Business Ethics and Corporate Governance, Second Edition

EVOLUTION OF ETHICS OVER THE YEARS

If we trace the history of ethics in business, we would realize that ethics had been a part of theological discussions prior to 1960. Before the 1970s, there were a few writers like Raymond Baumhart who dealt with ethics and business. Ethical issues were mostly discussed as part of social issues. Men of religion and theologians continued writing and teaching on ethics in business. Professors in B-schools wrote and continued to talk about corporate social responsibility (CSR), the handmaid of ethics. However, the catalyst that led to the field of business ethics was the entry of several ‘philosophers, who brought ethical theory and philosophical analysis to bear on a variety of issues.’⁶ Norman Bowie⁷ dates the ...