"Knee Deep in Technique: The Ethics of Monopoly Capital"

The moral intuitions and arguments of some prominent business ethics authors regarding the ethics of monopoly are drenched with contestable economic theory. Discussions too typically ignore theoretical alternatives and debates about the nature of monopolies, their assets and liabilities. I review the theoretical debates and show why they matter to business ethics. That there may be genuine cases of rivalrous monopoly, that monopolies might in the odd circumstance prove more efficient or become advantageous in contests with labor or useful in respect of a nation's international affairs does not imply we should unwary of monopolies. However, not only the best theory to date, but also the mere fact of serious disagreement in the field suggests that there is no necessary connection between monopolies and practices such as price discrimination, price fixing, bribery, collusion, and so on. This frustrates the most pervasive and most prominent argument so far for the claim that monopolies are intrinsically unethical.     

The External Ethics Audit: A Guided Experience in Self-Directed Web Inquiry

This paper reviews the literature related to internalethics audits and describes a class project thatinvolves the preparation of an external ethics auditvia web-based self-directed student inquiry. Theactivity promotes higher level thinking includingcritical exploration, analysis, synthesis, andevaluation. The assignment includes the followingcomponents: (1) consideration of ideas concerningcomponents of successful ethics programs, as presentedin identified background readings (available infull-text over the Internet); (2) identification ofrecommended elements for building a successful ethicsprogram and an ethical corporate culture; (3)location, via the Internet, of the corporate code ofethics of a selected organization; (4) analysis of theadequacy of the ethics program of the selectedorganization as compared to recommended elements; (5)investigation (through additional reading, interviews,etc.) of the corporate culture of the selectedorganization; and (6) preparation of an ethics auditinvolving the comparison of the selectedorganization's code of ethics to its actual corporateculture and behaviors, and including the areas thatare well addressed by the organization and those thatneed further attention.     

The Impact of Ethics Code Familiarity on Manager Behavior

Codes of ethics exist in many, if not the majority, of all large U.S. companies today. But how the impact of these written codes affect managerial attitudes and behavior is still not clearly documented or explained. This study takes a step in that direction by proposing that attention should shift from the codes themselves as the sources of ethical behavior to the persons whose behavior is the focus of these codes. In particular, this study investigates the role of code familiarity as a factor impacting the influence of an ethics code on manager behavior. Data collected from 286 executives from companies in the direct selling industry are used to test hypotheses (1) that the perceived usefulness of ethics codes is positively related to the degree of familiarity with the code, and (2) that ethical climate as assessed by managers is positively related to the code's perceived usefulness. Both hypotheses are supported, and their implications and further research directions are discussed.     

A Cross-Cultural Study of Ethics: The United States,Romania, Poland,and the Czech Republic

Global expansion of business into areas defined by different cultural and national environments creates the need for companies to better understand the impact of culture on business operations. Of particular importance is the role country of residence plays. Researchers argue that many cultural differences are malleable, capable of shifting to fit the corporate culture of an organization. However, additional research aimed at identifying different countries’ cultural values is needed. This paper presents the results of a multi-national survey of business students identifying differences in cultural perceptions of ethical behaviors. Differences in personal versus social decision making are discussed.     

DL公司直销面临的问题以及建议

进入21世纪,由于市场竞争日趋激烈以及DL自身的一些问题,近年来,DL公司在一些区域市场的销售额开始下滑,如何尽快扭转不利局面、恢复市场地位、获取利润成为DL公司面临的重要问题。本文对DL公司现有市场营销活动暴露出的一些问题做了分析,并提出了一些改进的建议。     

Revised Unique Selling Proposition: Scale Development,Validation, and Application

ABSTRACT

This article reports an empirical study that revisits the unique selling proposition (USP) concept by delineating the content domains based on an operational definition. A revised USP (RUSP) scale was developed and purified, resulting in five dimensions that were consistent with our theoretical conceptualization. An application study further demonstrated that a high or low level of RUSP characteristics in an ad is associated with ad effectiveness measures. Theoretical contributions, managerial applications, and future research directions are discussed.     

Teaching Business Ethics in UK Higher Education: Progress and Prospects

A large proportion of students in UK highereducation now study business and management. Although universities might be expected to aimto produce well-rounded graduates, there hasbeen a perception that business schools havetended to take a narrow view of businessstudies, paying little attention to ethicalissues. However, recently there have been somesigns of change. A survey was thereforeconducted to investigate the teaching ofbusiness ethics at both undergraduate andpostgraduate levels in the UK. Althoughprovision is still on a limited scale, signs ofgrowth are evident, with a significantproportion of institutions offering at leastsome business ethics teaching, either within a``mainstream' subject or as a separate module. This provision was reported as being wellreceived by students, but several challengesfor the future were identified, including thesupply of suitably qualified lecturers and theavailability of non-US case study material. The findings provide a baseline for trackingthe future development of business ethics inthe UK. Several suggestions for furtherresearch are also made.     

