Business regulation,business ethics and the professional employee

The differences in business reactions to legal regulation, and the nature of business moralities, are examined through the eyes of an expert group — in-house lawyers. The research indicates that lawyers inevitably provide a degree of control through their technical expertise, but that they also identify strongly with their companies and emphasise shared ethics rather than ethical differences between lawyers and their employers. This can partly be explained by their integration with the company but also rests on the problematic nature of law and regulatory controls in relation to organisations within the community. In-house lawyers therefore reject a policing role in favour of a counselling role. Since they perceive themselves as part of a shared culture of ethics, they also avoid a leadership role. However, the article suggests that the nature of legal judgment should assist lawyers towards such a role, while recognising that organisational statesmanship must be constrained by organisational culture and the wider community culture of ethical standards. Dr Karl J. Mackie is Director of the Centre for Legal Studies in the University of Nottingham, where he lectures in employment law and in management skills development. Lawyers in Business: and the Law Business is published by Macmillan (London) 1989. Dr Mackie is a member of the Business Strategy Network and a consultant in business strategy.This paper has been adapted from Mackie, Lawyers in Business: and the Law Business (1989), (London: Macmillan), ch. 10.     

浅析会计行业的职业道德建设

会计职业道德是会计人员从事会计工作应遵循的道德标准.本文探讨了会计行业的职业道德的定义和现状、会计职业道德建设工作的重要意义及基本方法.     

Beyond professional ethics: Issues and agendas

Many professional bodies now include activist committees devoted to better serving the broad public interest. Some of the different ways that these groups operate are explored and analyzed. In particular, professional activist groups are divided into two general categories: those dealing mainly with standards of professional practice, and those dealing with political and social issues relevant to the larger social milieu. By participating in such groups, professionals can give the public an alternative view of their profession, and set the stage for public demand for more responsive, socially controlled, professional practices. Beth Savan teaches Environmental Studies at Innis College, University of Toronto. She has a Ph.D. in ecology from Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London. Her analysis of the influence of vested interests on scientific research, Science Under Siege: The Myth of Objectivity in Scientific Research, was published by CBC Enterprises in 1988. Her other areas of research interest are environmental assessment and environmental education.     

Deride,abide or dissent: On the ethics of professional conduct

In the professions of today are ethical concerns of no overwhelming importance? Are these concerns less important in certain professions rather than others? Do some practitioners carry a blase attitude regarding ethics within their profession? This study, sometimes asking “life-blood”, “career-jeopardizing” questions is less interested in electronic data results and more interested in actual respondent replies on dissent and competence. There is strong evidence that the ethical ethos that has given American society its direction has been damaged; further, it has been the professed professionals who have been the major contributors to the ethical decline.     

The regulation of virtue: Cross-currents in professional ethics

This paper argues that more attention should be paid to the civic functions of ethical discourse about the professions and to the moral virtues inherent in their practice and traditions. The ability of professional ethics to articulate civic ideals and virtues is discussed in relation to three issues. First, should professional ethics aim to enlighten ethical understanding or to motivate ethical conduct? Second, how should professional ethics define the professional's moral responsibilities in the face of ethical dilemmas — should the professional attempt to resolve the dilemma ethically or to change the social conditions that create the dilemma in the first place? The third issue discussed in the paper is whether professional ethics should be based on the model of regulation and rational self-interest or on the model of virtue and a fundamental personal commitment to the ideal of a certain form of life? In order for work in professional ethics to attain intellectual credibility among a non-philosophical audience, it must develop a coherent and convincing position on each of these issues.     

浅谈会计诚信危机与职业道德建设

本文阐述了会计职业道德的重要性,但在现今会计行业中,诚信缺失、财务舞弊现象时有发生.在剖析了诚信危机的表现及原因后,提出解除诚信危机关键在于加强会计职业道德建设.每个会计人员必须从自身做起,以严明的制度约束自己,以高尚的职业道德感召世人,中国会计业的执业水平和执业作风必能经得起严峻的考验.     

加强职业道德 提升会计水平立业之本

黑龙江大学国防教育学院成立于2004年10月25日,是黑龙江大学在军事教研部和国防生教育基础上成立的二级学院,也是全国地方普通高等学校中最早成立的具有培养教育国防生性质的学院.该校重视培养学生的职业道德建设,本文对此进行论述.     

Corporate communication, ethics, and operational identity: a case study of Benetton

This article investigates conceptual and strategic relationships between corporate identity, organizational identity and ethics, utilizing the Benetton Corporation as an illustrative case study. Although much attention has been given to visual aspects of Benetton's renowned ethical brand building efforts, few studies have looked at how Benetton's employees, retail environments and trade events express ethical aspects of their well-known corporate identity. A multi-method case study, including interviews at retail outlets and trade events, sheds light on several important yet under-studied components of corporate identity, including stakeholders such as retail managers and contract employees. Analysis of Benetton's operations revealed disconnection and inconsistency, as well as a failure to communicate ethical values and socially responsible attributes throughout organizational identity. Operational identity emerged as a useful complement to models of corporate identity. We demonstrate the way in which organizations may fail to capitalize on positive aspects of their organizational identity by neglecting their operational identity.     

