case study in business ethics

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Find ethics case studies on bribery, sourcing, intellectual property, downsizing, and other topics in business ethics, corporate governance, and ethical leadership. (For permission to reprint articles, submit requests to [email protected] .)

In this business ethics case study, Swedish multinational company IKEA faced accusations relating to child labor abuses in the rug industry in Pakistan which posed a serious challenge for the company and its supply chain management goals.

A dog may be humanity’s best friend. But that may not always be the case in the workplace.

A recent college graduate works in the finance and analytics department of a large publicly traded software company and discovers an alarming discrepancy in sales records, raising concerns about the company’s commitment to truthful reporting to investors. 

What responsibility does an employee have when information they obtained in confidence from a coworker friend may be in conflict with the needs of the company or raises legal and ethical questions.

A manager at a prominent multinational company is ethically challenged by a thin line between opportunity for economic expansion in a deeply underserved community, awareness of child labor practices, and cultural relativism.

A volunteer providing service in the Dominican Republic discovered that the non-profit he had partnered with was exchanging his donor money on the black market, prompting him to navigate a series of complex decisions with significant ethical implications.

The CFO of a family business faces difficult decisions about how to proceed when the COVID-19 pandemic changes the business revenue models, and one family shareholder wants a full buyout.

An employee at an after-school learning institution must balance a decision to accept or decline an offered gift, while considering the cultural norms of the client, upholding the best interests of all stakeholders, and following the operational rules of his employer. 

A senior vice president for a Fortune 500 savings and loan company is tasked with the crucial responsibility of representing the buyer in a multi-million dollar loan purchase deal and faces several ethical challenges from his counterpart representing the seller.

Extensive teaching note based on interviews with Theranos whistleblower Tyler Shultz. The teaching note can be used to explore issues around whistleblowing, leadership, the blocks to ethical behavior inside organizations, and board governance.

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• 15 Apr 2024

Struggling With a Big Management Decision? Start by Asking What Really Matters

Leaders must face hard choices, from cutting a budget to adopting a strategy to grow. To make the right call, they should start by following their own “true moral compass,” says Joseph Badaracco.

• 26 Mar 2024
• Cold Call Podcast

How Do Great Leaders Overcome Adversity?

In the spring of 2021, Raymond Jefferson (MBA 2000) applied for a job in President Joseph Biden’s administration. Ten years earlier, false allegations were used to force him to resign from his prior US government position as assistant secretary of labor for veterans’ employment and training in the Department of Labor. Two employees had accused him of ethical violations in hiring and procurement decisions, including pressuring subordinates into extending contracts to his alleged personal associates. The Deputy Secretary of Labor gave Jefferson four hours to resign or be terminated. Jefferson filed a federal lawsuit against the US government to clear his name, which he pursued for eight years at the expense of his entire life savings. Why, after such a traumatic and debilitating experience, would Jefferson want to pursue a career in government again? Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer Anthony Mayo explores Jefferson’s personal and professional journey from upstate New York to West Point to the Obama administration, how he faced adversity at several junctures in his life, and how resilience and vulnerability shaped his leadership style in the case, "Raymond Jefferson: Trial by Fire."

• 02 Jan 2024

Should Businesses Take a Stand on Societal Issues?

Should businesses take a stand for or against particular societal issues? And how should leaders determine when and how to engage on these sensitive matters? Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer Hubert Joly, who led the electronics retailer Best Buy for almost a decade, discusses examples of corporate leaders who had to determine whether and how to engage with humanitarian crises, geopolitical conflict, racial justice, climate change, and more in the case, “Deciding When to Engage on Societal Issues.”

• 12 Dec 2023

Can Sustainability Drive Innovation at Ferrari?

When Ferrari, the Italian luxury sports car manufacturer, committed to achieving carbon neutrality and to electrifying a large part of its car fleet, investors and employees applauded the new strategy. But among the company’s suppliers, the reaction was mixed. Many were nervous about how this shift would affect their bottom lines. Professor Raffaella Sadun and Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna discuss how Ferrari collaborated with suppliers to work toward achieving the company’s goal. They also explore how sustainability can be a catalyst for innovation in the case, “Ferrari: Shifting to Carbon Neutrality.” This episode was recorded live December 4, 2023 in front of a remote studio audience in the Live Online Classroom at Harvard Business School.

• 11 Dec 2023
• Research & Ideas

Doing Well by Doing Good? One Industry’s Struggle to Balance Values and Profits

Few companies wrestle with their moral mission and financial goals like those in journalism. Research by Lakshmi Ramarajan explores how a disrupted industry upholds its values even as the bottom line is at stake.

• 27 Nov 2023

Voting Democrat or Republican? The Critical Childhood Influence That's Tough to Shake

Candidates might fixate on red, blue, or swing states, but the neighborhoods where voters spend their teen years play a key role in shaping their political outlook, says research by Vincent Pons. What do the findings mean for the upcoming US elections?

• 21 Nov 2023

The Beauty Industry: Products for a Healthy Glow or a Compact for Harm?

Many cosmetics and skincare companies present an image of social consciousness and transformative potential, while profiting from insecurity and excluding broad swaths of people. Geoffrey Jones examines the unsightly reality of the beauty industry.

• 09 Nov 2023

What Will It Take to Confront the Invisible Mental Health Crisis in Business?

The pressure to do more, to be more, is fueling its own silent epidemic. Lauren Cohen discusses the common misperceptions that get in the way of supporting employees' well-being, drawing on case studies about people who have been deeply affected by mental illness.

• 07 Nov 2023

How Should Meta Be Governed for the Good of Society?

Julie Owono is executive director of Internet Sans Frontières and a member of the Oversight Board, an outside entity with the authority to make binding decisions on tricky moderation questions for Meta’s companies, including Facebook and Instagram. Harvard Business School visiting professor Jesse Shapiro and Owono break down how the Board governs Meta’s social and political power to ensure that it’s used responsibly, and discuss the Board’s impact, as an alternative to government regulation, in the case, “Independent Governance of Meta’s Social Spaces: The Oversight Board.”

• 24 Oct 2023

From P.T. Barnum to Mary Kay: Lessons From 5 Leaders Who Changed the World

What do Steve Jobs and Sarah Breedlove have in common? Through a series of case studies, Robert Simons explores the unique qualities of visionary leaders and what today's managers can learn from their journeys.

• 03 Oct 2023
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Build the Life You Want: Arthur Brooks and Oprah Winfrey Share Happiness Tips

"Happiness is not a destination. It's a direction." In this video, Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey reflect on mistakes, emotions, and contentment, sharing lessons from their new book.

• 12 Sep 2023

Successful, But Still Feel Empty? A Happiness Scholar and Oprah Have Advice for You

So many executives spend decades reaching the pinnacles of their careers only to find themselves unfulfilled at the top. In the book Build the Life You Want, Arthur Brooks and Oprah Winfrey offer high achievers a guide to becoming better leaders—of their lives.

• 10 Jul 2023
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The Harvard Business School Faculty Summer Reader 2023

Need a book recommendation for your summer vacation? HBS faculty members share their reading lists, which include titles that explore spirituality, design, suspense, and more.

• 01 Jun 2023

A Nike Executive Hid His Criminal Past to Turn His Life Around. What If He Didn't Have To?

Larry Miller committed murder as a teenager, but earned a college degree while serving time and set out to start a new life. Still, he had to conceal his record to get a job that would ultimately take him to the heights of sports marketing. A case study by Francesca Gino, Hise Gibson, and Frances Frei shows the barriers that formerly incarcerated Black men are up against and the potential talent they could bring to business.

• 04 Apr 2023

Two Centuries of Business Leaders Who Took a Stand on Social Issues

Executives going back to George Cadbury and J. N. Tata have been trying to improve life for their workers and communities, according to the book Deeply Responsible Business: A Global History of Values-Driven Leadership by Geoffrey Jones. He highlights three practices that deeply responsible companies share.

• 14 Mar 2023

Can AI and Machine Learning Help Park Rangers Prevent Poaching?

Globally there are too few park rangers to prevent the illegal trade of wildlife across borders, or poaching. In response, Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) was created by a coalition of conservation organizations to take historical data and create geospatial mapping tools that enable more efficient deployment of rangers. SMART had demonstrated significant improvements in patrol coverage, with some observed reductions in poaching. Then a new predictive analytic tool, the Protection Assistant for Wildlife Security (PAWS), was created to use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to try to predict where poachers would be likely to strike. Jonathan Palmer, Executive Director of Conservation Technology for the Wildlife Conservation Society, already had a good data analytics tool to help park rangers manage their patrols. Would adding an AI- and ML-based tool improve outcomes or introduce new problems? Harvard Business School senior lecturer Brian Trelstad discusses the importance of focusing on the use case when determining the value of adding a complex technology solution in his case, “SMART: AI and Machine Learning for Wildlife Conservation.”

• 14 Feb 2023

Does It Pay to Be a Whistleblower?