Similarities in Business and IT Professional Ethics: The Need for and Development of A Comprehensive Code of Ethics

The study of business ethics has led to the development of various principles that are the foundation of good and ethical business practices. A corresponding study of Information Technology (IT) professionals’ ethics has led to the conclusion that good ethics in the development and uses of information technology correspond to the basic business principle that good ethics is good business. Ergo, good business ethics practiced by IT professionals is good IT ethics and vice versa. IT professionals are professionals in businesses; a difficulty presented to these professionals, however, is the number and diversity of codes of ethics to which they may be held. Considering the existence of several formalized codes of ethics prepared by various IT professionals’ associations, a more harmonized approach seems more reasonable. This paper attempts to present a review of the purpose of codes of ethics, the persons who should be covered by such codes and to organize codes of ethics for business in general and IT professionals in particular and to make the argument that, once again, good ethics is good business practice, regardless of the profession or occupation concerned     

Mining, Corporate Social Responsibility and the "Community": The Case of Rio Tinto, Richards Bay Minerals and the Mbonambi

Mining companies have long had a questionable reputation for social responsibility, especially in developing countries. In recent years, mining companies operating in developing countries have come under increased pressure as opponents have placed them under greater public scrutiny. Mining companies have responded by developing global corporate social responsibility strategies as part of their larger global business strategies. In these strategies, a prominent place is given to their relationship with local communities. For business ethics, one basic issue is whether such an approach to corporate responsibility is likely to effectively address the development concerns of local communities in developing countries. This paper addresses this question by investigating how the corporate social responsibility agenda of a major minor company has been implemented by one of its subsidiaries in South Africa.     

The Morality of Everyday Activities: Not the Right,But the Good Thing To Do

This article attempts to understand and develop the morality of everyday activities in organizations. Aristotle’s concept of phronesis, practical wisdom, is utilized to describe the morality of the everyday work activities at two call centres of an Australian insurance company. The ethnographic data suggests that ethical judgements at the lower level of the organization are practical rather than theoretical; emergent rather than static; ambiguous rather than clear-cut; and particular rather than universal. Ethical codes are of limited value here and it is argued that by developing phronesis members of the organization can improve their capacity to deal with this ethical complexity.     

全流通时代大股东股份减持的问题与对策

股权分置改革完成后,大股东所持有的限售股取得了上市流通权。为了满足自身利益最大化的要求,大股东频频在二级市场上进行股份减持。根据我国资本市场的实际,在大股东股权减持的过程中暴露出一些主要问题,所以需要采取一些针对性的对策措施,包括丰富大股东出售股票的渠道,严格信息披露,弱化大股东的信息垄断优势,建立健全大股东股份减持的制度规定等措施。     

The Ethics of Quality: Problems and Preconditions

A number of advocates for TQM contend that firms who embrace TQM will automatically and naturally act in ethically sound ways (Roth, 1993; Pace, 1999; Steeples, 1994). This claim is a strong one. This paper assesses its truth. We consider the many ways in which quality initiatives, if undertaken in good faith, can foster sound ethics. We explore the various ways in which TQM presupposes, and thus cannot engender, ethical behavior. And, finally, we identify some of the ethical blind spots in quality initiatives and TQM. We propose that if TQM is undertaken by thoughtful people who take steps to correct its ethical blind spots and who understand the need for an ethical underpinning, then TQM and ethics will prove mutually reinforcing.     

Ethical Theory and Business Practices: The Case of Discourse Ethics

By focusing on the reasoned debate in the discourse-ethical approach to business ethics, this paper discusses the possibilities and limitations of moral reasoning as well as applied economic and business ethics. Business ethics, it is contended, can be looked at from the standpoint of two criteria: justification and application. These criteria are used to compare three approaches: the Integrative Business Ethics, developed by Swiss philosopher Peter Ulrich, the Cultural Business Ethics of the Nuremberg School in German business ethics, and the concept of “Good Conservation” by Frederick Bird. It is argued that discourse-ethical approaches can be called upon for justifying moral principles. Improving the chances of their application, however, necessitates a good understanding of lifeworlds and culturally developed institutional settings. Bearing this in mind, further research perspectives stressing a linkage between discourse-ethical and critical approaches in social sciences are suggested.Dr. Thomas Beschorner is head of the research group “Social Learning and Sustainability” at University of Oldenburg, Germany and currently Visiting-Professor at McGill University, Montreal, Canada     

Consumers’ Ethical Beliefs: The Roles of Money,Religiosity and Attitude toward Business

