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Beyond Empiricism: Realizing the Ethical Mission of Management
Author(s) -
Friedland Julian
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
business and society review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 21
eISSN - 1467-8594
pISSN - 0045-3609
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8594.2012.00409.x
Subject(s) - corporate social responsibility , engineering ethics , empiricism , business ethics , context (archaeology) , scope (computer science) , sustainability , sociology , appeal , information ethics , environmental ethics , political science , public relations , epistemology , law , philosophy , computer science , engineering , paleontology , ecology , biology , programming language
Research into the proper mission of business falls within the context of theoretical and applied ethics. And ethics is fast becoming a part of required business school curricula. However, while business ethics research occasionally appears in high‐profile venues, it does not yet enjoy a regular place within any top management journal. I offer a partial explanation of this paradox and suggestions for resolving it. I begin by discussing the standard conception of human nature given by neoclassical economics as disseminated in business schools; showing it is a significant obstacle to an accurate conception of ethics and how this limits consideration of sustainability and corporate social responsibility ( CSR ). I then examine the scope of the top management journals, showing how their empirical and descriptive focus leaves little room for ethics, which is an essentially conceptual and prescriptive discipline. Finally, I suggest avenues for research into the ethical mission of business, generally—and sustainability and CSR , in particular—by appeal to the precepts of H arvard B usiness S chool’s M aster’s in B usiness A dministration ethics oath modeled on the medical and legal professions.