Environmental Ethics: An Introduction to Environmental Philosophy

DesJardin, Joseph. (2005). Environmental Ethics: An Introduction to Environmental Philosophy Wadsworth Publishing, 4th edition.

Book Description: How can you use philosophical to make progress toward solving environmental problems? ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS: AN INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL PHILOSOPHY introduces you to ethical theory in new and easily understood ways. But most of all, this environmental ethics textbook shows you how we can work together to build a better future. About the Author: Joseph DesJardins (Ph.D. University of Notre Dame) is professor of philosophy at the College of Saint Benedict in Minnesota.

He specializes in business ethics and environmental ethics and has also published Contemporary Issues in Business Ethics (Fifth Edition, Wadsworth, 2005) with John McCall.

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism: and Other Writings

Weber, Max, Baehr, Peter (Ed.), and Wells, Gordon C. (Ed.) (2002). The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism: and Other Writings (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics) Penguin Classics.

Book Description: In The Protestant Ethic, Max Weber opposes the Marxist concept of dialectical materialism and relates the rise of the capitalist economy to the Calvinist belief in the moral value of hard work and the fulfillment of one's worldly duties. Based on the original 1905 edition, this volume includes, along with Weber's treatise, an illuminating introduction, a wealth of explanatory notes, and exemplary responses and remarks-both from Weber and his critics-sparked by publication of The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.

This is the first English translation of the 1905 German text and the first volume to include Weber's unexpurgated responses to his critics, which reveal important developments in and clarifications of Weber's argument.

About the Author: Max Weber (1864-1920), the German sociologist and historian, significantly influenced the development of modern social science through his attempts to develop a systematic methodology for cross-cultural studies. He also published comparative studies of authority and domination and emphasized the importance of bureaucracy in modern Western societies.

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism

Weber, Max, Parsons, Talcott, and Tawney, R. H. (2003). The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (Dover Value Editions) Dover Publications.

This brilliant study opposes the Marxist concept of dialectical materialism and its view that change takes place through the conflict of opposites. Instead, Weber relates the rise of a capitalist economy to the Puritan determination to work out anxiety over salvation or damnation by performing good deeds — an effort that ultimately encouraged capitalism.

Impact of Religion on Business Ethics in Europe and the Muslim World: Islamic versus Christian Tradition

Wienen, Ingmar. (1999). Impact of Religion on Business Ethics in Europe and the Muslim World: Islamic versus Christian Tradition Grove/Atlantic Publ. 2nd Rev edition.

This research project assesses the extent to which religion influences standards and behaviour in business, by comparing Islamic banking to co-operative banking as carried out by both Christians and Muslims. The study argues that Islamic banks are particular in the kind of products they offer, namely the 'Islamic financial instruments'. On the other hand, it is the 'organisation' which is key to co-operative banks. An empirical investigation of over 100 banks has revealed that 'Islamic banks' are conventional banks with a product range modified according to Islamic religious law.

'Co-operative banks' operate so as 'to help the poor', an objective in line with both Islamic and Christian ethics. The book demonstrates that Muslims and Christians can work together to foster development and to overcome poverty by referring to common ethical standards in business.

Ethics and the Conduct of Business

Boatright, John R. (2006). Ethics and the Conduct of Business (5th Edition) Prentice Hall, 5th edition.

This comprehensive and balanced book gives a thorough treatment of the most prominent issues of business ethics and the major positions and arguments on these issues. An abundance of case studies help illustrate topics such as: whistle-blowing, discrimination and affirmative action, occupational health and safety, ethics in finance, and ethics in international business. For professionals in the field who want an up-to-date discussion of the most prominent issues of business ethics.

Business and Society: Ethics and Stakeholder Management

Carrol, Archie B and Buchholtz, Ann K. (2008). Business and Society: Ethics and Stakeholder Management South-Western College Publications, 7th edition.

Book Description: Introduce your students to important and diverse stakeholder management and ethical frameworks for considering and protecting critical stakeholder interests with the latest edition of BUSINESS AND SOCIETY. Students learn how responsible business decision makers balance and protect the interests of various stakeholders, including investors, employees, the community, and the environment. Proven content within the book emphasizes the social, legal, political, and ethical responsibilities of a business to all external and internal groups that have a stake, or interest, in that business.

