Applied Ethics Commons^™

The Possibility Of Pilgrimage In A Scientific World, Stephen F. Haller

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The paper is a philosophical argument about whether a pilgrimage can be meaningful in a scientific age. Since a scientific world-view rules out many ideas which are traditionally associated with pilgrimage, such as miracles and the effectiveness of prayer, it seems that pilgrimage might be a practice inconsistent with the modern scientific age. Attempts have been made to reconcile this conflict by arguing that science and religion do not conflict, but are non-overlapping spheres of inquiry. Thus, it is possible to make sense of pilgrimage in a scientific age, if one strips their pilgrimage of all aspects to which science …

Property And Business, Bas Van Der Vossen

Philosophy Faculty Books and Book Chapters

"This chapter gives an overview of the main foundational theories of property. As I will show, there are two major families of justification for property (with each family, of course, having many different members). After laying out those two families and their potential problems, I will then consider some of the issues that reside in intellectual property, turning subsequently to explore one way in which a theory of business ethics may either be in tension or fit with such a justification of property. In particular, I will look at the tensions that stakeholder theory, on at least one version of …

Preparing Millennials As Digital Citizens And Socially And Environmentally Responsible Business Professionals In A Socially Irresponsible Climate, Barbara Burgess-Wilkerson, Clovia Hamilton, Chlotia Garrison, Keith Robbins

Winthrop Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Against Pay Secrecy, Jeffrey Moriarty

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Many firms keep pay secret. They do not make information about what their employees are paid available inside or outside of the firm, i.e., to other employees or to the public at large. Indeed, many firms discourage their employees from, or sanction them for, disclosing their pay. Against this, I argue that there are good moral reasons for firms to be transparent about pay. Pay transparency prevents injustice, promotes autonomy, and increases efficiency. After presenting the positive case for pay transparency, I defend it against objections, including the most common reasons firms give for keeping pay secret.

Risky Pay And The Financial Crisis: Who's Responsible?, Jeffrey Moriarty

Philosophy Faculty Publications

According to an existing “environmental” narrative, the financial crisis of 2007-2009 was due in part to executive compensation packages in the financial services industry that incentivized excessive risk-taking. Also according to this narrative, those who have a duty to protect society – principally, government regulators, but also firms themselves – are open to blame for how executives were paid, and must take steps to change executive compensation. This narrative is important but incomplete. I offer a supplementary “agential” narrative. According to this narrative, executives are open to blame for the financial crisis for taking socially excessive risks. Moreover, since executives …

Accountable To Whom? Rethinking The Role Of Corporations In Political Csr, Jeffrey Moriarty, Waheed Hussain

Philosophy Faculty Publications

According to Palazzo and Scherer, the changing role of business corporations in society requires that we take new measures to integrate these organizations into society-wide processes of democratic governance. We argue that their model of integration has a fundamental problem. Instead of treating business corporations as agents that must be held accountable to the democratic reasoning of affected parties, it treats corporations as agents who can hold others accountable. In our terminology, it treats business corporations as “supervising authorities” rather than “functionaries.” The result is that Palazzo and Scherer’s model does not actually address the democratic deficit that it is …

Wanted: Positive Arguments For Markets, Jeffrey Moriarty

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Many people believe that some things, like kidneys or sex, should not be for sale. Let us call these things “contested commodities.” Against this, Brennan and Jaworksi defend “markets without limits” (hereafter: MwL). According to this thesis: “If you may do it for free, you may do it for money.” Since we can give away our kidneys for free and have sex for free, we should be able to do these things for money. Brennan and Jaworksi deftly blend rigorous philosophical argument with the latest research in social science to counter some of the most prominent against commodification. But, I …

Inclusive Leadership's Evolving Context: Organizational Climate And Culture Connect, Maria E. Dezenberg

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Conventional forms of leadership that are prominent in organizational life today are seemingly antithetical to the landscape of our dynamic, global society. The continued focus on traditional hierarchies with leadership that functions in a “chain of command” manner begs the question of how organizations can reshape routines and relationships to reflect processes of inclusion and collaboration that have the capability of provoking progressive change in organizations. Diversity and Inclusion scholars have identified the newer construct of inclusive leadership as apt to advance climates and cultures of inclusion through social processes that encourage inclusive practices and behaviors. These fluid aspects of …