In 2013, soon after the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had started a massive whistleblowing program with the potential for large monetary rewards, two employees of a US bank’s asset management business debated whether to blow the whistle on their employer after completing an internal review that revealed undisclosed conflicts of interest. The bank’s asset management business disproportionately invested clients’ money in its own mutual funds over funds managed by other banks, letting it collect additional fees—and the bank had not disclosed this conflict of interest to clients. Both employees agreed that failing to disclose the conflict was a problem, but beyond that, they saw the situation very differently. One employee, Neel, perceived the internal review as a good-faith effort by senior management to identify and address the problem. The other, Akash, thought that the entire business model was problematic, even with a disclosure, and believed that the bank may have even broken the law. Should they escalate the issue internally or report their findings to the US Securities and Exchange Commission? Harvard Business School associate professor Jonas Heese discusses the potential risks and rewards of whistleblowing in his case, “Conflicts of Interest at Uptown Bank.”

• 17 Jan 2023

Good Companies Commit Crimes, But Great Leaders Can Prevent Them

It's time for leaders to go beyond "check the box" compliance programs. Through corporate cases involving Walmart, Wells Fargo, and others, Eugene Soltes explores the thorny legal issues executives today must navigate in his book Corporate Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions.

• 29 Nov 2022

How Will Gamers and Investors Respond to Microsoft’s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard?

In January 2022, Microsoft announced its acquisition of the video game company Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. The deal would make Microsoft the world’s third largest video game company, but it also exposes the company to several risks. First, the all-cash deal would require Microsoft to use a large portion of its cash reserves. Second, the acquisition was announced as Activision Blizzard faced gender pay disparity and sexual harassment allegations. That opened Microsoft up to potential reputational damage, employee turnover, and lost sales. Do the potential benefits of the acquisition outweigh the risks for Microsoft and its shareholders? Harvard Business School associate professor Joseph Pacelli discusses the ongoing controversies around the merger and how gamers and investors have responded in the case, “Call of Fiduciary Duty: Microsoft Acquires Activision Blizzard.”

• 15 Nov 2022

Stop Ignoring Bad Behavior: 6 Tips for Better Ethics at Work

People routinely overlook wrongdoing, even in situations that cause significant harm. In his book Complicit: How We Enable the Unethical and How to Stop, Max Bazerman shares strategies that help people do the right thing even when those around them aren't.

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How to analyze an ethical dilemma?  Here is some background in six 30-minute videos:

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Apple Suppliers & Labor Practices

Is tech company Apple, Inc. ethically obligated to oversee the questionable working conditions of other companies further down their supply chain?

With its highly coveted line of consumer electronics, Apple has a cult following among loyal consumers. During the 2014 holiday season, 74.5 million iPhones were sold. Demand like this meant that Apple was in line to make over $52 billion in profits in 2015, the largest annual profit ever generated from a company’s operations. Despite its consistent financial performance year over year, Apple’s robust profit margin hides a more complicated set of business ethics. Similar to many products sold in the U.S., Apple does not manufacture most its goods domestically. Most of the component sourcing and factory production is done overseas in conditions that critics have argued are dangerous to workers and harmful to the environment.

For example, tin is a major component in Apple’s products and much of it is sourced in Indonesia. Although there are mines that source tin ethically, there are also many that do not. One study found workers—many of them children—working in unsafe conditions, digging tin out by hand in mines prone to landslides that could bury workers alive. About 70% of the tin used in electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets comes from these more dangerous, small-scale mines. An investigation by the BBC revealed how perilous these working conditions can be. In interviews with miners, a 12-year-old working at the bottom of a 70-foot cliff of sand said: “I worry about landslides. The earth slipping from up there to the bottom. It could happen.”

Apple defends its practices by saying it only has so much control over monitoring and regulating its component sources. The company justifies its sourcing practices by saying that it is a complex process, with tens of thousands of miners selling tin, many of them through middle-men. In a statement to the BBC, Apple said “the simplest course of action would be for Apple to unilaterally refuse any tin from Indonesian mines. That would be easy for us to do and would certainly shield us from criticism. But that would also be the lazy and cowardly path, since it would do nothing to improve the situation. We have chosen to stay engaged and attempt to drive changes on the ground.”

In an effort for greater transparency, Apple has released annual reports detailing their work with suppliers and labor practices. While more recent investigations have shown some improvements to suppliers’ working conditions, Apple continues to face criticism as consumer demand for iPhones and other products continues to grow.

Discussion Questions

1. Do you think Apple should be responsible for ethical lapses made by individuals further down its supply chain? Why or why not?

2. Should Apple continue to work with the suppliers in an effort to change practices, or should they stop working with every supplier, even the conscientious ones, to make sure no “bad apples” are getting through? Explain your reasoning.

3. Do you think consumers should be expected to take into account the ethical track record of companies when making purchases? Why or why not?

4. Can you think of other products or brands that rely on ethically questionable business practices? Do you think consumers are turned off by their track record or are they largely indifferent to it? Explain.

5. Would knowing that a product was produced under ethically questionable conditions affect your decision to purchase it? Explain with examples.

6. If you were part of a third-party regulating body, how would you deal with ethically questionable business practices of multinational corporations like Apple? Would you feel obligated to do something, or do you think the solution rests with the companies themselves? Explain your reasoning.

Related Videos

Ethical Fading

Ethical fading occurs when we are so focused on other aspects of a decision that its ethical dimensions fade from view.

Bibliography

Apple ‘failing to protect Chinese factory workers’ http://www.bbc.com/news/business-30532463

How Apple could make a $53 billion profit this year http://money.cnn.com/2015/07/17/technology/apple-earnings-2015/

Global Apple iPhone sales from 3rd quarter 2007 to 2nd quarter 2016 (in million units) http://www.statista.com/statistics/263401/global-apple-iphone-sales-since-3rd-quarter-2007/

Despite successes, labor violations still haunt Apple http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/12/8024895/apple-slave-labor-working-conditions-2015

Reports – Supplier Responsibility – Apple https://www.apple.com/supplier-responsibility/progress-report/

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What Are Business Ethics & Why Are They Important?

• 27 Jul 2023

From artificial intelligence to facial recognition technology, organizations face an increasing number of ethical dilemmas. While innovation can aid business growth, it can also create opportunities for potential abuse.

“The long-term impacts of a new technology—both positive and negative—may not become apparent until years after it’s introduced,” says Harvard Business School Professor Nien-hê Hsieh in the online course Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability . “For example, the impact of social media on children and teenagers didn’t become evident until we watched it play out over time.”

If you’re a current or prospective leader concerned about navigating difficult situations, here's an overview of business ethics, why they're important, and how to ensure ethical behavior in your organization.

Access your free e-book today.

What Are Business Ethics?

Business ethics are principles that guide decision-making . As a leader, you’ll face many challenges in the workplace because of different interpretations of what's ethical. Situations often require navigating the “gray area,” where it’s unclear what’s right and wrong.

When making decisions, your experiences, opinions, and perspectives can influence what you believe to be ethical, making it vital to:

• Be transparent.
• Invite feedback.
• Consider impacts on employees, stakeholders, and society.
• Reflect on past experiences to learn what you could have done better.

“The way to think about ethics, in my view, is: What are the externalities that your business creates, both positive and negative?” says Harvard Business School Professor Vikram Gandhi in Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability . “And, therefore, how do you actually increase the positive element of externalities? And how do you decrease the negative?”

Related: Why Managers Should Involve Their Team in the Decision-Making Process

Ethical Responsibilities to Society

Promoting ethical conduct can benefit both your company and society long term.

“I'm a strong believer that a long-term focus is what creates long-term value,” Gandhi says in Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability . “So you should get shareholders in your company that have that same perspective.”

Prioritizing the triple bottom line is an effective way for your business to fulfill its environmental responsibilities and create long-term value. It focuses on three factors:

• Profit: The financial return your company generates for shareholders
• People: How your company affects customers, employees, and stakeholders
• Planet: Your company’s impact on the planet and environment

Check out the video below to learn more about the triple bottom line, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more explainer content!

Ethical and corporate social responsibility (CSR) considerations can go a long way toward creating value, especially since an increasing number of customers, employees, and investors expect organizations to prioritize CSR. According to the Conscious Consumer Spending Index , 67 percent of customers prefer buying from socially responsible companies.

To prevent costly employee turnover and satisfy customers, strive to fulfill your ethical responsibilities to society.

Ethical Responsibilities to Customers

As a leader, you must ensure you don’t mislead your customers. Doing so can backfire, negatively impacting your organization’s credibility and profits.

Actions to avoid include:

• Greenwashing : Taking advantage of customers’ CSR preferences by claiming your business practices are sustainable when they aren't.
• False advertising : Making unverified or untrue claims in advertisements or promotional material.
• Making false promises : Lying to make a sale.

These unethical practices can result in multi-million dollar lawsuits, as well as highly dissatisfied customers.

Ethical Responsibilities to Employees

You also have ethical responsibilities to your employees—from the beginning to the end of their employment.

