Why be Moral in Business? A Rawlsian Approach to Moral Motivation

2002 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard H. Toenjes
Keyword(s):  
Business Ethics ◽  
John Rawls ◽  
Moral Motivation ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Moral Justification ◽  
Business World ◽  
Business Interests ◽  
The Core ◽  
Business Person ◽  
Thomas Scanlon

Abstract:This article puts forth the thesis that the contractualist account of moral justification affords a powerful reply in business contexts to the question why a business person should put ethics above immediate business interests. A brief survey of traditional theories of business ethics and their approaches to moral motivation is presented. These approaches are criticized. A contractualist conception of ethics in the business world is developed, based on the work of John Rawls and Thomas Scanlon. The desire to justify our choices in terms that others can be reasonably expected to accept, or at least in terms that others cannot reasonably reject, is identified and differentiated from other accounts of motivation. It is this desire that constitutes the core motive to be moral in business on the contractualist conception. Implications of this contractualist conception for the theory and practice of business ethics are then discussed.

The Nature of Degrowth: Theorising the Core of Nature for the Degrowth Movement

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pasi Heikkurinen
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Culturally Sensitive ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
Radical Reduction ◽  
Nature Experience ◽  
Matter Energy

This article investigates human–nature relations in the light of the recent call for degrowth, a radical reduction of matter–energy throughput in over-producing and over-consuming cultures. It outlines a culturally sensitive response to a (conceived) paradox where humans embedded in nature experience alienation and estrangement from it. The article finds that if nature has a core, then the experienced distance makes sense. To describe the core of nature, three temporal lenses are employed: the core of nature as ‘the past’, ‘the future’, and ‘the present’. It is proposed that while the degrowth movement should be inclusive of temporal perspectives, the lens of the present should be emphasised to balance out the prevailing romanticism and futurism in the theory and practice of degrowth.

scholarly journals In the midst of theory and practice: a foreword

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Hannes Peltonen ◽  
Knut Traisbach
Keyword(s):  
Social World ◽  
World Society ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Pragmatic Approach ◽  
The Core ◽  
Critical Engagement ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Status

Abstract This foreword frames the Symposium in two ways. It summarises the core themes running through the nine ‘meditations’ in The Status of Law in World Society. Moreover, it places these themes in the wider context of Kratochwil's critical engagement with how we pursue knowledge of and in the social world and translate this knowledge into action. Ultimately, also his pragmatic approach cannot escape the tensions between theory and practice. Instead, we are in the midst of both.

Use “cross-border E-commerce” multi-dimensional teaching to enhance the core competence of international economics and trade students

2021 ◽  
pp. 002072092110134
Author(s):  
Ying Liu
Keyword(s):  
Core Competence ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Operating Mode ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Practical Training ◽  
The Core ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
The Core Competence ◽  
Employment Quality

For some trade majors who only focus on theoretical studies, they no longer have an advantage in the market. If they do not pay attention to practical training, it will be difficult to gain a foothold in business. In education, people are paying more and more attention to e-commerce. Many schools take “cross-border e-commerce (CBEC)” as a course. This article uses CBEC to implement multi-dimensional teaching, so as to enhance the core competence of trade majors. This research is mainly based on the analysis of the existing teaching program model, and proposes a multi-level, all-round and multi-dimensional teaching method. This article analyzes the current teaching mode of trade major and various related problems in this mode, and proposes a teaching method based on theory and practice in response to the requirements of trade major. In teaching, many teachers will use traditional teaching methods to analyze trade and help students learn about CBEC. If students cannot learn the operating mode of CBEC as soon as possible, it will cause many students to walk out of the school very much. It is difficult to adapt to the requirements of work, and it is also difficult to accept the new CBEC model. This not only affects the employment rate and employment quality of students, but also is not conducive to the transformation and development of foreign trade enterprises. Therefore, we need to teach students based on the market’s demand for CBEC compound talents, let them have close contact with enterprise development, and use school-enterprise cooperation to realize CBEC practical and multi-dimensional teaching in schools, so as to generate training to meet the needs of the cross-e-commerce market Technical personnel.

scholarly journals Is there Such a Thing as a Good Profit? Taking Conventional Ethics Seriously