Strong coverage of ethics and the stakeholder model is balanced with new discussion on corporate governance and other current, relevant issues shaping business today. A variety of quality business cases, Ethics in Practice cases, and other real-world applications provide abundant opportunities to apply stakeholder and ethical systems to specific business problems. Practical applications prepare future managers for business situations that will test their values and ethics in the workplace. Students learn to focus their reasoning and enhance the precision with which they consider and make ethical decisions. A strengthened, comprehensive package accompanying this edition provides a refined Test Bank now correlated to AACSB standards and a wealth of resources to help provide the solid understanding of both individual organizational and society topics that your students need for business success.

Business Ethics

Shaw, William H. (2007). Business Ethics Wadsworth Publishing, 6th edition.

Book Description: Combining engaging discussions and stimulating case studies, BUSINESS ETHICS brings you a comprehensive survey of business ethics that will guide you toward becoming an ethical professional-even if you've never studied philosophy before. Rich with real-world examples and introductions, the text introduces you to important philosophical concepts and principles via a range of perspectives that will help you begin to grapple with the compelling theoretical and practical issues of the evolving commercial landscape. In addition, this edition of the text features an updated two-color design and new pedagogical features.

About the Author: The author and editor of numerous books in the areas of ethics and social and political philosophy, William H. Shaw obtained a Ph.D. in Political Philosophy from the London School of Economics and currently teaches at San Jose State University. He was selected by SJSU's President Robert Caret as the 1998-99 President's scholar and is the author of several other successful books with Wadsworth.

Business Ethics, A Teaching and Learning Classroom Edition: Concepts and Cases

Velasquez, Manuel G. (2005). Business Ethics, A Teaching and Learning Classroom Edition: Concepts and Cases Prentice Hall, 6th edition.

Book Description: This book provides readers with a clear, straightforward writing style, an abundance of examples, detailed real-life cases, and current data and statistics. It aims to 1) introduce ethical concepts that are relevant to resolving moral issues in business, 2) develop the reasoning and analytical skills needed to apply ethical concepts to business decisions, 3) identify moral issues specific to business, and 4) examine the social and natural environments within which moral issues in business arise. Chapter topics cover ethics and business, ethical principles in business, the business system, ethics in the marketplace, ethics and the environment, the ethics of consumer production and marketing, the ethics of job discrimination, and the individual in the organization. For anyone in business.

About the Author: Manuel Velasquez is the former Director of Santa Clara University’s Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. He is now chair of the Department of Management at the Leavey School of Business at SCU. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles on Business Ethics.

The Protestant Work Ethic

Furnham, A. (1990). The Protestant Work Ethic: The Psychology of Work-Related Beliefs and Behaviours. New York: Routledge.

Psychologists have long been active in investigating concepts integral to the Protestant work ethic–the topic is a central one in such areas as occupational, industrial, and social psychology. Here, for the first time, is a comprehensive and explicitly psychological account. (From back cover of the book)

Islamic Perspectives on Management and Organization

Ali, A. J. (2005). Islamic Perspectives On Management And Organization (New Horizons in Management). Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar.

The dynamics of the global business environment necessitate that organizational assumptions and underpinnings are understood in their socio-cultural context. This pioneering book covers issues related to Islamic assumptions about organization and management, enabling readers to understand the challenges in managing corporations that operate in an Islamic environment. The author provides an original and up-to-date treatment of management orientations and practices in Muslim countries and provides pertinent information about the frame of reference for Muslims and Muslim organizations.

Relying on classic interpretations of organizational issues without ignoring contemporary thought, the author uses original sources and extensive business, psychology, sociology, and religious references to highlight the orientations and practices that lead to superior performance in a Muslim environment. He goes on to identify both organizational and societal attributes that are essential for effective relationships at the workplace, underscoring the peculiarities of personal relationships and their tremendous influence on organizational expectations and conduct.

Scholars and practitioners who specialize in business, economics, international relations, religion, and sociology will find this book a necessary resource for broadening their understanding of the religious and cultural aspects of conducting business across cultures. The comprehensive and original coverage of the book will prove useful in understanding business, cultural, and philosophical issues related to the Islamic World.

Ethical Markets: Growing the Green Economy

Henderson, Hazel. (2007). Ethical Markets: Growing the Green Economy. Chelsea Green Publishing.