The Influence Of Consumer Freeloading Behavior On An Observer's And Perpetrator's Affective Commitment, Mohamad A. Darrat

Doctoral Dissertations

The dissertation explores the relationship between customer affective commitment and freeloading behavior. Consumer freeloading results when a consumer takes advantage of a system or market procedures in a way that allows him or her to obtain benefits from a value proposition with no or reduced monetary costs. Thus, the freeloading consumer works the value equation in his/her favor at the expense of the marketer and/or other consumers. In addition to examining the point of view of the consumer performing the unethical behavior, the dissertation also examines the impact of such behavior on a third party observer. How do loyal consumers …

Is 'Equal Pay For Equal Work' Merely A Principle Of Nondiscrimination?, Jeffrey Moriarty

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Should people who perform equal work receive equal pay? Most would say ‘yes’, at least insofar as this question is understood to be asking whether employers should be permitted to discriminate against employees on the basis of race or sex. But suppose the employees belong to all of the same traditionally protected groups. Is (what I call) nondiscriminatory unequal pay for equal work wrong? Drawing an analogy with price discrimination, I argue that it is not intrinsically wrong, but it can be deceptive, in which case it is wrong.

Compensation Ethics And Organizational Commitment, Jeffrey Moriarty

Philosophy Faculty Publications

If an employee is committed to his firm – if he is “attached” or “bound” to it – then his firm may be able to obtain a discount on his labor. This paper asks: Is it wrong for firms to do so? If we understand just or fair pay solely in terms of voluntary agreements between employers and employees, the answer seems to be ‘no’. Against this, I argue that, in some cases, it is ‘yes’. In particular, it is wrong for firms to try to obtain discounts on their committed employees’ labor when their employees reasonably expect that they …

Corporations, The Democratic Deficit, And Voting, Jeffrey Moriarty

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Many writers argue that a “democratic deficit” is created when private actors such as corporations take on state functions. The problem, it is said, is that the course of public life is being shaped by agents who are not accountable to the public. We evaluate this claim and consider what should be done about it. We focus in particular on a recent attempt, put forward principally by Palazzo and Scherer, to address the democracy deficit by “democratizing” corporations. We argue that their proposal, while promising, has a significant defect. We then propose a remedy for this defect. In sum, our …

Justice In Compensation: A Defense, Jeffrey Moriarty

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Business ethicists have written much about ethical issues in employment. Except for a handful of articles on the very high pay of chief executive officers and the very low pay of workers in overseas sweatshops, however, little has been written about the ethics of compensation. This is prima facie strange. Workers care about their pay, and they think about it in normative terms. This article's purpose is to consider whether business ethicists' neglect of the normative aspects of compensation is justified. I examine several possible justifications for neglecting compensation and show that they fail. What remains is a case for …

Does Distributive Justice Pay? Sternberg’S Compensation Ethics, Jeffrey Moriarty

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Compensation has received a great deal of attention from social scientists. Characteristically, they have been concerned with the causes and effects of various compensation schemes. By contrast, few theorists have addressed the normative aspects of compensation. An exception is Elaine Sternberg, who offers in Just Business a comprehensive theory of compensation ethics. This paper critically examines her theory, and argues that the justification she gives for it fails. Its failure is instructive, however. The main argument Sternberg gives for her theory points in the direction of a different one. This, in turns, helps us to see what a justification of …

Business Ethics And (Or As) Political Philosophy, Jeffrey Moriarty, Wayne Norman, Joseph Heath

Philosophy Faculty Publications

There is considerable overlap between the interests of business ethicists and those of political philosophers. Questions about the moral justifiability of the capitalist system, the basis of property rights, and the problem of inequality in the distribution of income have been of central importance in both fields. However, political philosophers have developed, especially over the past four decades, a set of tools and concepts for addressing these questions that are in many ways quite distinctive. Most business ethicists, on the other hand, consider their field to be primarily a domain of applied ethics, and so adopt methods and conceptual frameworks …

