Corporate Ethics, Governance, and Social Responsibility

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Morality, Trust, and Integrity: The Foundations of Business Ethics

Luc Van Liedekerke

ETHICS AND MORALITY

Max Weber defined morality as the set of norms and values that dominate society at a certain moment in time/place. Ethics is far more limited, it is the rational study or debate on values and norms in society. Ethics is certainly not a science; it aims, however, to be as precise as possible in discussing norms and values.

A norm is the external face of a value. For example, ‘Thou shall not kill’ is a norm that reflects the value of life. Norms and values are internalized by individuals through a learning process that never ends, but is especially important during the first years of existence and this, remarkably, holds not only for individuals ...