落后太多，扳回一分而已！——怀抱虽银犹金的ONE SHOW铅笔，大明如是说

2005年ONE SHOW全球广告创意大赛在美国纽约刚刚结束，广东英扬传奇广告公司凭借“视力表”系列公益海报，在这个全球最顶尖最严苛的广告创意赛事上，为中国大陆本土公司赢得第一支ONE SHOW银铅笔奖（“金铅笔”从缺），这也是ONE SHOW八十五年历史上的第一次。这是到目前为止，中国大陆本土广告公司在世界三大顶级广告赛事中赢得的最高广告创意奖项。这也是其执行创意总监郑大明，第二次率领本土创意团队在ONE SHOW获取奖项。同时，在法国结束的2005年戛纳全球广告创意大赛上，英扬传奇广告公司凭借“咖啡”篇雕牌天然皂粉杂志广告，在这个全球最具影响力的广告创意赛事上，为中国本土广告公司，赢得第一个也是唯一一个入围奖，实现了戛纳五十二年历史上零的突破。     

Implementation, communication and benefits of corporate codes of ethics: an international and longitudinal approach for Australia, Canada and Sweden

This paper examines the implementation, communication and benefits of corporate codes of ethics by the top companies operating in Australia, Canada and Sweden. It provides an international comparison across three continents. It is also based on a longitudinal approach where three national surveys were performed in 2001–2002 and replications of the same surveys were performed in 2005–2006. The empirical findings of this research show in all three countries that large organisations indicate a substantial interest in corporate codes of ethics. There are, however, differences in the ways that the companies in each country implement and communicate their corporate codes of ethics and the benefits that they see being derived from them. The longitudinal comparison between 2001–2002 and 2005–2006 indicates changes in the implementation, communication and benefits of corporate codes of ethics in the three countries.     

When less is better than more: Just-below discount in tensile price promotions

Retailers often use Tensile Price Claims (TPC) such as “upto 40% off” or “from 10% to 40% off” to promote a line of merchandize. This enables them to have a salient communication while allowing specific level of discount on particular items. Recently, retailers have started using just-below TPC frames such as “upto 39% off”. This research explores the influence of TPC framed with “just-below” numbers on consumers’ perceived benefits through three studies. The results indicate that just-below temporal frames have a more favorable impact on consumer perceptions than round frames; this is contrary to left digit salience heuristic but is in line with anchoring and adjustment theory. The effect of just-below framing disappears both for deep discount levels and with sequential TPC discounts. This study has important managerial implications for the use of TPC as a promotional tool. The study also contributes to theory in multiple ways.     

The Canadian Research Strategy For Applied Ethics: A new opportunity for research in business and professional ethics

InTowards a Canadian Research Strategy ForApplied Ethics, I put forward proposals to advance Canadian research in applied ethics. I focus on the assessment made of Canadian teaching, consulting, and research in business and professional ethics and then on the strategy proposed for advancing work in these areas. I argue for research which is [1] oriented to the ethical needs of those in business and the professions, [2] interdisciplinary, and [3] involves the creation of national and international networks. I then offer some preliminary observations on the first two years of the new research strategy's operation.Michael McDonald occupies the Maurice Young Chair of Applied Ethics at the University of British Columbia, where one of his principal roles is in the establishment of a university-wide Centre for Applied Ethics. He is currently President of the Canadian Philosophical Association and a past Editor of the Philosophical journalDialogue. He has published in ethics, philosophy of law, and political philosophy.     

新时期如何加强会计职业道德建设的思考

在现实的会计实务中,业务素质、本位利益等诸多方面的原因使会计人员对外提供的会计信息失真,不能客观、真实地反映企业的财务状况和经营成果,甚至出现虚假报告.因此,加强会计职业道德建设在当前是非常重要和紧迫的.加强会计职业道德建设可以从建立和健全会计法规体系、加大执法力度,健全监督机制、建立职业道德评价体系,开展诚信教育等多方面实施.     

新时期如何加强会计职业道德建设的思考

在现实的会计实务中,业务素质、本位利益等诸多方面的原因使会计人员对外提供的会计信息失真,不能客观、真实地反映企业的财务状况和经营成果,甚至出现虚假报告.因此,加强会计职业道德建设在当前是非常重要和紧迫的.加强会计职业道德建设可以从建立和健全会计法规体系、加大执法力度,健全监督机制、建立职业道德评价体系,开展诚信教育等多方面实施.     

Training professional managers in decision-making about real life business ethics problems: The acquisition of the autonomous problem-solving skill

In the present study business managers in Kabi Pharmacia Company were trained in the use of the autonomous method in their decision-making about solving real life business ethics problems. According to the psychological theories of Piaget, Vygotsky, and Kohlberg, it is possible to promote the acquisition of the autonomous ethical skill by instruction and training. Indeed, participation in a one-day educational programme which focused on the training of the autonomous cognitive ability and not on the transfer of moral content, was sufficient to provide a shift in the mode of decision-making about business ethics problems towards the autonomous ethical function. This change was still stable one month later. A test was constructed by items representing current business ethics conflicts in order to assess ethical function.Iordanis Kavathatzopoulos is Asc. Professor of Psychology at the Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Sweden. His research focuses mainly on education and ethical development, and on structure and dynamics of work organisation. He has published recently in theJournal of Moral Education and in theJournal of Business Ethics.