One area of business ethics that receives a lot of attention is employee termination. According to Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability , letting an employee go requires an individualized approach that ensures fairness.

Not only can wrongful termination cost your company upwards of $100,000 in legal expenses , it can also negatively impact other employees’ morale and how they perceive your leadership.

Ethical business practices have additional benefits, such as attracting and retaining talented employees willing to take a pay cut to work for a socially responsible company. Approximately 40 percent of millennials say they would switch jobs to work for a company that emphasizes sustainability.

Ultimately, it's critical to do your best to treat employees fairly.

“Fairness is not only an ethical response to power asymmetries in the work environment,” Hsieh says in the course. “Fairness—and having a successful organizational culture–can benefit the organization economically and legally.”

Why Are Business Ethics Important?

Failure to understand and apply business ethics can result in moral disengagement .

“Moral disengagement refers to ways in which we convince ourselves that what we’re doing is not wrong,” Hsieh says in Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability . “It can upset the balance of judgment—causing us to prioritize our personal commitments over shared beliefs, rules, and principles—or it can skew our logic to make unethical behaviors appear less harmful or not wrong.”

Moral disengagement can also lead to questionable decisions, such as insider trading .

“In the U.S., insider trading is defined in common, federal, and state laws regulating the opportunity for insiders to benefit from material, non-public information, or MNPI,” Hsieh explains.

This type of unethical behavior can carry severe legal consequences and negatively impact your company's bottom line.

“If you create a certain amount of harm to a society, your customers, or employees over a period of time, that’s going to have a negative impact on your economic value,” Gandhi says in the course.

This is reflected in over half of the top 10 largest bankruptcies between 1980 and 2013 that resulted from unethical behavior. As a business leader, strive to make ethical decisions and fulfill your responsibilities to stakeholders.

How to Implement Business Ethics

To become a more ethical leader, it's crucial to have a balanced, long-term focus.

“It's very important to balance the fact that, even if you're focused on the long term, you have to perform in the short term as well and have a very clear, articulated strategy around that,” Gandhi says in Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability .

Making ethical decisions requires reflective leadership.

“Reflecting on complex, gray-area decisions is a key part of what it means to be human, as well as an effective leader,” Hsieh says. “You have agency. You must choose how to act. And with that agency comes responsibility.”

Related: Why Are Ethics Important in Engineering?

Hsieh advises asking the following questions:

• Are you using the “greater good” to justify unethical behavior?
• Are you downplaying your actions to feel better?

“Asking these and similar questions at regular intervals can help you notice when you or others may be approaching the line between making a tough but ethical call and justifying problematic actions,” Hsieh says.

Become a More Ethical Leader

Learning from past successes and mistakes can enable you to improve your ethical decision-making.

“As a leader, when trying to determine what to do, it can be helpful to start by simply asking in any given situation, ‘What can we do?’ and ‘What would be wrong to do?’” Hsieh says.

Many times, the answers come from experience.

Gain insights from others’ ethical decisions, too. One way to do so is by taking an online course, such as Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability , which includes case studies that immerse you in real-world business situations, as well as a reflective leadership model to inform your decision-making.

Ready to become a better leader? Enroll in Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability —one of our online leadership and management courses —and download our free e-book on how to be a more effective leader.

About the Author

The Ethical Organisation pp 21–26 Cite as

Case Studies in Business Ethics

• Alan Kitson &
• Robert Campbell  

Business and management education has the purpose of improving business practice. Many other claims are made for it but none is as intuitively or philosophically appealing as this. Employers and practitioners may sometimes take the view that business and management education exists to serve their needs for competent employees who can carry out the tasks necessary for successful operation. Therefore, education should aim to provide people with the requisite skills and appropiate attitudes as well as knowledge of business practice. Others take the view that an education should enrich the mind and develop critical faculties. Therefore, a good critical and theoretical understanding is central to the process of business education and skills and attitudes can be acquired during the early stages of employment.

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Aristotle (1947) Metaphysics (W.D. Ross trans.) in T.L. Beauchamp, Case Studies in Business Society and Ethics , Prentice-Hall, New Jersey, 1989.

Google Scholar  

Goodpaster, K. E. (1983) ‘Some Avenues for Ethical Analysis in General Management’, Harvard Business School, case 9-383-007.

Malloy, D.C. and Lang, D.L. (1993) ‘An Aristotelian Approach to Case Study Analysis’, Journal of Business Ethics , vol. 12, 5 pp. 11–516.

Article   Google Scholar  

Mathews, J. B. et al. (1994) Policies and Persons: A Case-book in Business Ethics (2nd edn), McGraw-Hill, New York.

Simon, H. A. (1947) Administrative Behaviour: A Study of Decision-Making Processes in Administrative Organisations , Macmillan, New York.

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© 1996 Alan Kitson and Robert Campbell

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Book description

Table of contents.

• Content (1/2)
• Content (2/2)
• APPLE’S CULTURE
• ENVIRONMENTAL RECORD
• LABOR PRACTICES
• CORPORATE GOVERNANCE ISSUES
• PRICE CUT STRATEGY
• ANNA HAZARE’S BACKGROUND
• ANNA HAZARE: THE SECOND GANDHI
• MOVEMENT: “INDIA AGAINST CORRUPTION (IAC)”
• ANNA’S MOVEMENT
• THE DARK SIDE OF INDIA
• IMPACT OF ANNA HAZARE’S MOVEMENT
• WHAT WENT WRONG?
• WE ALL ARE ANNA!!
• EVOLUTION OF APPLE
• EVOLUTION OF SAMSUNG
• INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
• PORTER’S FIVE FORCE MODEL TO ANALYZETHE SMARTPHONE MARKET
• INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY INFRINGEMENT
• IMPACT ON SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIP
• STRATEGIES APPLE MAY ADOPT TO PROTECT ITSELF FROMPATENT INFRINGEMENT
• CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
• CORPORATE GOVERNANCE IN INDIA
• CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AT WIPRO
• MANAGEMENT’S RESPONSIBILITIES
• THE INDIAN SOFTWARE SERVICES INDUSTRY
• HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
• ETHICAL ISSUES AND CHALLENGES
• US ENERGY INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
• ENERGY MARKET DEREGULATION AND ENRON
• BUSINESS DIVERSIFICATION AND GROWTH
• ENRON’S CODE OF CONDUCT
• RISE IN THE STOCK PRICES OF ENRON
• THE ALARM SET OFF BY BETHANY McCLEAN: “IS ENRON OVERPRICED?”
• ISSUES AT ENRON
• QUESTIONABLE PRACTICES
• TOP EXECUTIVES AND THEIR ROLES
• SHERRON WATKINS “THE WHISTLEBLOWER”
• FALL OF ENRON
• ETHICAL DILEMMA
• ITC PVT LTD. (1/2)
• ITC PVT LTD. (2/2)
• ABOUT JOHNSON & JOHNSON
• 1998–2006, TURBULENCE STARTED
• TURBULENCE WORSENS (1/2)
• TURBULENCE WORSENS (2/2)
• INTRODUCTION
• INDUSTRY CHARACTERISTICS
• INTO THE SPOTLIGHT
• ETHICAL ISSUES – WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE? (1/2)
• ETHICAL ISSUES – WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE? (2/2)
• ABOUT ANIL DHIRUBHAI AMBANI GROUP (ADAG)
• CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AT RELIANCE GROUP
• INDIAN OIL INDUSTRY
• BACKGROUND OF COMPANIES
• FUEL BEHIND THE FIRE
• JUDGMENT OF THE APEX COURT
• RIL REACTS SWIFTLY
• COMPANY BACKGROUND
• THE SUBHIKSHA SAGA
• BUSINESS VISION AND MISSION OF SUBHIKSHA
• INDIAN RETAIL INDUSTRY: A STORY OF TRANSITION
• BUSINESS MODEL OF SUBHIKSHA
• OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT AT SUBHIKSHA RETAIL
• FAILURE OF SUBHIKSHA – WHAT ACTUALLY WENT WRONG?
• FINANCIAL HEALTH OF SUBHIKSHA
• ETHICAL ISSUES
• TATA MOTORS COMPANY BACKGROUND
• AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY CHARACTERISTICS
• TATA NANO LAND ACQUISITION ISSUE
• COSTS OF CONFLICT
• THE TATA GROUP
• ABOUT THE COMPANY – TATA CHEMICALS LIMITED
• VISION, MISSION AND VALUES
• COMPANY’S PHILOSOPHY ON THE CODE OF GOVERNANCE
• CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY BY TATA CHEMICALSLIMITED
• SOME IMPORTANT CSR INITIATIVES BY TATA AT MITHAPUR
• THE UNION’S TUSSLE AT TATA CHEMICALS LIMITED
• Index (1/2)
• Index (2/2)

Product information

• Title: Case Studies in Business Ethics and Corporate Governance
• Author(s): Sreejesh, Mohapatra
• Release date: January 2012
• Publisher(s): Pearson Education India

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• Contributors

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Creators/contributors, contents/summary.