Participation In The Workplace: Are Employees Special?, Jeffrey Moriarty

Philosophy Faculty Publications

I consider two influential arguments for employee participation in firm decision making: what I call the “interest protection argument” and the “autonomy argument.” I argue that the case for granting participation rights to some other stakeholders, such as suppliers and community members, is at least as strong, according to the reasons given in these arguments, as the case for granting them to certain employees. I then consider how proponents of these arguments might modify their arguments, or views, in response to this conclusion.

Rawls, Self-Respect, And The Opportunity For Meaningful Work, Jeffrey Moriarty

Philosophy Faculty Publications

In his late work The Law of Peoples, John Rawls identifies the opportunity for meaningful work as a social basis of self-respect. This constitutes a significant shift in his account of self-respect, one that has been so far overlooked. In this paper I examine this shift. I begin by clarifying Rawls’s account of self-respect in A Theory of Justice (hereafter, Theory), then consider some post-Theory developments in it. After exploring the nature of Rawls’s commitment to the opportunity for meaningful work, I ask why he thinks it is a social basis of self-respect. I extract a partial …

How Much Compensation Can Ceos Permissibly Accept?, Jeffrey Moriarty

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Debates about the ethics of executive compensation are dominated by familiar themes. Many writers consider whether the amount of pay CEOs receive is too large – relative to firm performance, foreign CEO pay, or employee pay. Many others consider whether the process by which CEOs are paid is compromised by weak or self-serving boards of directors. This paper examines the issue from a new perspective. I focus on the duties executives themselves have with respect to their own compensation. I argue that CEOs’ fiduciary duties place a moral limit on how much compensation they can accept, and hence seek in …

Deserving Jobs, Deserving Wages, Jeffrey Moriarty

Philosophy Faculty Publications

This chapter applies recent work on desert to two sets of issues in business ethics. The first set of issues concerns who ought to be hired, fired, promoted, and demoted. Call these issues of “job justice.” The second set of issues concerns how much workers, including managers, ought to be paid. Call these issues of “wage justice.” I focus on job and wage justice because considerations of desert play an important, though sometimes tacit, role in discussions of these issues.

Business Ethics: An Overview, Jeffrey Moriarty

Philosophy Faculty Publications

This essay provides an overview of business ethics. I describe important issues, identify some of the normative considerations animating them, and offer a roadmap of references for those wishing to learn more. I focus on issues in normative business ethics, but discuss briefly the growing body of work in descriptive business ethics. I conclude with a comment on the changing nature of the field.

Mcmahon On Workplace Democracy, Jeffrey Moriarty

Philosophy Faculty Publications

This paper offers a sympathetic critique of Christopher McMahon’s Authority and Democracy: A General Theory of Government and Management. Although I find fault with some of his arguments, my goal is not to show that these arguments are irreparable, but to highlight issues that deserve further consideration. After defining some terms, first, I raise an objection to McMahon’s rejection of the moral unity of management (MUM) thesis. Second, I draw attention to his “moralization” of the workplace, and examine the role it plays in his arguments about the relative strengths of the different kinds of authority. Third, I raise …

Center For Professional Ethics, Fall 2006, Case Western Reserve University

Center for Professional Ethics

Table of Contents:

• Director's Corner: A New Beginning by Robert P. Lawry
• The Global is Finally Local: Some Notes on Ethics, A Conversation with Bill Deal, Inamori Professor
• Are You Ready to Take Free Exercise Rights Seriously? Alan Brownstein Explains Why You Should
• Religious Lawyering: Professor Russell Pearce Keeps His Faith
• Author David Callahan Asks: What Does Our "Cheating Culture' Say About Us?
• Academic Integrity: Students Speak

Center For Professional Ethics, Winter 2005, Case Western Reserve University

Center for Professional Ethics

Incomplete draft of issue:

Table of Contents:

