta Case,” The Seven Pillars ...
Index
A access economy 10.3 Alternatives to Traditional Patterns of Work acculturation 5.1 The Relati...
A | The Lives of Ethical Philosophers
Figure A1 Over time and in different parts of the world, philosophical ethics has occupied the ...
B | Profiles in Business Ethics: Contemporary Thought Leaders
Dan Bane, chairman and chief executive officer of Trader Joe’s With roots in Pasadena, Californi...
C | A Succinct Theory of Business Ethics
The Nature of Business Ethics Business ethics should be grounded in deontology more than in ut...