• Preface. Introduction to Ethical Reasoning, Thomas Donaldson, Patricia H. Werhane. The Case Method, Thomas Donaldson.
• 1. Business or Ethics. The Parable of the Sadhu, Bowen H. McCoy. Into the Mouth of Babes, James Traub. Tylenol's Rebound, Carl Cannon.
• 2. Communications in Business: Internal and External. Sex, Lies and Advertising, Gloria Steinem. Upton, Dakota, and Power Master, N. Craig Smith. Volvo's Crushing Blow, Ronald M. Green. Toy Wars, Manual G. Velasquez. The Case of the Contested Firearms, George Brenkert. Italian Tax Mores, Arthur L. Kelly. Whislteblowing and Employee Loyalty, Ronald Duska. A Hero--And a Smoking-Gun Letter, Wendy Zellner, Stephanie Forest Anderson, Laura Cohn.
• 3. Pollution and Environment. Shades of Green: Business, Ethics and the Environment, R. Edward Freeman, Jessica Pierce, Richard Dodd. Save the Turtles, Rogene A. Buchholz, Sandra B. Rosenthal. Edible Carpets Anyone!? Interface Corporation a Sustainable Business, Joe DesJardins, Jonalle Aaron. The Hazards of the Enterprise, John Hasnas. Texeco in the Ecuadorian Amazon, Denis G. Arnold.
• 4. Diversity in the Workplace. A Defense of Programs of Preferential Treatment, Richard Wasserstrom. Reverse Discrimination as Unjustified, Lisa H. Newton. Racism in the Workplace, Aaron Bernstein. Texaco: The Jelly Bean Diversity Fiasco, Marianne M. Jennings. Denny's, Ronald M. Green. Melba Moore, John R. Hundley III. Management Dilemma, Fred E. Schuster.
• 5. Work Life Balance and Gender Issues. Women in the Workplace, Al Gini. Management and Women and the New Facts of Life, Felice N. Schwartz. Child Care Comes to Work, Bonnie Harris. Gender Issues at "Your House", John Hasnas. Worth the Effort, Raymond S. Pfeiffer, Ralph P. Forsberg. Foreign Assignment, Thomas Dunfee, Diana Robertson. Sexual Discrimination at Eastern Airlines, Al Gini.
• 6. Corporate Obligations and Responsibilities: Everything Old is New Again! The Fall of Michael Milken, O.C. Ferrell, Gwyweth M. Vaughn. Enron: From Paragon to Pariah, Lisa H. Newton. The Good Old Boys at WorldCom, Dennis Moberg, Edward Romar. The Adelphia Story, Devin Leonard. The Ford Pinto, W. Michael Hoffman. Radials, Rollovers, and Responsibility: An Examination of the Ford-Firestone Case. Robert Noggle, Daniel Palmer. A.H. Robins: The Dalkon Shield, Al Gini, Terry Sullivan.
• 7. Multinationals. The Ethical Wealth of Nations, Thomas Donaldson. AIDS and Life-Saving Medicines Responsibilities, Oliver F. Williams. Chrysler and Gae Feng: Corporate Responsibility for Religious and Political Freedom in China, Michael A. Santoro. The Great Non-Debate Over International Sweatshops, Ian Maitland. Shell Oil in Nigeria, John R. Boatright. Levi Strauss and Co. and China, Edwin M. Epstein, Timothy Perkins, Colleen O'Connel, Carin Orosco, Mark Rickey, Matthew Scoble.
• 8. Privacy, Ethics and Technology. Technology and Ethics: Privacy in the Workplace, Laura P. Hartman. Virtual Morality: A New Workplace Quandary, Michael J. McCarthy. Rippers, Portal Users and Profilers: Three Web-Based Issues for Business Ethics, Martin Calkins. Cyberethics: 7 Short Cases, Richard A. Spinello. E-mail Policy and Johnson and Dresser, Richard A. Spinello.
• 9. Leadership. Leadership: An Overview, Al Gini. The Call of Leaders, Gary Wills. Ethics: Take It From the Top, Maynard M. Dolecheck, Carolyn C. Dolecheck. Ways Women Lead, Judy B. Rosener. Moral Mazes: Bureaucracy and Managerial Work, Robert Jackall. Not a Fool, Not a Saint, Thomas Teal. Visionary's Dream Led to Risky Business, Peter Behr, April Witt. Former Tyco Executives are Charged, Mark Maremont, Jerry Markon.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

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Business Ethics

(9 reviews)

OpenStax College

Copyright Year: 2018

ISBN 13: 9781947172579

Publisher: OpenStax

Language: English

Formats Available

Conditions of use.

Learn more about reviews.

Reviewed by Ingrid Greene, Clinical Assistant Professor, Loyola Marymount University on 6/6/23

I think that the subjects that are covered are thorough and they use great examples. But, I also feel that the textbook is missing a lot of key topics such as the role of technology and a deeper dive into the role of governments and non-profits. I... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

I think that the subjects that are covered are thorough and they use great examples. But, I also feel that the textbook is missing a lot of key topics such as the role of technology and a deeper dive into the role of governments and non-profits. I understand that it is important to include a lot about philosophy, but I think that there is a lot of room for improvement with a deeper dive of some other key parts of the curriculum. The philosophy part has many sources outside of a traditional textbook since this topic is has been studied for thousands of years, and doesn't need to be covered as thoroughly here. More time could be spend on other topics like non-profits and governance. I think that it is missing key parts about the role of a Board of Directors, how they are elected, and their responsibilities.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Everything looked accurate and detailed properly.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Yes, updates will be possible, and they link to relevant articles or cases that are very up-to-date. Again, I would just add more about technology and the role of non-profits.

Clarity rating: 4

I like the book, but the slides could be more clear and complete. Many of the slides have only a small photo and very limited text. They do not include much of the text material. I needed to create my own slides, and/or skip much of the material.

Consistency rating: 5

The book is very professional, and easy to read. There are key diagrams, and highlighting of key ideas. The slides, again, could use some help to coordinate better with the book.

Modularity rating: 5

It is very easy to read. I assigned the book to an 8th grader, and she was able to move through it easily and it engaged her interest. I took this as a good sign that it is good as an introduction to ethics for someone who is not familiar with the topic.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The topics are well organized, but I would add a lot more about the world of non-profits. The external references to HBR cases is great. The frequent cases are also great.

Interface rating: 5

This is great. No problem with viewing it on multiple devices and computers.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Since this book centers a lot around culture, it would be hard to not give it a 5.

As I mentioned, it is important to have slides that really include much of the text, and I found the teacher resources for this very weak. I am hopeful that this could be improved. I did not have a chance to test the integration with our CMS, but I am hopeful that it could be helpful. I like that they include quizzes since this too can be time consuming for students. Lastly, I very much recommend that they include the work of non-profits in the discussion with business since this is a key player when we talk about doing things ethically, and getting input from key stakeholders.

Reviewed by Alysa D Lambert, Professor of HRM, Indiana University - Southeast (New Albany) on 2/21/23

The text covers a wide breadth of ethics and addresses all major and then some secondary topics in ethics. It also provides some of the history of ethical frameworks and their origins. It provides brief cases and critical thinking questions for... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The text covers a wide breadth of ethics and addresses all major and then some secondary topics in ethics. It also provides some of the history of ethical frameworks and their origins. It provides brief cases and critical thinking questions for students to deepen their knowledge.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

I saw very few errors. The tone of the book reads as unbiased and covers all major theories of ethics.

Updates will be required but only as related to current ethical issues in business. As technology and business change, globalization continues to grow then the ethical issues will change and need to be updated. The ethical frameworks and the history of ethics will not change very much.

The book was clearly written with understandable examples. The resources are clear, relevant and recent.

Consistency rating: 4

The framework, format and vocabulary used were consistent and did not require extra explanation. For example, the "Link to Learning" boxes were great for giving students the chance to learn more about a topic. These will have to be checked frequently to ensure they are still live links which relates to the how relevant the book is in the future.

Modularity rating: 3

This could be improved. More headings, more sub-headings and more short case examples would increase the modularity of the text. Have short ethical dilemmas as conversation starters would also be a great addition.

I saw no issues with the organization of the material. My only suggestion would be to consider changing the "epilogue" chapter. It is titled, "Why ethics still matters?" I would hope after reading some much about ethics that much of this discussion would be obvious so breaking these points out and including them throughout may be one way to keep the relevance of studying ethics at the forefront of the course.

I did not see anything of concern here.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

Culture has a prominent place in the book. I selected a 4 rating because there is always room for growth, but I believe the text does a really good job of reminding students of the cultural implications related to ethics. More examples could be added on LGBTQ+ issues, in particular the ethical implications related to inclusion and protecting those in the workplace who are in transition or who have transitioned.

