Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Integrating Ethics and Strategy: A Pragmatic Approach

  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

An organizing framework is set out for the diverse literature on business ethics in relation to strategic management. It consists of sets of bi-polar components, spanning themes and topical themes, with a derived typology of contributions. Then, in the spirit of classical pragmatism, the organizing framework is re-cast as an integrative conceptual model of the strategy–ethics relationship. The approach recognizes that both pragmatism and dialectics can underpin progress towards integration, encompassing both normative and empirical aspects.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Albritton, R. 2003. (Ed.) New Dialectics and Political Economy. Palgrave: Macmillan

    Google Scholar 

  • Alvesson, M., & Willmott, H.1992. (Eds.) Critical Management Studies. London: Sage

    Google Scholar 

  • Arcelus, F.J., & Schaefer, N.V. (1982). ‹Social demands as strategic issues: some conceptual problems’. Strategic Management Journal, 3(4), 347–357. doi:10.1002/smj.4250030406

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arthur, H.B. (1984). Making business ethics useful. Strategic Management Journal, 5(4), 319–333. doi:10.1002/smj.4250050403

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnett, M.I., & Salomon, R.M. (2006). Beyond dichotomy: the curvilinear relationship between social responsibility and financial performance. Strategic Management Journal, 27, 1101–1122. doi:10.1002/smj.557

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bazerman, M.H., & Messick, D.M. (1998). ‹On the power of a clear definition of rationality’. Business Ethics Quarterly, 3, 477–481. doi:10.2307/3857432

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Binmore, K. (1999). ‹Game theory and business ethics’. Business Ethics Quarterly, 9(1), 31–35. doi:10.2307/3857633

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowie, N. E.: 1998, ‹A Kantian Theory of Capitalism’, Ruffin Series in Business Ethics 1, 37–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Brenkert, G.: 1998, ‹Trust, Morality and International Business’, Business Ethics Quarterly 8(2), 293–317.

  • Buchholz, R.A., & Rosenthal, S.B. (2005). ‹Towards a contemporary conceptual framework for stakeholder theory’. Journal of Business Ethics, 58, 137–148. doi:10.1007/s10551-005-1393-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buchholz, R.A., & Rosenthal, S.B. (2006). ‹Integrating Ethics All the Way Through: The Issue of Moral Agency Reconsidered’. Journal of Business Ethics, 66, 233–245. doi:10.1007/s10551-005-5588-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calori, R. (1999). ‹Philosophising on strategic management models’. Organization Studies, 19(2), 281–306. doi:10.1177/017084069801900206

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carr, A., & Zanetti, L.A. (1999). ‹Metatheorizing the dialectic of self and other’. The American Behavioral Scientist, 43(2), 324–346. doi:10.1177/00027649921955281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Danley, J. R. 1984. ‹Corporate moral agency: the case for anthropological bigotry’. In: W. M. Hoffman and J. M. Moore (eds.), Business Ethics: Readings and Cases in Corporate Morality, McGraw Hill pp. 172-9

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, J., Schoorman, F., & Donaldson, L. (1997). Towards a stewardship theory of management. Academy of Management Review, 22(1), 20–47. doi:10.2307/259223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Wit, R. and R. Meyer: 2005, Strategy Synthesis. Thompson Books, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Dobson J. pp. (2001). ‹The battle in Seattle: reconciling two worldviews on corporate culture’. Business Ethics Quarterly, 11, 403–414. doi:10.2307/3857846

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Etzioni, A. 1988. The Moral Dimension: Towards a New Economics. Free Press, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Freeman, R.E. 1984. Strategic Management: a Stakeholder Approach. Boston: Pitman

    Google Scholar 

  • Freeman, R.E. (1998). Poverty and the politics of capitalism. Business Ethics Quarterly, 1(Special issue), 31–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Freeman, R.E. (1999). Divergent stakeholder theory. Academy of Management Review, 24(2), 233–236. doi:10.2307/259078

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freeman, R. E.: 2008, ‹Managing for Stakeholders’, in T. L. Beauchamp, N. R. Bowie and D. G. Arnold (eds.), Ethical Theory in Business, 8th edition (Belmont: Wadsworth).

  • Freeman, R.E., Gilbert, D.R., & Hartman, E. (1988). ‹Values and the foundations of strategic management’. Journal of Business Ethics, 7(11), 821–835. doi:10.1007/BF00383045

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • French, P. 1984. Collective and Corporate Responsibility. Columbia University Press, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, M.: 1970, ‹The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Its Profits’, New York Times, 13 Sep 1970

  • Fukuyama, F.: 1992, The End of History and the Last Man (Hamish Hamilton, London).

