Firms, the most significant nucleus of modern economic activity, are very special social organisations with economic purposes and also a responsibility for pursuing the welfare of all ranks of society. This requires moral commitment at a subjective and collective level, i.e. ethics. In this respect, firms are subject both to Anglo-Saxon good governance practice and to the rules that may arise from human resources policies focused on the value of individuals. Importantly, however, while in the past a firm's mission entailed mediation between achievable economic benefits and respect for stakeholders, managers now aim to increase shareholder value at the expense of other stakeholders.

In this book, a renowned author with long experience as a consultant to large firms explores the relationship between moral action and economic action with particular reference to the firm. Diverse aspects of corporate responsibility - social, civil, political, and environmental - within a rapidly changing world are investigated from a philosophical perspective. Prerequisites for self-regulation are considered and aspects of responsibility beyond the law, such as charters of values and codes of ethics, are discussed. Particular attention is paid to firm integrity and different spheres of justice, each of which has its own criteria for the distribution of goods.

Inhalt

1. Introduction: Ethics and Justice.- 2. Ethics.- 3. On "Corporate Responsibility".- 4. Environmental Responsibility and Corporate Culture: the Prerequisites for Self-Regulation.- 5. Responsibility "Beyond the Law".- 6. Firm Integrity and Spheres of Justice.- 7. A Final Thought on Reparative Justice.