Reviewed by Elizabeth Collier, Christopher Chair in Business Ethics, Dominican University on 5/2/22

This book includes the standard theories covered in most business ethics textbooks, along with a few additional frameworks that include cross-cultural opportunities for discussion and a broadening of what students may consider as they develop... read more

This book includes the standard theories covered in most business ethics textbooks, along with a few additional frameworks that include cross-cultural opportunities for discussion and a broadening of what students may consider as they develop their understanding of ethics. It covers a wide range of topics and cases and could be used in a general undergraduate course to cover a lot of ground. The many opportunities for critical thinking and the deeper discussion questions allow for this to be used at a general graduate level MBA course as well. If used in an MBA course, additional materials or lectures would need to be added because book moves at a quick clip and has just the basics on each topic, while covering many different topics.

The materials are accurate and there are many critical thinking questions provided that allow for deeper engagement with the frameworks and cases through assignments and discussions.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The content includes traditional cases that all students should be aware of and also many recent cases that explore issues not covered in the past. The ability for sections of these types of books to be updated semi-regularly means that the book should not be obsolete any time soon and could be augmented/updated very easily in the future with new cases that have arisen.

Clarity rating: 5

The book is well written, clear, very concise, and includes references and a glossary for each chapter.

The book maintains consistency throughout in format, cases, questions, glossary, photos, videos and opportunities for engagement.

In addition to the book being easily broken up by week into a quarter or semester, there are optional Canvas and Blackboard downloads that are comprehensive, along with resources for assignments aiding an instructor in maintaining the modularity, clarity and organization.

The book has a clear organization that it maintains throughout.

Interface rating: 4

There is an "errata" function on the OpenStax site that explains all issues related to this category and the book seems to be updated every spring to address issues with links, quiz questions and other minor corrections.

I did not find any grammatical errors.

This book does make use of examples that are inclusive of a variety of races, ethnicities and other aspects of diversity in the workplace.

This is an excellent option for those looking to include OER materials into the business classroom. Many people from a wide range of academic disciplines contributed to or reviewed the text. There are very few resources for OER business ethics texts, so the comprehensiveness of this text, along with the many supplemental resources for faculty, are really a great resource at this time.

Reviewed by Rebeca Book, Professor, Pittsburg State University on 4/19/22

The textbook is very comprehensive and covers many areas. Good background in providing the foundation and history of ethics and the different perspectives. Thought the different links to current stories and interviews also was beneficial. Was... read more

The textbook is very comprehensive and covers many areas. Good background in providing the foundation and history of ethics and the different perspectives. Thought the different links to current stories and interviews also was beneficial. Was very comprehensive in that with the OpenStax and this particular textbook, the instructor has access to importing information (to me it was the Canvas Learning Management System) such as tests, powerpoints, etc. This additional information could also be downloaded and separate from a Learning Management System if needed.

Content was accurate and did not find any errors. Felt some areas might be a little biased, but in ethics this can easily happen and information was discussed in a relevant and thoughtful manner.

Interesting to think if it would become obsolete because I could relate to some of the interviews and stories, but later in a few years they might become obsolete but not the actual content or purpose of the information. Student might not relate as well to the stories later if they don't recognize the names or companies. Since the textbook is OpenStax I would think that the authors and audiences that use the textbook might update or bring in discussions to bring more current stories to the textbook.

The text is very lucid and easy to understand and read. Information is clearly explained and there are even portions of each area with key terms, summary and assessment. The textbook even has outlined expected outcomes for each chapter.

The text is consistent in terminology and framework.

The text can be divided into different reading sections easily. For my own purposes I do not devote a whole semester to ethics, so because there is so much good content and thought provoking insights, it will be hard to decide what to assign or use. But if the textbook were to be used entirely for a course, everything is well laid out.

I do believe the text is laid out in a logical and clear fashion.

I did not find the text itself to have interface problems. Was pleasantly surprised that I could even download the textbook onto my Kindle! The only problems that I had were using it with Canvas, but the problems were on my end and not with the textbook itself. I wonder in the future if there could be problems with links if they are discontinued or websites change, but hopefully there won't be any issues.. I didn't have any problems with the links when I used them in going through and reading the textbook.

The book, being on ethics, is very careful of cultures. It attempts in a very thoughtful way to help navigate and be sensitive to different races, ethnicities, and backgrounds.

Reviewed by Elissa Magnant, Visiting Instructor, University of Massachusetts Lowell on 6/29/20

This textbook is comprehensive. In fact, it provides more than enough information for either an undergraduate course in Business Ethics or a more in-depth analysis for seminar or graduate students if the video case studies are utilized fully. ... read more

This textbook is comprehensive. In fact, it provides more than enough information for either an undergraduate course in Business Ethics or a more in-depth analysis for seminar or graduate students if the video case studies are utilized fully. Because of the depth of content, for undergraduates the text might be best assigned by specific page numbers to cover specific topics, instead of full chapters all at once.

The text is well researched by astute world renown faculty who use peer reviewed materials.

One reason to use this book is that it is up to date. It covers more recent business ethics dilemmas than print or print/digital texts because by virtue of being open source and fully digital, it is kept more up to date than other textbooks I have used.

This book is well written and easy for the student to comprehend. It also provides instructor support material of a test bank which is also well designed.

This book is compatible with the humanistic ethics framework, including a focus on dignity, fairness and collaboration.

This textbook implements short case studies called "Cases from the Real World," opportunities for students to think and reflect on ethics questions as well as multiple headings/sub-headings for ease of division and assignment.

I like the organization of this textbook as it starts with the basic philosophical frameworks and moves to modern day real business ethics challenges so that the student progresses through stages, understanding how topics build upon each other as the book evolves.

Students really enjoy the option of buying a paper version of this book, which is made available on our campus for under $20. They also enjoyed the easily downloadable version of the text with clickable links, especially because they can download it or view it from any device. It makes it very easy to ask them to read and then evaluate their ethical considerations of the material in class or online.

I am unaware of any grammatical errors in this text.

This text does an exceptional job of providing students with a balanced understanding of ethical globalization. It is liberal toward US government ethics and could perhaps provide more balanced nuances when addressing those topics.

I used two other popular Business Ethics textbooks prior to making the change to this textbook. I am so happy I did. It provides a no-cost option to those who use it digitally, a low-cost option to those who want to also have access to a professionally printed version, and it covers more up-to-date business ethics topics than either of the previous texts I used. I look forward to the updates as they help to keep the class relevant and challenging for all.

Reviewed by Kerry Dolan, Accounting/Business Department Chair, TRAILS on 11/22/19

The content is of the book is more than enough to support a full semester 200-level business ethics course and it does a good job of covering the basic ethics principles as well as specific examples that are relevant to the contemporary business... read more

The content is of the book is more than enough to support a full semester 200-level business ethics course and it does a good job of covering the basic ethics principles as well as specific examples that are relevant to the contemporary business world.

I'm not an expert in the field of business ethics, but given my background in general business and accounting, I did not encounter any information in the textbook that appeared to be inaccurate.

Relevance is always an issue with business-related textbooks because real-world examples quickly become outdated. However, this issue does not appear to be more pervasive with this text, nor would it be difficult to update or supplement any outdated examples. The basic concepts presented are not subject to obsolescence.

The text is very clear and understandable for lower-level college students that are encountering the basics of business ethics for the first time.

Text appeared to be consistent throughout. Clear organization and presentation.

I really liked how the book was organized with chapters and sections making it easy to assign partial chapters and/or specific sections and a manageable number of chapters and sections.

The text starts with broad concepts and moves to specific applications in business. The organization makes the presentation of the information clear to those who are being exposed to this discipline for the first time with this textbook.

Interface rating: 3

When reading this on a Kindle device, there were some areas where it was hard to decipher a picture caption from the string of text as as a result of digital page breaks and adjusted text sized, but once you got through the first chapter and were more familiar with the organization of each chapter it was not a distracting issue.

I didn't notice any grammatical errors.

The textbook did not appear to go out of its way to make sure that all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds were included, but there was a range of diverse images and examples. I did not see any culturally insensitive or offensive examples or images from my perspective.

Reviewed by Lou Cartier, Adjunct Instructor, Business and Management, Aims Community College on 8/1/19

At 367 pages, with 10 integrated, substantive chapters, constructive “end notes” and assessments on the evolution of ethical reasoning, leadership, and the challenges of “becoming an ethical professional” and “making a difference in the business... read more

At 367 pages, with 10 integrated, substantive chapters, constructive “end notes” and assessments on the evolution of ethical reasoning, leadership, and the challenges of “becoming an ethical professional” and “making a difference in the business world,” this is a comprehensive text, suitable for undergraduate business students and instructors not necessarily trained in philosophy. It is a great fit for single semester course, whether offered in conventional blocks of 15 weeks, 10 or eight. Topical case studies, video links, “what would you do” scenarios and assessments, chapter glossaries, and a helpful index reflect a breadth of industry, organizational, and cultural perspectives. The Preface, outlining the book’s purpose, architecture, contributing authors and student and instructor resources (i.e., “Getting Started” guide, test bank and PPts) appears responsive to both a student’s critical eye and an instructor’s operational check list. Moreover, the test banks (10) appear solid, with multiple choice and short essay answer questions linked to the Bloom’s Taxonomy grid (plus instructor’s answer guide). Power Point slides (15-25 per unit) offer critical thinking and discussion prompts. Collectively, these components illuminate the principles, practices, and historical seeds of business ethics and corporate social responsibility in a compelling presentation.