Philosophia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marja K. Svanberg ◽  
Carl F. C. Svanberg
Keyword(s):  
Business Ethics ◽  
Christian Ethics ◽  
Moral Justification ◽  
Profit Motive ◽  
Kantian Ethics ◽  
Ethical Theories ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThis paper will show that if we take conventional ethics seriously, then there is no moral justification for business profits. To show this, we explore three conventional ethical theories, namely Christian ethics, Kantian ethics and Utilitarian ethics. Since they essentially reject self-interest, they also reject the essence of business: the profit motive. To illustrate the relationship, we will concretize how the anti-egoist perspective expresses itself in business and business ethics. In business, we look at what many businesses regard as proof of their virtue. In business ethics, we look at what many business ethicists say about the relationship between morality and self-interest and, thus, the profit motive. Ultimately, we will argue that conventional ethics can, at most, only justify the means of business (i.e., aspects of running a business), but not the end of business (i.e., profits).

Profitable partnerships: The Chinese business elite and Dutch lawyers in the making of Semarang

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 214-245
Author(s):  
Peter Post
Keyword(s):  
Law Firm ◽  
Business World ◽  
Colonial State ◽  
Housing Projects ◽  
Business Elite ◽  
Business Interests ◽  
Chinese Business ◽  
Coolie Trade ◽  
Economic Imperialism ◽  
The City

This article examines the collaboration between the law firm of C.W. Baron van Heeckeren from Semarang and the Oei Tiong Ham Concern (OTHC). From the 1880s this Dutch law firm became the centre of a close-knit group of Dutch lawyer-entrepreneurs who through interlocking business directorships developed important sectors of the Javanese economy and the city of Semarang. In doing so Van Heeckeren and his associates teamed up with the Chinese business elite of the port-city. In particular they worked with the foremost Overseas Chinese capitalist, Major Oei Tiong Ham, developing profitable partnerships. The Dutch lawyers acted not only as his legal advisors, but developed his sugar empire as directors-shareholders, held major stakes in his shipping business and coolie trade, and profited from his opium trade. They moreover helped Oei Tiong Ham to acquire real estate and enterprises formerly belonging to powerful Chinese opium farmers and collaborated with him in developing infrastructural and housing projects. This article provides new and revealing details about how the business world of colonial Java worked during the early phase of Dutch economic imperialism and how the Chinese business elite seized the opportunities provided by the Dutch colonial state to advance their business interests.

When is “Everyone's Doing It” A Moral Justification?

1991 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald M. Green
Keyword(s):  
Business Ethics ◽  
Prima Facie ◽  
Moral Justification ◽  
Undesirable Behavior

The claim that “Everyone's doing it” is frequently offered as a reason for engaging in behavior that is widespread but less-than-ideal. This is particularly true in business, where competitors’ conduct often forces hard choices on managers. When is the claim “Everyone's doing it” a morally valid reason for following others’ lead? This discussion proposes and develops five prima facie conditions to identify when the existence of prevalent but otherwise undesirable behavior provides a moral justification for our engaging in such behavior ourselves. The balance of the discussion focuses on testing these conditions by applying them to a series of representative cases in business ethics.

Translating Intervention: When Corporate Culture Meets Chinese Socialism

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Chan ◽  
Stewart Clegg ◽  
Matthew Warr
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Communist Party ◽  
Corporate Culture ◽  
Chinese Communist Party ◽  
Corporate America ◽  
Business World ◽  
The Core ◽  
Chinese Cultural Values ◽  
Contemporary Chinese

Under socialist development, the contemporary Chinese Communist Party (CCP) refashions thought management with a changed message. The Party increasingly promotes Chinese cultural values, through a policy of designed corporate culture programs within state-owned and private enterprises. The culture is one that inculcates corporate cultural values “imported” from corporate culture discourses in the Western business world. A curious “translation of ideas” has occurred, ideas that have traveled from the Korean Peninsula and War, through the boardrooms of corporate America and into the mundane practices of the CCP, to build corporate culture. At the core of this culture are practices that Schein has termed coercive persuasion. This article discusses the role of coercive persuasion in two sites: (a) China’s state-owned enterprises and (b) private businesses and social organizations. We conclude that as ideas travel, they may change in substance, whereas in form and functionality, they remain surprisingly similar.

scholarly journals A Defense of Nonideal Theories of Justice / Uma Defesa de Teorias de Justiça Não Ideais

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Goya Tocchetto
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Human Dignity ◽  
John Rawls ◽  
Moral Systems ◽  
The Core ◽  
Current Prevalence ◽  
Theories Of Justice ◽  
Recent Debate ◽  
Inalienable Rights