  • Gilbert, D.R., Jr. (1986). Corporate Strategy and Ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 5(2), 137–151. doi:10.1007/BF00382755

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg, J. and R. Bies: 1992, ‹Establishing the Role of Empirical Studies of Organizational Justice in Philosophical Inquiries into Business Ethics’, Journal of Business Ethics 11(5/6), 433–444.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heath, J. (2006). Business ethics without stakeholders. Business Ethics Quarterly, 16(4), 533–557

    Google Scholar 

  • Hendry, J. (2001). Missing the target: normative stakeholder theory and the corporate governance debate. Business Ethics Quarterly, 11(1), 159–176. doi:10.2307/3857875

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hillman, A.J., & Keim, G.D. (2001). ‹Shareholder value, stakeholder management, and social issues: what’s the bottom line?’. Strategic Management Journal, 22, 125–139. doi:10.1002/1097-0266(200101)22:2<125::AID-SMJ150>3.0.CO;2-H

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hosmer, L.T. 1994. Strategic planning as if ethics mattered, Strategic Management Journal. Summer Special Issue. 15 pp.17-34

    Google Scholar 

  • Hosmer, L.T. (1995). Trust: the connecting link between organisational theory and philosophical ethics. Academy of Management Review, 20(2), 379–403. doi:10.2307/258851

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jawahar, I.M., & McLaughlin, G.L. (2001). Towards a descriptive stakeholder theory: an organisational life cycle approach. Academy of Management Review, 26(3), 397–414. doi:10.2307/259184

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, T.M., & Wicks, A.C. (1999). ‹Convergent stakeholder theory’. Academy of Management Review, 24, 206–221. doi:10.2307/259075

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karnani, A. (2007). ‹Research notes and commentaries doing well by doing good—case study: ‹fair & lovely’ whitening cream’. Strategic Management Journal, 28, 1351–1357. doi:10.1002/smj.645

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koslowski, P. 2001. Principles of Ethical Economy Dordrecht: Kluwer

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuttner, R. 1984. The Economic Illusion: False Choices Between Prosperity and Social Justice. Houghton Mifflin Co

    Google Scholar 

  • Leidka, J. (1998). ‹Constructing an ethic for business practice; competing effectively and doing good’. Business & Society, 37(3), 254–280. doi:10.1177/000765039803700302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levi, I. 1986. Hard Choices: Decision Making Under Unresolved Conflict. Cambridge MA: CUP

    Google Scholar 

  • Logsdon J and D Wood (2002). Business citizenship: from domestic to global level of analysis. Business Ethics Quarterly, 12(2), 155–187. doi:10.2307/3857809

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lutz, M. A. and K. Lux: 1988, Humanistic Economics: The New Challenge. New York: Intermediate Technology Development Group

    Google Scholar 

  • Maitland, I. (2002). Priceless goods: how should life saving drugs be priced? Business Ethics Quarterly, 12(4), 451–480. doi:10.2307/3857995

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Margolis, J.D. (1998). Psychological pragmatism and the imperative of aims: A new approach for business ethics. Business Ethics Quarterly, 8(3), 409–431. doi:10.2307/3857429

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Margolis, J.D., & Walsh, P. (2003). Misery loves companies: rethinking social initiatives by business. Administrative Science Quarterly, 48(2), 268–306. doi:10.2307/3556659

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mason, R.O. (1969). ‹A dialectical approach to strategic planning’. Management Science, 13, 403–414

    Google Scholar 

  • Mason, R.O., & Mitroff, I.I.1981. Challenging Strategic Planning Assumptions, Wiley

    Google Scholar 

  • McGee, J. (1998). Commentary on ‹corporate strategies and environmental regulations: an organizing framework. Strategic Management Journal, 16, 377–387. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199804)19:4<377::AID-SMJ988>3.0.CO;2-S

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McVea, J. 2008. Pragmatism & John Dewey. In: T Donaldson, P Werhane. Eds. Ethical Issues in Business, 8th Edn. Prentice Hall

    Google Scholar 

  • Mintzberg, H., & Waters, J. (1985). Of strategies deliberate and emergent. Strategic Management Journal, 6, 257–272. doi:10.1002/smj.4250060306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Porter, M. E. and P. Kramer: 2006, ‹Strategy and Society’, Harvard Business Review, 85, 78–92