I encountered no obvious error or mischaracterization. The authors evidently have taken pains to document their content, including graphic and video links. In citations, I appreciate both the hard information and informal context provided. In Ch. 6, for example, minimum wages in every state rely upon 2017 data from “the National Conference of State Legislatures, U.S. Dept. of Labor and state websites” (Fig. 6.9), while in the next (Fig. 6.10), under the colorful graphic, we have this: “Right-to-work states have typically been clustered in the South and Southeast, where unions have been traditionally less prevalent.” That attribution references “Copyright Rice University, Open Stax, under CC BY 4.0 license,” sufficient for “educational use,” it would seem. Faculty also will appreciate the ease of flagging and correcting three kinds of errata: factual, typo, broken links.

As other reviewers have noted, this text – like most in “applied ethics” – relies on contemporary examples of business practice, including articles and video segments drawn from the business press and government oversight venues that may grow less compelling in another five years or so (think Enron and its accounting partner, Arthur Andersen, 2000-era exemplars of white collar crime not referenced here). Yet this text does a serviceable job of setting cases as old as Ford Motor Company’s fraught introduction of the Edsel (1958) and the “Chicago Tylenol Murders (1982) and as fresh as United Airlines forced removable of a ticketed passenger from a seat needed by an airlines employee (2017) amid sufficient historical, theoretical, and organizational context to grasp the key lessons of Unit 3.2: “Weighing Stakeholder Claims.” There is little danger of obsolescence, particularly since the open textbook network makes it so easy to correct errors and substitute current examples for the somewhat dated.

The clarity and quality of writing is superb, likely a reflection of lead collaborators Stephen Byars, who teaches “oral and written communication” as well as business ethics, and Kurt Stanberry, whose “legal and leadership” credentials are exercised in his continuing education seminars with CPA’s, attorneys, and business execs … nice fits for this subject. Students still ln high school, or in the growing cadre of “co-enrolled” in community college may struggle with this text, yet the publisher’s clear attention to content “building blocks” may comfort even the less mature and experienced student. For example, in any given chapter, readers 1) begin with an outline, learning objectives, and 500 – 1,000 word introduction, 2) encounter “cases from the real world” and “what would you do” tests of comprehension, and 3) close with a narrative summary, glossary of key terms, and short set of “assessment” questions. “Links to learning” include such clever questions as whether Coca-Cola’s soft pedaling of its huge demands for water in arid climates amounts to “greenwashing” (Ch. 3) or whether certain animals ought to be off limits for human consumption because of “sentience,” their ability to think and/or feel pain, (Peter Singer, Ch. 8). In addition “key terms” for every chapter are short and clear, i.e. “Integrity … because there is unity between what we say and what we do.”

Like two previous reviewers, I found the prose and organization to be coherent and consistent. Depth, attention to detail, terminology, and overall framework are consistent, linked by “key terms” and succinct introductions and summary reviews of each chapter. In the main cases, scenarios, and references to events are compelling, current or sufficiently grounded in context to be evergreen. Videos, on the other hand, come in all types, lengths, and flavors, from five minutes to more than an hour, from sit-down interview to taped panel discussion to challenging presentation in front of a group. The resourceful or determined instructor might guide students to a time code? This is not necessarily a weakness, though uneven production values should be expected.

Yes, this material lends itself to modularity, this despite a carefully constructed progression from “why this subject matters” to “how our forebears have grappled with responsibility” to “who has a stake in these decisions” to “what we owe each other” in specific manifestations of corporate and professional enterprise. It appears that in every chapter, its major units could be assigned separately, within an instructor’s unique unifying paradigm. Individual “features” could backstop of enrich discussions in class or online. There are no “enormous blocks of text” to impede easy snipping, and thoughtful subheadings appear to break up the challenge to comprehension and endurance.

The inherent logic of this text is apparent. Authors move from a philosophical foundation (“Why ethics matters?” and approaches to “intention v. outcomes” over time) to exploration of the stakeholder theory to close examination of ethical issues in business, the professions, and organizations in the voluntary and public sectors. A unifying feature is the Introduction, key terms, “assessment questions” and “end notes” for each chapter. Personal interviews or video clips from business owners and other stakeholders, supplemented by relevant documents such as ethics policies, training materials, and previews of business development … such as New Belgium CEO Kim Jordan’s (and “contemporary thought leader”) rationale for an east coast brewery in Asheville NC (opened May 2016) help cement understanding of such integral topics in corporate social responsibility as “sustainability.”

This textbook is available online, in pdf or web view, and in print (presumably suitable for loose leaf binder for nominal cost, which instructors may facilitate through campus bookstores, if appropriate). While some are not fond of “text boxes interspersed with the main text” my students using other similar e-texts have not reported problems. That said, I did not experience the online version of this text on Kindle or my phone, which might be instructive. On the other hand, while not “distorted” I found some of the power points unhelpful, to the point of distracting or annoying the viewer. Some seem busy, with narrative text blocks under anecdotal photos or graphics in print too small for comfortable display in class. Moreover, the “what would you do?” questions in this mode seem to me presumptive, less helpful than, say, bullet references to facts, principles, or events. Instructors and overseers of “access and accessibility” may care to note that not all videos are followed by transcriptions. Overall, the heading and body styles are consistent. Selection of fonts (style and size) maximize on screen legibility. Text blocks are in contrasting color to distinguish it from background, with minimal highlighting that does not appear arbitrary. On the whole, I found layout and design mechanically sound, with pages and links numbered and labelled consistently and - to the extent sampled -- no broken links.

None observed.

There is plenty to commend on this criteria. For one thing, Ch. 5, “The Impact of Culture and Time,” engages fundamental faith beliefs globally as well as the authority of religion tradition, and challenges students to explore the “universality “of values in business ethics. For instance this text does not shrink from illustrations of both “honor and shame” in business. In Appendix C, “A Succinct Theory of Business Ethics, the authors plainly and forcefully state their underlying thesis: that business ethics ought be grounded in deontology more than in utilitarianism, that “ends” are insufficient justification for questionable “means” in formulating and executing business strategy. Illustrations of demographic and behavioral diversity and inclusion – including animal rights and the implications for research and recreation – are plentiful, addressed in Ch. 8, “Recognizing and Respecting the Rights of All,” as well as the succeeding chapter on various professions.

This is an excellent “open educational resource” for business ethics and corporate social responsibility, one I intend to tap personally. The “closing parts” especially – including “Succinct Themes in Business Ethics” – are attractive guides to curriculum development and standalone discussion prompts in the classroom or online. “Lives of Ethical Philosophers (500 to 1,000 word summaries), and “Profiles in Business Ethics: Contemporary Thought Leaders,” adds a valuable philosophical heft that, for community and junior colleges especially, our accrediting and articulation partners will be pleased to see. I further value the selection of relevant supplemental material from independent consultants that range from the very basic, i.e., “Five Questions to Identify Key Stakeholders” to those that verge on the proprietary. These include descriptions of systems to monitor and “manage” customer and other stakeholder involvement, corporate codes of conduct … even a link to free personality test (Sec. 7.3), for which “bonus” I am grateful to Steve Custer of Oakland City University for pointing out.

Reviewed by Debra Sulai, Instructor, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania on 3/12/19

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the key elements of ethical theory (Aristotelian virtue, Kantian deontology, utilitarianism, Rawls' theory of justice); the social, political, and cultural contexts of business; and the importance... read more

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the key elements of ethical theory (Aristotelian virtue, Kantian deontology, utilitarianism, Rawls' theory of justice); the social, political, and cultural contexts of business; and the importance of ethics to business, while going into greater philosophical depth than comparable textbooks. It addresses most of the key topical areas of business ethics but avoids the listicle approach of other business ethics textbooks in which every topic under the sun is stitched together with little overarching context. It also includes things like a discussion of ethics and organized labor, which other books overlook. I would, however, like to see more dedicated attention to the ethical issues raised by technology, perhaps by engaging with a philosopher of technology.

The index at the back and the detailed table of contents will make information easy to find. Each chapter's glossary will be helpful to students who are new to the subject. I particularly like the profiles of the four philosophers in the appendix: so often, ethics is taught in a disembodied and ahistorical manner, which makes it harder for students to see the relevance of the ideas being taught. These supplementary contextual elements would make this a good textbook for an instructor whose primary training was not in philosophy.

As an added advantage, the number of chapters does not exceed the number of weeks in a standard semester, and at 10 chapters plus an epilogue could also fit within a quarter system.