From Publishers Weekly: In this companion to the television series of the same name, economist Henderson delivers an optimistic overview of socially responsible, environmentally sensitive businesses, investors and visionaries. Keeping an eye on the “triple bottom line” that adds “people” and “planet” to the usual focus on “profits,” the book divides “cleaner, greener, more ethical and more female sectors of our U.S. economy” into three areas: lifestyles of health and sustainability, socially responsible investing and corporate social responsibility.

An economist with a long history of activism in “redefining success” (for example, revamping the GDP to include environmental capital and unpaid labor such as child-rearing), Henderson adeptly packs large amounts of information into chapters within her expertise. Discussion of topics that are further from her experience, such as green building and the health care system, tends to careen from problems to solutions so quickly that a reader can become confused. The interviews after each chapter, meant to show how CEOs are “walking the talk,” seem to be taken unedited from the TV show, coming across as incoherent and shallow. Fortunately, the book is crammed with Web references that can offer a fuller picture to readers tantalized by this glimpse of the economic revolution thriving below the radar of mainstream media.

Contemporary Issues in Business Ethics

DesJardins, J. and McCall, J. J. (2004). Contemporary Issues in Business Ethics Wadsworth Publishing. 5th edition.

Prepare for your career with CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN BUSINESS ETHICS! With coverage of business ethics from a social and political perspective, this business text focuses on areas of business ethics that are relevant to today’s student. Boxes in the text highlight important topics in ethics, including ethical relativism, psychological egoism, ethics and the law, virtue ethics, and ethical decision-making. Case studies, chapter introductions, and decision scenarios are just a few of the tools found throughout that help you master difficult concepts.

Corporate Social Responsibility: Balancing Tomorrow's Sustainability and Today's Profitability

Hawkins, D. E. (2006). Corporate Social Responsibility: Balancing Tomorrow’s Sustainability and Today’s Profitability. Palgrave Macmillan Publishing.

This new approach to corporate social responsibility, drawing upon many contemporary examples, demonstrates the importance of balancing short term profitability with long term sustainability and shows how this relates to business issues including environmental change, ethical trading, corporate governance, risk management, sustainable development. and competitive balance.

About the Author: DAVID E. HAWKINS is Director of Operations for PSL. He has an extensive career in projects and procurement, particularly in the construction industry, working in many parts of the world. He has developed training programs and has been a leading speaker in the field of exploiting relationship management through effective leadership and strategy development. He is a regular contributor to professional magazines and journals, is the joint author, with Shan Rajogopal of Sun Tzu and the Project Battleground, and is the author of The Bending Moment: Energizing Corporate Business Strategy, both published by Palgrave Macmillan.

Corporate Social Responsibility and International Development

Hopkins, M. (2006). Corporate Social Responsibility and International Development: Is Business the Solution?. London: Earthscan Publications Ltd.

The business of business is business. So then why should corporations be involved in development? This groundbreaking new book makes the case that that governments and their international agencies grouped under the umbrella of the UN, have failed in their attempts to rid the planet of under-development and poverty. If development is the objective then it seems that the solution and the responsibility lies with the private sector, particularly through the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs of large corporations, with their tremendous power and economic strength.

This book, written by noted CSR practitioner Michael Hopkins, is the first to explicitly link CSR with development. It spells out what corporations are doing on development, what more they could do and how CSR can be a useful tool to promote economic development via corporations. This is important and challenging reading for all of those in government, business and NGOs who think that there must be a better, more effective and dynamic way to kick-start development and eradicate poverty.

About the Author: Michael Hopkins is CEO of MHC International (London and Geneva) and Chair of the International Centre for Business Performance and Corporate Responsibility, Middlesex University Business School, UK. He is also the author of The Planetary Bargain (2003).

Corporate Social Responsibility: Doing the Most Good for Your Company and Your Cause

Kotler, P. and Lee, N. (2004). Corporate Social Responsibility: Doing the Most Good for Your Company and Your Cause. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Today, corporations are expected to give something back to their communities in the form of charitable projects. In Corporate Social Responsibility, Philip Kotler, one of the world’s foremost voices on business and marketing, and coauthor Nancy Lee explain why charity is both good P.R. and good for business. They show business leaders how to choose social causes, design charity initiatives, gain employee support, and evaluate their efforts. They also provide all the best practices and cutting-edge ideas that leaders need to maximize their contributions to social causes and do the most good. With personal stories from twenty-five business leaders from socially responsible companies, this is the bible for today’s good corporate citizen.

The Debate over Corporate Social Responsibility

May, S. K., Cheney, G., and Roper, J. (Ed.) (2007). The Debate over Corporate Social Responsibility. NY: Oxford University Press.