Abstract: The overwhelming majority of contemporary theories of justice is grounded in the rationalist tradition (Frazer, 2010). As a consequence, political philosophers such as John Rawls (1971) have interpreted moral systems as axiomatic, substantially based on concepts of inalienable rights and duties—usually guided by the core value attached to human dignity. Once ethicists started working under an axiomatic framework, empirical evidence has become less and less useful. This road has been conducive to the current prevalence of ideal theories in the field. On a dissonant note, recent debate in political philosophy has rekindled our attention to the development of nonideal theories of justice. Yet before one argues in favor of nonideal (or comparative) theories of justice, one has to be certain that all arguments against the broader incorporation of empirical evidence in the development of political philosophical theories are not valid. Therefore the focus of the present paper is the assessment—and dismissal—of these arguments.Keywords: Theories of Justice; Nonideal Theories; Empirical Evidence; MethodologyResumo: A grande maioria das teorias de justiça contemporâneas se baseiam na tradição racionalista (Frazer, 2010). Como consequência, filósofos políticos como John Rawls (1971) têm interpretado sistemas morais como axiomáticos, baseados substancialmente em conceitos de direitos e deveres inalienáveis – geralmente guiados pelo valor central concedido à dignidade humana. Uma vez que os eticistas começaram a utilizar uma moldura axiomática, as evidências empíricas se tornaram cada vez menos úteis. Esse caminho foi relevante para a atual prevalência de teorias ideais nesse campo. De maneira dissonante, o debate recente na filosofia política reacendeu a atenção para o desenvolvimento de teorias de justiça não ideais. Contudo, antes que alguém argumente em favor de teorias de justiça não ideais (ou comparativas), é preciso estar certo de que todos os argumentos contrários a uma incorporação mais ampla de evidências empíricas no desenvolvimento de teorias políticas filosóficas não são válidos. Portanto, o foco deste artigo é a avaliação – e rejeição – destes argumentos.Palavras-chave: Teorias de justiça; Teorias não ideais; Evidência empírica; Metodologia.

scholarly journals Towards the Design of a Community-Engaged Data Visualization Course

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 3-27
Author(s):  
Sharon Bratt
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Data Visualization ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Learning Design ◽  
Engaged Learning ◽  
The Core ◽  
Teacher As Researcher ◽  
Core Elements ◽  
Assessment Matrix

Educational action research bridges the gap between theory and practice; where the learning design is the proposed hypothesis and the classroom is where it is field-tested by the teacher as researcher (McKernan, 2007; Stenhouse, 1975). Through this lens we see inquiry as a deepened understanding of one’s own practice. The purpose of this study was to critically evaluate the design of an introduction to data visualization course with community-engaged learning as its core pedagogy.  Results show that many of the core elements of community-engaged learning were achieved at the exemplary level, based on the assessment matrix developed by Dahan and Seligsohn (2003). Several recommendations emerged, both situational and generalizable, which could enhance the redesign and improve the experience for practitioners who use community-engaged learning as a core pedagogy.

Aristotle, Kant and Rawls on Moral Motivation in a Just Society

1980 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 385-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven M. DeLue
Keyword(s):  
Political Theory ◽  
John Rawls ◽  
Moral Theory ◽  
Moral Motivation ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Mutual Respect ◽  
Theory Of Justice ◽  
Standards Of Conduct ◽  
Principles Of Justice ◽  
Just Society

John Rawls considers his Theory of Justice to be in the Kantian tradition. Generally there seems to be agreement among Rawls' critics that at least with respect to the procedural formulation of the principles of justice, it is difficult to call Rawls' position Kantian. In this article I will argue that Rawls' Kantianism is best understood as providing a motive source for acting upon known just standards of conduct. In this regard Rawls can be read as synthesizing aspects of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics and Kant's moral reasoning to provide the rationale to explain why an individual who knows what is morally correct conduct in a given situation, makes such knowledge the source of his action. Demonstrating the Aristotelean roots of Rawls' Kantianism with respect to the problem of motivation for just conduct helps one understand how Kant's moral theory can be viewed in Rawls' words not as a “morality of austere command but … [as] … an ethic of mutual respect and self esteem” (1971, p. 251). Secondly, this view of Kant provides the basis for understanding the anti-corporatist aspect of Rawls' political theory that my reading of Rawls makes necessary.

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