As far as I can tell, the content is accurate and clear. It was reviewed by dozens of faculty from a wide variety of institutions.

The book's use of contemporary examples means that it will date, but no more than any other textbook in applied ethics. As many of the examples are set out in textboxes or as links to external resources, it would be a relatively simple matter for an instructor to substitute recent examples when necessary. Chapter 10 on changing work environments and future trends is the chapter most likely to date quickly. The other applied sections will probably last 5-10 years; the ethical theory sections will remain relevant for a longer period of time.

I think this is appropriate for a general-education course in business ethics. I found it to be clear, although a student new to the subject or to philosophy may find that concepts are introduced at a quick pace. It does not suffer from unnecessary jargon; it is, as Aristotle said, as clear as the subject matter allows.

The prose and organization is consistent; it could have been single-authored.

Modularity rating: 4

It would be possible to use some portions of the text and not others, but it is not fully modular in that it was carefully constructed to provide the necessary philosophical and social context for business ethics prior to considering particular applied topics in business ethics. As it presents a sustained argument about business ethics (and this is a strength; philosophy is, after all, largely about making good arguments), it isn't the sort of thing that one could simply cut up and reassemble willy-nilly. However, I can easily see how an instructor could use various chapters to supplement or introduce other material. Chapters are internally divided into sections that could be read, assigned, or discussed separately.

Many business ethics textbooks combine three or four different courses in one: a book about ethics, a book about management and stakeholder theory, and a book about work and vocation, and give the impression of fairly disparate topics somewhat awkwardly and haphazardly stitched together. This book is logically organized to take students from basic moral theory through the application of those theories to key issues in business ethics, before circling back again to ethics in the epilogue.

Rather than being organized into chapters according to common areas of ethical problems in business (finance, accounting, affirmative action, greed, advertising and marketing, sexual harassment, sustainability, stakeholder theory, etc.) with few connections made between, this book addresses those issues under a relatively small number of chapter headings, and presents them through an ethical and social framework that is developed in the early chapters. I find this to be a more cohesive approach to the subject than is present in other textbooks.

I experienced no problems with the interface. The book is professionally produced. I personally do not like the use of text boxes interspersed with the main text, but I recognize that this is a common textbook feature.

I saw no grammatical issues. This book has been professionally edited.

This book includes a Confucian look at virtue ethics and attends to the cultural context in which the philosophers worked. It also contains a chapter on business ethics across time, place, culture and religion, a more comprehensive approach than the usual "business in a global context" topical chapter of other books. A chapter on respecting the rights of all addresses disability, gender inclusivity, religious diversity, animal ethics, and income inequality. In the following chapter there is a section on the business of health care, which I have not seen in any other similar text.

This is an outstanding introductory text in business ethics, with a level of philosophical sophistication and organizational coherence that exceeds most comparable texts. The chapter summaries, glossaries, and review quizzes are helpful aids to student learning, and the embedded links to interviews, videos, and case studies make it easy to adapt to active learning or on-line instruction. The amount of philosophical context makes it a particularly good choice for instructors of business ethics whose primary training is in business, management, law, or a related field, rather than in ethics or philosophy, or for a philosopher whose primary area of expertise is outside business ethics.

It does read as though it is a written version of excellent lectures in business ethics, which is not necessarily a weakness. The most significant drawback to this text, in my view, is that it includes no primary sources. As a philosopher teaching applied ethics, I know that business ethics may be the only course in philosophy that my students take. I also know this may be my students' primary or sole opportunity to read the classics of the western tradition. Therefore, I think this book could be enhanced by presenting some primary source readings. These could be added as an appendix or at the beginning or end of each chapter, or taken from other sources by the instructor.

I currently use an Oxford anthology for my business ethics course. However, if I were to assign a traditional textbook, I would switch to this book without reservation, and I am very likely to try this book in future courses.

Reviewed by Steve Custer, Associate Professor, Oakland City University on 2/25/19

The Business Ethics textbook is comprehensive in that it covers a broad range of ethical issues as well as delving into the history of ethics. The online format enhances the easy of use for the index. read more

The Business Ethics textbook is comprehensive in that it covers a broad range of ethical issues as well as delving into the history of ethics. The online format enhances the easy of use for the index.

I found the textbook to be accurate. I did not find any outstanding errors in the book. It is very well written and easy to understand.

From Toyota to Samsung and Starbucks, excellent examples of business ethics abound. Additionally, this textbook is quite effective in bringing to life many current events.

The book exceeds expectations in clarity. The key terms and assessment questions at the end of each chapter give extra help to those seeking to know the material in depth.

The dictionary defines consistency as a "condition of adhering together." I feel that this textbook accomplished that purpose. Moreover, it brought together principles of business ethics in a well-developed manner.

The online format enhances this textbook's modularity. The online links to learning are a welcome addition and add a nice touch.

The book is organized very well, and the online format makes keyword searches very easy to navigate.

The Business Ethics textbook is easy to navigate and understand. Nothing is wasted that takes away from the material.

I found the Business Ethics textbook to be free of any outstanding grammatical errors.

There are many examples this book gives on cultural relevance: #metoo, transgender ethics, environmental ethics, animal ethics, and diversity and inclusion.

I really enjoyed the link to the free personality test. That was a great bonus feature. "It is nice to be important, but more important to be nice." What a powerful sentiment and an appropriate quote to be included! This is a great textbook and I plan to utilize it in an upcoming business ethics course.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Why Ethics Matter

• 1.1 Being a Professional of Integrity
• 1.2 Ethics and Profitability
• 1.3 Multiple versus Single Ethical Standards

Chapter 2: Ethics from Antiquity to the Present

• 2.1 The Concept of Ethical Business in Ancient Athens
• 2.2 Ethical Advice for Nobles and Civil Servants in Ancient China
• 2.3 Comparing the Virtue Ethics of East and West
• 2.4 Utilitarianism: The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number
• 2.5 Deontology: Ethics as Duty
• 2.6 A Theory of Justice

Chapter 3: Defining and Prioritizing Stakeholders

• 3.1 Adopting a Stakeholder Orientation
• 3.2 Weighing Stakeholder Claims
• 3.3 Ethical Decision-Making and Prioritizing Stakeholders
• 3.4 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Chapter 4: Three Special Stakeholders: Society, the Environment, and Government

• 4.1 Corporate Law and Corporate Responsibility
• 4.2 Sustainability: Business and the Environment
• 4.3 Government and the Private Sector

Chapter 5: The Impact of Culture and Time on Business Ethics

• 5.1 The Relationship between Business Ethics and Culture
• 5.2 Business Ethics over Time
• 5.3 The Influence of Geography and Religion
• 5.4 Are the Values Central to Business Ethics Universal?

Chapter 6: What Employers Owe Employees

• 6.1 The Workplace Environment and Working Conditions
• 6.2 What Constitutes a Fair Wage?
• 6.3 An Organized Workforce
• 6.4 Privacy in the Workplace

Chapter 7: What Employees Owe Employers

• 7.1 Loyalty to the Company
• 7.2 Loyalty to the Brand and to Customers
• 7.3 Contributing to a Positive Work Atmosphere
• 7.4 Financial Intergrity
• 7.5 Criticism of the Company and Whistleblowing

Chapter 8: Recognizing and Respecting the Rights of All

• 8.1 Diversity and Inclusion in the Workforce
• 8.2 Accommodating Different Abilities and Faiths
• 8.3 Sexual Identification and Orientation
• 8.4 Income Inequalities
• 8.5 Animal Rights and the Implications for Business

Chapter 9: Professions under the Microscope

• 9.1 Entrepreneurship and Start-Up Culture
• 9.2 The Influence of Advertising
• 9.3 The Insurance Industry
• 9.4 Ethical Issues in the Provision of Health Care

Chapter 10: Changing Work Environment and Future Trends

• 10.1 More Telecommuting or Less?
• 10.2 Workplace Campuses
• 10.3 Alternatives to Traditional Patterns of Work
• 10.4 Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and the Workplace of the Future

Chapter 11: Epilogue: Why Ethics Still Matter

• 11.1 Business Ethics in an Evolving Environment
• 11.2 Committing to an Ethical View
• 11.3 Becoming an Ethical Professional
• 11.4 Making a Difference in the Business World

Ancillary Material

About the book.

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.

Opinion | O.J. Simpson, whose murder trial reshaped the media, dies at 76

Simpson’s trial lured a nation to its tvs, launched a network, created enduring ethics case studies and led to numerous career breakouts..

O.J. Simpson died this week at 76 after a battle with prostate cancer.

What else belongs in that sentence was a question newsrooms around the country tried to answer Thursday.

How do you adequately capture an all-American football phenomenon and larger-than-life Black celebrity who took a horrifying turn to murder suspect and then defendant in a “trial of the century” that galvanized a nation in front of the television; a 20th-century symbol and an enduring fascination?

The challenge of describing Simpson is a testament to just how complicated a figure he was. For its headline, The New York Times went with “Athlete Whose Trial Riveted the Nation,” while The Washington Post landed on “football great whose trial for murder became a phenomenon.”