• The Race at Case: One Leg of a Long Marathon
• Truth and Trust in a Time of Continuing Change: A Talk by Caroline Whitbeck
• Religious Lawyering: Professor Russell Pearce Keeps His Faith
• News and Notes

On The Relevance Of Political Philosophy To Business Ethics, Jeffrey Moriarty

Philosophy Faculty Publications

The central problems of political philosophy (e.g., legitimate authority, distributive justice) mirror the central problems of business ethics. The question naturally arises: should political theories be applied to problems in business ethics? If a version of egalitarianism is the correct theory of justice for states, for example, does it follow that it is the correct theory of justice for businesses? If states should be democratically governed by their citizens, should businesses be democratically managed by their employees? Most theorists who have considered these questions, including John Rawls in Political Liberalism, and Robert Phillips and Joshua Margolis in a 1999 article, …

Do Ceos Get Paid Too Much?, Jeffrey Moriarty

Philosophy Faculty Publications

In 2003, CEOs of the 365 largest U.S. corporations were paid on average $8 million, 301 times as much as factory workers. This paper asks whether CEOs get paid too much. Appealing to widely recognized moral values, I distinguish three views of justice in wages: the agreement view, the desert view, and the utility view. I argue that, no matter which view is correct, CEOs get paid too much. I conclude by offering two ways CEO pay might be reduced.

Center For Professional Ethics, Spring 2004, Case Western Reserve University

Center for Professional Ethics

Table of Contents:

• Bonhoefer and King: Legacies and Lessons
• An Extraordinary Man: Case Celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr.
• It's About Ethics: An Interview with Robert P. Lawry
• Current Ethical Controversies in Internal Research: A Talk by Ruth Maklin
• Director's Corner: Civic Duty, Civic Courage by Robert P. Lawry
• News and Notes

Center For Professional Ethics, Volume 4, Issue 3, 2003, Case Western Reserve University

Center for Professional Ethics

Table of Contents:

• Creating an Environment That Promotes Responsible Research Conduct by Dr. Caroline A. Whitbeck
• Director's Corner: Lying and Justification by Robert P. Lawry
• Leadership in the Global Perspective, Dr. Kazuo Inamori Speaks
• Ethnopsychiatry & American Immigration, Dr. Atwood Gaines Explores and Explains

Center For Professional Ethics, Volume 4, Issue 2, 2003, Case Western Reserve University

Center for Professional Ethics

Table of Contents:

• "Waiting for the Courage to Die": The Role of Live Theatre in Medical Education by Fran Heller
• Building Bridges with Jonathan Sadowksy: A Reprint from the CWRU Observer
• Using Children in Research, Dr. Eric Kodish Explores and Explains
• A Glance at Professor Philip C. Bobbit: The Ends and Means of Stimulating Discussion
• Industry-Sponsored Research -- What's Wrong? Professor Andrew Trew Talks About IRBs, Ethics and Patients
• Director's Corner: The Aftermath of War by Robert P. Lawry
• Spring, 2003 News, Notes, and Future Events

Center For Professional Ethics, Volume 4, Issue 1, 2003, Case Western Reserve University

Center for Professional Ethics

Table of Contents:

• America's Role in The World: Understanding Muslims and Islam
• One Year Later: Remembering September 11, 2001
• Conversations in Bioethics: CWRU President, Dr. Edard Hundert
• A Different Kind of Close Up: Looking at Cinematic Justice
• Winter 2003 News, Notes, and Future Events
• Director's Corner: What Are We Going To Do About It? by Robert P. Lawry

Ethics For Business : Drawing On Indian Values, S K Chakraborty

IIMB Management Review

Prof S K Chakraborty of the Management Centre for Human Values, IIM Calcutta, and author of the Management Ethics Omnibus, shares the essence of his enquiry into the field for over two decades. To the basic question from students and managers as to what there is in ethics for them, teachers must communicate that ethics has fundamental existential payoffs. Especially in today’s fast-paced world, where patience is no longer a virtue and ‘false gospels’ such as rank ordering and corporate gladiatorism are being embraced in toto by the Indian intellectual elite, without pausing to reflect on their own tradition and …