The Business of Business is the Human Person: Lessons from the Catholic
Social Tradition |
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Authors: | Lloyd Sandelands |
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Institution: | (1) Psychology (LS&A), School of Business, University of Michigan, 701 Tappan St., Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109-1234, U.S.A. |
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Abstract: | I describe an ethic for business administration based on the social tradition of the Catholic Church. I find that much current
thinking about business falters for its conceit of truth. Abstractions such as the shareholder-value model contain truth –
namely, that business is an economic enterprise to manage for the wealth of its owners. But, as in all abstractions, this
truth comes at the expense of falsehood – namely, that persons are assets to deploy on behalf of owners. This last is “wrong”
in both senses of the word – it is factually wrong in that persons are far more than business assets, they are supernatural
beings, children of God; and it is morally wrong in that it is an injustice to treat them as the former when they are the
latter. I draw upon the social tradition of the Catholic Church to recognize that the business of business is not business, but is instead the human person. Following Church teachings, I describe a person-centered ethic of business based upon eight social principles that both
correct and enlarge the shareholder-centered ethic of much current business thinking. I discuss implications of this person-centered
ethic for business administration. |
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Keywords: | business ethics shareholder-value model Catholic Church human person social doctrine of the church society business administration management |
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