This article presents the results of a study that investigated the roles that one’s money ethic, religiosity and attitude toward business play in determining consumer attitudes/beliefs in various situations regarding questionable consumer practices. Two dimensions of religiosity – intrinsic and extrinsic religiousness – were studied. A global scale of money ethic was examined, as was a global measure of attitude toward business. Results indicate that both types of religiosity as well as one’s money ethic and attitude toward business were significant determinants of at least some types of consumer ethical beliefs. Scott J. Vitell is Phil B. Hardin Professor of Marketing at the University of Mississippi. He received his Ph.D. in Marketing from Texas Tech University. His recent publications have appeared in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, the Journal of Retailing, the Journal of Business Ethics and the Journal of Consumer Marketing, among others. Jatinder J. Singh is a Ph.D. student in marketing at the University of Mississippi. He received his masters from Punjab Technical University, India. He has authored papers previously published in the Journal of Business Ethics and a paper for the American Marketing Association’s Winter Educators’ Conference. Joseph G.P. Paolillo is a Professor of Management in the School of Business at the University of Mississippi. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Oregon, Eugene in Organization and Management. His publications have appeared in the Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, Human Relations, Group and Organization Studies, The Accounting Review, Journal of Advertising and Journal of Business Ethics, among several others.     

小农户与现代销售渠道选择——来自中国梨园的经验数据

基于梨农入户调查数据,对选择传统销售渠道和现代销售渠道的农户进行的对比分析,以及通过构建Probit模型对销售渠道选择决定因素进行的实证研究表明,梨园面积较大、农业资产更加丰富的农户更容易选择现代销售渠道。也就是说,农产品现代销售渠道往往设置了种植规模和农业资产门槛,有可能将小规模贫穷农户排除在现代销售渠道之外。但小规模农户可通过加入农民专业合作社等方式来提高自己的组织化程度,进而提高自己加入现代销售渠道的可能性。因此,政府在制定农产品流通政策,推进农超对接等工程时,不可操之过急。政府应不断引导农民加入农民专业合作组织,规范农业合作组织,克服小农户分散经营的局限性,提高组织化程度和组织运行效率。政策制定部门要创造条件引导农民加入合作社或利用行业协会来提高农民的组织化程度,增加农民与现代销售渠道谈判的力量,同时规范农民专业合作组织运行机制,让合作组织真正成为分散小农户的利益代表。     

The Ethics of Counterfeiting in the Fashion Industry: Quality,Credence and Profit Issues

One of the greatest problems facing luxury goods firms in a globalizing market is that of counterfeiting. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the different types of counterfeiting that take place in thefashion industry and the ethical issues raised. We argue that the problem partly lies in the industry itself. Copying of designs is endemic and condoned, which raises several ethical dilemmas in passing judgment on the practice of counterfeiting. We analyze the ethical issues in a number of different types of counterfeiting encountered in the fashion industry. We conclude with some observations on the general implications for ethics in intellectual property rights.     

Codes of Ethics,Orientation Programs,and the Perceived Importance of Employee Incorruptibility

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which the review of corporate ethics codes is associated with individuals’ perceptions of the importance of virtue ethics, or more specifically, employee incorruptibility. A convenience sample of individuals working for a university or one of several business organizations located in the Mountain West region of the United States was compiled with a self-report questionnaire. A usable sample of 143 persons representing both the public and private industries was secured for use in this study. The results of an analysis of covariance showed that reviewing ethics codes during employee orientation was positively related to individuals’ beliefs that incorruptibility is an important individual virtue. The managerial implications of the findings are discussed along with suggestions for future research.     

The Golden Rule and Business Ethics: An Examination

The phenomenon of globalization of markets has been accompanied by calls for a globalization of ethical norms. One principle often referred to in such calls is the so-called Golden Rule. The rule, often stated as Do unto others as you would have others do unto you, has long been used and referenced in the business literature. But those who use it often do so without full realization of the rule itself and what it stands for. This paper examines the history, meaning, and problems of the rule and attempts to show, through a case analysis, how these problems surface when using the rule in a business context. In so doing it attempts to clarify exactly what the rule means and how it can fit into a universal code of morality.     

Across-the-border Contamination,The Andorra Power Plant (Teruel): A Business Ethics Case

The purpose of this article is to present a business ethics case from the viewpoint of discursive ethics. Dialogue and subsequent agreement constitute two key ideas of European identity and are two basic concepts of discursive ethics thinking. Our choice for this type of approach was determined by several reasons, of which there are three that should be pointed out, as they can be considered an heritage of the European way of thinking:1) the need for a rational dialogue, in which all those affected -- or, failing that, the people acting in their name -- are represented, as a way to find solutions to conflicts;2) the importance of respecting a set of conditions ensuring equal opportunities and total symmetry among the participants; and3) obliged respect for the universalization principle, which establishes that a decision is morally correct when it can or could be accepted by all those whom it affects, present or future.In order to present this case, the following steps are taken. Firstly, a brief summary of the case will be provided, defining the different ways of approaching the problem and the resulting map of interests. Secondly, the different interests and values, which came into play, are analysed. Finally, we go over the different approaches that were made to reach a solution before considering dialogue, which turned out to be the most decisive.