FOCUS: Ethics in Competition Morality and Competitive Advantage

Successful business activity in the market is commonly likened to evolution and the survival of the fittest, in which there is little, if any, place for ethics. The author questions various assumptions underlying this view, and suggests that competition can bring out the best as well as the worst in human character. He is a member of the Department of Philosophy in the Faculty of Letters, Reading University, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 2AH. This paper was first presented at a Seminar on Teaching Business Ethics held at London Business School on Friday, 10 March, 1995.     

FOCUS: Investment

'Although the empirical and conceptual underpinnings of New Finance have been rigorously tested, its ethical underpinnings have not been explored.'These are seen to derive from the social remoteness of late twentieth century individualism, which needs to be countered by sensitivity to the social context of finance and to the developmental nature of ethical behaviour. The author is Fellow in Finance at Templeton College, Oxford.     

FOCUS: Ethics in Business and Health

"The NHS may not, on a tight definition, be a business, but it has an obligation to its financial stakeholders (the tax-payers), and this implies an ethical obligation to be business- like. This means it must be as well-managed as it is well-meaning." The author is Chairman of St George's Healthcare NHS Trust. Until 1988 she was Head of the Department of Politics at Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, where she is now Visiting Professor. She is a non-executive director of Norwich Union and of the HMV Group and her most recent book is Business Ethics at Work , Cambridge University Press, 1995.     

Understanding the Complex Relationship Between Creativity and Ethical Ideologies

The relationship between individuals’ creativity and their ethical ideologies appears to be complex. Applying Forsyth’s (1980, 1992) personal moral philosophy model which consists of two independent ethical ideology dimensions, idealism and relativism, we hypothesized and found support for a positive relationship between creativity and relativism. It appears that creative people are less likely than non-creative people to follow universal rules in their moral decision making. However, contrary to our hypothesis and the general stereotype that creative people are less caring about others, we found a positive relationship between creativity and idealism. These findings indicate that highly creative people are likely to be what Forsyth called “situationists,” individuals with both an ethic of caring and a pragmatic moral decision-making style. The finding that creative individuals tend to be situationists, and particularly that they tend to be high in idealism, appears to refute the line of reasoning that argues for a “creative personality” characterized in part by social insensitivity. Understanding the relationship between creativity and ethical ideologies has important implications for researchers, managers and teachers.     

FOCUS: Changing Regulations

When bad business behaviour is so much in the news is this a time for tighter regulation? But can standards be set for “good behaviour” in business? The author is Senior Lecturer in Public Relations and Philosophy at Leeds Business School, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds LS2 8AF.     

FOCUS: Business Ethics in Austria

Our Associate Editor for Austria describes the unique national features which underlie the recent development of modern business ethics in his country. Univ.-Prof. Dr Franz Rupert Hrubi is a member of the Abteilung für Philosophie, the University of Economics and Business Administration, A 1090 Vienna, Schlagergasse 6, Austria.     

FOCUS: Sex-Discrimination in Job Evaluation

Job evaluation systems are becoming increasingly important in Europe to counter sex-discrimination, but evaluation criteria can themselves be discriminatory. Dr Jeanne de Bruijn is Professor in Women and Policy at the Free University of Amsterdam.     

FOCUS: Key Issues in Ethical Investment

Welcome precision is brought to the idea, history, types and motives of ethical investment in what will become an authoritative review of the subject. Marc Cooper is a postgraduate researcher at the European Business Management School, University of Wales, and Bodo Schlegelmilch, recently British Rail Professor of Marketing there, has recently been appointed Professor of Marketing at the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird), Phoenix, Arizona.     

FOCUS: Ethical Problems in Ethics Research

Current research in business ethics gives serious cause for concern because it may be designed more to advance academic careers than to encourage ethical business. The author is completing his doctoral thesis in business ethics at the Management School, Imperial College, London.     

FOCUS: Ethical Demands and Requirements in Investment Management

Investment Management makes heavy ethical demands which are not an optional add-on, but part of the job of being a financial agent and fiduciary. The author is founder and President of Skandia Fonds, the Norwegian mutual funds management company affiliated with Skandia Group which pioneered the concept of green mutual funds in Norway. This paper was delivered at the Sixth Annual Conference of the European Business Ethics Network, held in Oslo last month. Its views are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent his company's policy.     

FOCUS: Ethics in Need of Regulation

How much real impact on business behaviour is achieved by ethical debate and discussion? The author contends that little ethical change will come about unless it is the subject of regulation and institutions, as instanced in equal opportunities, corporate governance and the quality of financial services. Dr Clarke is a member of the Department of Sociology, University of Liverpool, P.O. Box 147, Liverpool L69 3BX.     

FOCUS: Risks in Business Ethics and Venture Capital

By creating new ventures and new job opportunities venture capital is essential to a dynamic economy. But it should also be fair and ethical at every stage. Professor Fassin explores the various ethical issues which arise between venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and investors. He teaches at the University of Mons (FUCAM) and has written widely on management. From 1988-1991 he was Secretary General of the European Venture Capital Association. He is partner of the Veerick School of Management of the University of Ghent.     

FOCUS: Information Technology and Business Ethics

'Those who understand the underlying technology on which the modern business depends have a professional, social and moral obligation to look to the needs of their neighbours who lack that understanding'. Professor Ennals is a member of the Business Information Technology Research Unit of Kingston Business School, Kingston University, Kingston-on-Thames KT2 7LB, England, where he has shared in developing the new Business Information Technology degree.     

FOCUS: Guidance for British Managers

In 1990-92 Britain's Institute of Management commissioned a working party of its Professional Practice Committee to review the Institute's Code of Conduct and Guides to Professional Management Practice. Sheila Evers, currently Vice-Chairman of the Institute of Management, chaired the working party; and based on further discussions she has now written and compiled a supporting document, "The Manager as a Professional", with checklists for the individual manager. Copyright of the documents, reproduced here with permission, rests with The Institute of Management, which is, however, willing to permit their being used and quoted with due acknowledgement.     

FOCUS: Moral Responsibilities to Competitors

Are there any moral restraints on how a company should behave towards its competitors, or is all fair in love, war - and business? Dr Higginson is Director of the Ridley Hall Foundation, Cambridge CB3 9HG. The Foundation is concerned with the application of Christian faith and values in business, and conducts research, seminars, publications and speaking engagements to that end. This paper was first presented at a Seminar on Teaching Business Ethics held at London Business School on Friday, 10 March, 1995.     

Seeing Through and Breaking Through: The Role of Perspective Taking in the Relationship Between Creativity and Moral Reasoning

Journal of Business Ethics - The recent wave of same-sex marriage legalization marks the most significant human rights progress in decades. Nevertheless, the valuation effects on corporate America...     

FOCUS: Ethics and the NHS Reforms in the UK

"In the UK a so-called internal market has been operating within the government-run National Health Service since 1991." Analysing the ethical tensions to which this gives rise is Tom Sorell, Editor of this FOCUS , author with John Hendry of Business Ethics (Butterworth Heinemann 1994), Professor of Philosophy at the University of Essex and Fellow in the Ethics and the Professions Program at Harvard for 1996/97.     

商海拾趣

随着经济全球化和科技进步在经济各领域不断深入,世界必将进行新一轮产业结构调整升级,由此带来新一轮全球产业转移。新一轮国际产业转移为发展中经济体由产业链低端向高端升级,由生产制造向高端服务转型创造了新机遇,为转变经济发展方式开拓新空间和路径。