    Google Scholar 

  • Prahalad, C.K., & Hammond, A. (2002). ‹Serving the World’s poor, profitably’. Harvard Business Review, (Sept), 48–57

    Google Scholar 

  • Prakash-Sethi, S. (2003). Globalization and the good corporation: a need for proactive co-existence. Journal of Business Ethics, 43, 21–31. doi:10.1023/A:1022954930225

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Quinn, D.P., & Jones, T.M. (1995). ‹An agent morality view of business policy’. Academy of Management Review, 20, 22–42. doi:10.2307/258885

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, S.J. (2003). A single framework for strategic and ethical behavior in the international context. Business Ethics Quarterly, 13(3), 361–379

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, C.J., & Crittenden, W.C. (2003). ‹Mapping moral philosophies: strategic implications for multinational firms’. Strategic Management Journal, 24(4), 385–392. doi:10.1002/smj.300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, C.J., & Watson, A. (2004). Corruption and strategy. Strategic Management Journal, 25(4), 385–396. doi:10.1002/smj.382

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenthal, S.B., & Buchholz, R.A. (2000a). The empirical-normative split in business ethics: a pragmatic alternative. Business Ethics Quarterly, 10(2), 399–408. doi:10.2307/3857883

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenthal, S.B., & Buchholz, R.A.2000b. Rethinking Business Ethics: A Pragmatic Approach. Oxford University Press: NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Rugman, A., & Verbeke, A. (1998). ‹Competitive strategy and environmental regulation: an organizing framework’. Strategic Management Journal, 19(Special Issue), 363–375. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199804)19:4<363::AID-SMJ974>3.0.CO;2-H

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saiia, D., Carroll, A., & Buchholtz, A. (2003). ‹Philanthropy as strategy’. Business & Society, 42(2), 169–201. doi:10.1177/0007650303042002002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schon, D. A.: 1983, The Reflective Practitioner. Basic Books, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Shrivastava, P. (1995). ‹Environmental technologies and competitive advantage’. Strategic Management Journal, 16(Special issue), 183–200. doi:10.1002/smj.4250160923

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singer, A.E. (1994). ‹Strategy as moral philosophy’. Strategic Management Journal, 15, 191–213. doi:10.1002/smj.4250150302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Solomon, R.C. (1998). ‹The moral psychology of business: care and compassion in the corporation’. Business Ethics Quarterly, 8(3), 515–534. doi:10.2307/3857435

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soule, E. (2002). ‹Management moral strategies: in search of a few good principles’. Academy of Management Review, 27(1), 114–124. doi:10.2307/4134372

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spurgin, E.W. (2004). Looking for answers in all the wrong places. Business Ethics Quarterly, 14(2), 293–313

    Google Scholar 

  • Starkey, K., & Crane, A. (2003). ‹Towards green narrative: management and the evolutionary epic. Academy of Management Review, 28(2), 220–237

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van de Ven, A.H. 1992. ‹Suggestions for studying strategy process: a research note’. Strategic Management Journal Summer Special Issue. 13, pp.169-188

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Webb, J.L. (2007). ‹Pragmatisms (plural) part 1: Classical pragmatism and some implications for empirical inquiry’. Journal of Economic Issues, 41(1), 1063–1086

    Google Scholar 

  • Werhane, P.H. (1994). The normative/descriptive distinction in methodologies of business ethics. Business Ethics Quarterly, 4(2), 175–179. doi:10.2307/3857489

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Werhane, P.H. 1999. Moral Imagination and Management Decision Making. OUP: NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Wicks, A.C., & Freeman, R.E. (1998). ‹Organisational studies and the new pragmatism : positivism, anti-positivism and the search for ethics’. Organization Science, 9, 123–140. doi:10.1287/orsc.9.2.123

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zanetti, L.A., & Carr, A.2003.’ Contemporary pragmatism in public administration’. Administration & Society. Sept. 2(4) pp.433-453

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The author gratefully acknowledges helpful comments from Robin Byerly, Jerry Fox, Joe Daly and Hugh Hindman on the earlier draft of the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Appalachian State University, Boone, U.S.A.

    Alan E. Singer

Authors
  1. Alan E. Singer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alan E. Singer.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Singer, A.E. Integrating Ethics and Strategy: A Pragmatic Approach. J Bus Ethics 92, 479–491 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-009-0176-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-009-0176-z

Key words

Search

Navigation