Business Sustainability, Corporate Governance, and Organizational Ethics

CHAPTER 29Emerging Business Ethics Issues

1. Introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to connect the discussion of ethics to some of the emergent issues of our times. This reflects a departure from previous chapters in that it cannot be seen as part of a corporate process. The ideas offered in this chapter have been touched upon in previous material as a sidelight to the main argument. Here we will have the luxury of stepping back and offering a fuller treatment. In delving into the issues presented, we will sometimes have to second-guess assumptions that we have previously made. However, this is very consistent with ethical reasoning: we should never be content with the answers that we have settled on and we should never assume that the perspective that we have adopted is superior or conclusive.

Ethics are described in previous chapters as moral principles about right and wrong, honorable behavior reflecting values, or standards of conduct. Honesty, openness, responsiveness, accountability, due diligence, and fairness are core ethical principles. This chapter’s topics do not necessarily follow a special order. We first discuss the ethical nature of the employment relationship. We then examine the contours of the modern world by focusing upon the capabilities and abuses of technology. The topics developed toward the end of this chapter are viewed through a broader lens and recognize the agenda of the public sector and the needs of a society at this point in history.

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