Should business strive to be socially responsible, and if so, how? The Debate over Corporate Social Responsibility updates and broadens the discussion of these questions by bringing together in one volume a variety of practical and theoretical perspectives on corporate social responsibility. It is perhaps the single most comprehensive volume available on the question of just how “social” business ought to be. The volume includes contributions from the fields of communication, business, law, sociology, political science, economics, accounting, and environmental studies. Moreover, it draws from experiences and examples from around the world, including but not limited to recent corporate scandals and controversies in the U.S. and Europe.

A number of the chapters examine closely the basic assumptions underlying the philosophy of socially responsible business. Other chapters speak to the practical challenges and possibilities for corporate social responsiblilty in the twenty-first century.

One of the most distinctive features of the book is its coverage of the very ways that the issue of corporate social responsibility has been defined, shaped, and discussed in the past four decades. That is, the editors and many of the authors are attuned to the persuasive strategies and formulations used to talk about socially responsible business, and demonstrate why the talk matters. For example, the book offers a careful analysis of how certain values have become associated with the business enterprise and how particular economic and political positions have been established by and for business. This book will be of great interest to scholars, business leaders, graduate students, and others interested in the contours of the debate over what role large-scale corporate commerce should take in the future of the industrialized world.

Comparative Work Ethics

Pelikan, J. K. and Nasr, S.H. (Ed.) (1985). Comparative Work Ethics: Judeo-Christian, Islamic, and Eastern. Washington, DC: Library of Congress, Occasional Papers of the Council of Scholars, No. 4.

Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility: Why Giants Fall

Sims, R. R. (2003). Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility: Why Giants Fall. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.

Ethical failures are rooted in leadership failure, the lack of a corporate culture in which ethical concerns have been integrated, and unresponsiveness to key organizational stakeholders. This book seeks to enhance our understanding of the causes of ethical debacles in an era when ethical missteps can often lead to corporate bankruptcies or worse. Sims offers practical solutions for mitigating damage and preventing such problems from happening in the first place. He also explains how to institutionalize ethics throughout an organization. Sims asserts that organizations wishing to behave ethically must do more than harbor good intentions.

Such companies must implement policies that inculcate the corporate culture with ethical values. They must also commit to ethical behavior in all interactions with internal and external stakeholders, including investors, customers, employees, and the community.

Just Business: Business Ethics in Action

Stenberg, E. (2000). Just Business: Business Ethics in Action. NY: Oxford University Press, 2nd edition.

Just Business: Business Ethics in Action is a ground-breaking book, which has changed the way business ethics is considered by both the business community and philosophers. Employing a powerful, original explanatory framework, Just Business offers substansive answers to questions of business ethics, resolving key problems of personnel, finance and corporate governance. Even more significantly Just Business supplies an Ethical Decision Model which can be used to manage businesses’ ethical problems whenever and wherever they arise, in all their real -life complexity and variety.

By introducing conceptual clarity to business ethics, Just Business provides solid arguments for rebutting trendy but unethical demands for ’social responsibility’ and ’stakeholding’ in business. Just Business demonstrates that business’s correct ethical concern is just.

As presented in Just Business, business ethics is not an extraneous anti-business option: it is rigorous, analytical business tool. Just Business provides a systematic, jargon free argument to show that it is not necessary either to emasculate or to adulterate business for business to be moral. Combining business realism with philosophical rigour, and employing a global pespective, Just Business should be of use to all who have dealings with business, whether as employees or directors, customers or lenders, shareholders or formulators of public policy.

Perspectives on Corporate Social Responsibility

Crowther, D. and Rayman-Bacchus, L. (Ed.) (2004). Perspectives on Corporate Social Responsibility (Corporate Social Responsibility Series). Ashgate Publishing.

Over the last decade the question of the relationship between organisations and society has been subject to much debate, often of a critical nature. The decade has seen protests concerning the actions of organisations, exposures of corporate exploitation and unfolding accounting scandals. At the same time ethical behaviour and a concern for the environment have been shown to have a positive correlation with corporate performance. The nature of corporate social reponsibility is therefore a topical one for business and academics.

There are, however, many different perspectives upon what is meant by corporate social responsibility and how this might be applied within organisations. This book is intended to explore some of these different perspectives based upon the experiences of different people in different parts of the world. (From back cover of the book.)