The Oxford Handbook of Business Ethics
Oxford Handbooks Series

Business ethics raises many important philosophical issues. A first set of issues concerns the methodology of business ethics. What is the role of ethical theory in business ethics? To what extent, if at all, can thinking in business ethics be enhanced by philosophy, so as to provide real moral guidance? Another set of issues involves questions regarding markets, capitalism, and economic justice. There are related concerns about the nature of business organizations and the responsibilities they have to their members, owners, and society. The Oxford Handbook of Business Ethics is a comprehensive treatment of the field of business ethics as seen from a philosophical approach. The volume consists of 24 essays that survey the field of business ethics in a broad and accessible manner, covering all major topics about the relationship between ethical theory and business ethics. The chapters are written by accomplished philosophers who offer a systematic interpretation of their topics and discuss various moral controversies and dilemmas that plague business relationships and government-business relationships. Readers are thus presented with the major views that define the topic of the essay with critical discussions of those views, as well as topical bibliographies that identify key works in the field. In addition to philosophers who work in this area, the volume will be of interest to those in business and society seeking an up-to-date resource on this vital field. "This book is intended to provide an overview of the state of the field of philosophical business ethics. And Brenkert and Beauchamp are to be commended for having put together a collection of contributors and topics that is well-suited for this goal. The contributors are all first-rate scholars who have made important contributions to business ethics or cognate fields. They are also admirably diverse in age, ideology, and methodological approach, thus providing readers with a good glimpse into the wide range of scholarship that characterizes the field. The book will obviously be of interest to those for whom philosophical business ethics is a main area of interest. But the entries are clear and accessible enough to make the book of special value to at least two other groups: those whose approach to business ethics is not primarily philosophical will find here a useful 'crash course' in an alternative methodological approach to their own subject, and those philosophers who are not primarily interested in business ethics will be treated to a volume that makes clear the connection between business ethics and more standard philosophical subjects, and that will almost certainly provide them with new ways of thinking about both business ethics and other topics in value theory and political philosophy that are connected with business ethics in ways they might not have previously recognized. The selection of topics is also admirably comprehensive." - Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

Contributors. Preface. Introduction. Part I: Basic Philosophical Issues. 1. The Methods of Business Ethics, Ronald M. Green and Aine Donovan. 2. The Place of Ethical Theory in Business Ethics, Robert Audi. Part II: Competitive Markets and Corporate Responsibility. 3. The Ideal and Ideal of Capitalism, Gerald Gaus. 4. The Public Authority of the Managers of Private Organizations, Christopher McMahon. 5. Corporate Responsibility and its Constituents, Kenneth E. Goodpaster. Part III: Economic Justice and Consumer Rights. 6. Executive Compensation: Unjust or Just Right?, John R. Boatright. 7. Just Access to Health Care and Pharmaceuticals, Paul T. Menzel. Part IV: Universal Norms and the Relativity of Moral Judgments. 8. Relativism, Multiculturalism, and Universal Norms: Their Role in Business Ethics, Tom L. Beauchamp. 9. Business and Human Rights: A Principle and Value-Based Analysis, Wesley Cragg. 10. Moral Issues in Globalization, Carol C. Gould. Part V: The Use and Protection of Information. 11. Deception and Information Disclosure in Business and Professional Ethics, Thomas L. Carson. 12. Informational Privacy, Richard A. Spinello. 13. The Moral Problem in Insider Trading, Alan Strudler. 14. Intellectual Property Rights, Richard T. De George. Part VI: Incentives and Influence. 15. Conflict of Interest, Wayne Norman and Chris MacDonald. 16. Corruption and Bribery, Manuel Velasquez. 17. Business in Politics: Lobbying and Corporate Campaign Contributions, Andrew Stark. Part VII: Employee Rights and Corporate Responsibilities. 18. Discrimination, Affirmative Action, and Diversity in Business, Bernard Boxill. 19. Whistle Blowing, Moral Integrity, and Organizational Ethics, George G. Brenkert. 20. Employment at Will and Employee Rights, John J. McCall and Patricia H. Werhane. 21. Working Conditions: Safety and Sweatshops, Denis G. Arnold. Part VIII: Safety, Risk, and Harm. 22. Environmental Ethics and Responsibilities, Lisa H. Newton. 23. The Mirage of Product Safety, John Hasnas. Part IX: Creating Moral Organizations. 24. Organizational Integrity and Moral Climates, Norman E. Bowie. Index.

George G. Brenkert is Professor, McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University Tom L. Beauchamp is Professor of Philosophy and Senior Research Scholar, Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University