The news of Simpson’s death was announced by his family on Thursday , prompting discussions of his life, legacy and what his trial and acquittal in the stabbing deaths of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and waiter Ron Goldman mean close to 30 years later.

The trial, with a beloved celebrity defendant, a backdrop of racial tension only a few years after the 1992 Los Angeles riots, a breaking news car chase and footage from inside the courtroom, made for a natural media sensation. Ethical case studies abounded from trial coverage.

Time magazine’s June 1994 cover, featuring Simpson’s mugshot with a dramatic filter overlay that caught flak for darkening his skin color to make him look more sinister — and guilty — is a classic example in journalism classes of the ethics of photo manipulation.

Judge Lance Ito’s decision to allow cameras in the courtroom , itself a tricky ethical decision at the intersection of due process and the media, made the constant trial footage compelling fodder for viewers (and a standout example for critics of televised trials ).

That steady stream of footage also helped Court TV make a name for itself , a kingmaking moment for the young network following its coverage of the Menendez brothers murder trial .

And TMZ, which had the first media reports of Simpson’s death , was created by Harvey Levin, who came to prominence as a lawyer-turned-journalist at Los Angeles’ KCBS-TV while covering the Simpson murder trial.

Trial coverage also gave plenty of other reporters and commentators their big breakout moments: Jeanine Pirro , Greta Van Susteren , Geraldo Rivera , Jeffrey Toobin and more.

It’s hard to overstate how seismic Simpson’s trial and acquittal were. His death immediately led to reflections on that spectacle, the lasting impact on the news media, and the lessons journalists should remember the next time there’s a “trial of the century.” (Toobin, for his part, was doing just that in a recent Q&A with Politico about former president Donald Trump’s upcoming trial).

Here are some of the obituaries:

• The New York Times with “O.J. Simpson, Athlete Whose Trial Riveted the Nation, Dies at 76.”
• The Washington Post with “O.J. Simpson, football great whose trial for murder became a phenomenon, dies at 76.”
• The San Francisco Chronicle, where Simpson was from, with “O.J. Simpson, fallen football hero and S.F. native, dies at 76.”
• ESPN with “O.J. Simpson dies of cancer at age 76, family says.”
• Not an obituary but an interesting piece of coverage: USA Today with “O.J. Simpson just died. Is it too soon to talk about his troubled past?” The piece compares Simpson’s legacy with figures like early rock ‘n’ roll star Jerry Lee Lewis, whose music career was derailed when he married his 13-year-old cousin, and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who was accused of rape in a docuseries released after his death.

By Annie Aguiar, audience engagement producer

A cross-generational media fascination

As Tom Jones noted earlier this week in The Poynter Report while writing about the networks’ superior camera equipment during the total solar eclipse , some unifying moments are just owned by broadcast television.

I was born in 1998, years after Simpson was found innocent and the media circus had long packed up its tents. Occasional references permeated pop culture, and that passing knowledge calcified into an after-the-fact fascination in 2016 with “O.J.: Made in America” and “The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.”

Simpson was such an enduring media figure, it doesn’t matter that I wasn’t even alive to sit in front of the television watching the white Bronco: Today, I turned to broadcast news to hear about O.J. Simpson.

I tuned into CBS News’ streaming network live today on X. Apologies to the team at CBS News, which I’m sure is doing great work on a consistent basis, but I don’t know if I’ve ever done that before.

But today, in a way my elder Gen Z, TikTok-addled brain and sad little attention span usually cringes at, I just wanted to hear a steady stream of experts with relevant archival footage. CBS News delivered that to me — and about 7,100 other viewers on X by the time I was done.

Former DCist journalists tease new worker-led outlet

Several former DCist journalists are soliciting names for a “worker-led, community-based, local outlet — one run by the people who actually make the journalism, not a C-suite.”

WAMU, an NPR member station owned by American University, abruptly shut down local news site DCist in February, laying off 15 people. WAMU general manager Erika Pulley-Hayes told Axios at the time that the organization was looking to focus on its audio products. Since the shutdown, a group of former DCist reporters have teased the possibility of starting their own worker-led outlet on social media.

“We’re committed to representing what it really means to live in D.C. Our coverage will serve the whole city: every ward, and each community that lives in and loves the District,” reads a Google Form asking people to help name the new outlet. “Our reporting will be guided by justice and equity, tackling the complex issues facing our city, like housing, safety, and education, from the perspective that all residents deserve these fundamental rights. Of course, we’re also going to be funny, curious, and irreverent at times… honoring the DCist tradition.”

Name options include 51st News, DCish, The DC Star, DC Free Press and WashRag. The group is also seeking suggestions for a tagline for their new outlet.

As layoffs in the industry abound, more and more journalists are starting worker-owned models with their former colleagues. Last year, reporters from Vice Media’s Motherboard launched 404 Media after Vice declared bankruptcy. Meanwhile, several staffers at Kotaku, owned by G/O Media, started their own outlet, Aftermath. The Colorado Sun, Defector and the current iteration of The Appeal have similar origin stories. The trend of journalists regrouping to start new ventures after a media outlet crash has long been a trend in the nonprofit news world, according to Poynter contributor Amaris Castillo .

By Angela Fu, media business reporter

Media tidbits and links for your weekend review

• “Usually, you need about 10 minutes to walk from the Rayburn House Office Building to the House Chamber. But if you’re running from a reporter, it’ll only take you five.” What a lede! It’s The Atlantic’s Elaine Godfrey with “Matt Gaetz is winning. But what’s the prize he’s after?”
• The MAGA movement and Fox News once seemed poised for a breakup. Founder and then-head Rupert Murdoch seemed to be souring on Donald Trump, and Trump was outraged when Fox News called Arizona — and therefore the 2020 election — for Joe Biden. But as Murdoch watched MAGA viewers’ contempt for the network growing, his tune may have changed — and he’s no longer in charge. “Now, four years later,” The Hollywood Reporter’s Lachlan Cartwright writes, “those close to Trump tell The Hollywood Reporter the ex-president is keen to establish more of a relationship with Murdoch’s eldest son and Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan, 52.”
• Speaking of Fox News, here’s The New York Times’ David Enrich with “How a Case Against Fox News Tore Apart a Media-Fighting Law Firm.”
• “The premium for people who can tell you things you do not know will only grow in importance, and no machine will do that,” says Jim VandeHei, CEO of Axios. The New York Times’ Katie Robertson has more on how Axios is preparing for artificial intelligence .
• Smart coverage from The Washington Post’s Philip Bump on Arizona’s abortion ban, which is derived from an 1864 law. Bump writes, “Here are some other laws Arizona had on the books in 1864.”
• The fallout at NPR continues following the publication of a critical column from Uri Berliner, a senior business editor who has worked at NPR for 25 years, in The Free Press . The New York Times’  Benjamin Mullin and Katie Robertson write “NPR in Turmoil After It Is Accused of Liberal Bias.”
• Another day that ends in “Y,” more outrage about journalists doing the most basic components of their jobs .
• Major League Baseball will likely move its Sunday morning games away from Peacock to another network, Andrew Marchand reports for The Athletic .
• Your internet service provider will soon unveil a “nutrition label” that will note speeds, fees and data caps. Engadget’s Mariella Moon shares what to expect .
• Axios’ Hope King with “James Cameron on tackling the next ‘Terminator.’”
• For Vanity Fair, it’s media reporter Brian Stelter with “The Caitlin Clark Effect.”
• This is fun … and unexpected. The Associated Press’ Steve Reed with “No inflation here: Affordable Masters’ menu still includes $1.50 pimento cheese sandwiches.”

More resources for journalists

• Cover trans issues with authority and accuracy in our Beat Academy webinars. Enroll today.
• Delve more deeply into your editing skills with Poynter ACES Intermediate Certificate in Editing .
• TV producers, consider our Poynter Producer Project . Apply by April 14.
• Editorial Integrity and Leadership Initiative is a fellowship for public media journalists. Apply by April 22.

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected] .

The Poynter Report is our daily media newsletter. To have it delivered to your inbox Monday-Friday, sign up here .

Opinion | NPR suspends an editor for his essay blasting … NPR

The firestorm caused by Uri Berliner’s critical essay in The Free Press continues to rage

Taylor Swift has not endorsed Joe Biden for president

As of mid-April 2024, Swift has not issued a public endorsement for the 2024 presidential election, despite social posts claiming otherwise

Opinion | Reaching its limits: CNN’s Gayle King-Charles Barkley show ends

A once-a-week show on Wednesday at 10 p.m. Eastern? Who thought this was a good idea?

Two new books are essential reading for anyone considering a news startup

One tells the stories of entrepreneurs taking the plunge. The other focuses on the tools, techniques and trends across an evolving media landscape

‘I’m seeing on a very personal level how challenging it is to be a younger reporter these days.’

The Dallas Morning News’ Tom Huang on why he’s championing this Poynter training for early-career journalists

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