Abstract
The boundaries of honesty are the focal point of this exploration of the individualistic origins of modernist ethics and the consequent need for a more pragmatic approach to business ethics. The tendency of modernist ethics to see honesty as an individual responsibility is described as a contextually naive approach, one that fails to account for the interactive effects between individual choices and corporate norms. By reviewing the empirical accounts of managerial struggles with ethical dilemmas, the article arrives at the contextual preconditions for encouraging the development of reflective moral agents in modern corporations.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anderson, E.: 1993, Value in Ethics and Economics (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA).
Axelrod, R.: 1984, The Evolution of Cooperation (Basic Books, New York, NY).
Badaracco, Jr. J. L. and A. P. Webb: 1995, ‘Business Ethics: A View From the Trenches’, California Management Review 37, 8–28.
Barnett, J. H. and M. J. Karson: 1987, ‘Personal Values and Business Decisions: An Exploratory Investigation’, Journal of Business Ethics 6, 371–382.
Bellah, R. N. et al.: 1985, Habits of the Heart: Individualism in American Life (University of California Press, Berkeley, CA).
Dewey, J.: 1939, Freedom and Culture (Paragon, New York, NY).
Dewey, J.: 1980, Theory of the Moral Life (Irvington, New York, NY).
E'Tang, J.: 1992, ‘A Kantian Approach to Codes of Ethics’, Journal of Business Ethics 11, 737–744.
Ewing, D.: 1977, Freedom Inside the Organization (McGraw Hill, New York, NY).
Ford, R. C. and W. D. Richardson: 1994, ‘Ethical Decision Making: A Review of the Empirical Literature’, Journal of Business Ethics 13, 205–221.
Frank, R. H.: 1988, Passions Within Reason (Norton, New York, NY).
Freeman, R. E. and D. R. Gilbert, Jr.: 1988, Corporate Strategy and the Search for Ethics (Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ).
Hurley, S.: 1989, Natural Reasons (Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K.).
Jackall, R.: 1988, Moral Mazes: The World of Corporate Managers (Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford).
Johnson, M.: 1993, Moral Imagination: Implications of Cognitive Service for Ethics (University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London).
Kant, I.: 1949, ‘On a Supposed Right to Lie from Altruistic Motives’, in L. W. Beck (ed. and trans.), Immanuel Kant: Critique of Practical Reason and Other Writings in Moral Philosophy (University of Chicago Press, Chicago).
Korsgaard, C. M.: 1986, ‘The Right to Lie: Kant on Dealing with Evil’, Philosophy and Public Affairs 15, 325–339.
Labich, K.: 1992, ‘The New Crisis in Business Ethics’, in John E. Richardson (ed.), Business Ethics 95/96 (Dushkin Publishing Group/Brown and Benchmark Publishers, Guilford, Connecticut).
Lane, J. C.: 1995, ‘Ethics of Business Students: Some Marketing Perspectives’, Journal of Business Ethics 14, 571–580.
Liedtka, J. M.: 1989, ‘Value Congruence: The Interplay of Individual and organizational value Systems’, Journal of Business Ethics 8, 805–815.
MacIntyre, A.: 1984, After Virtue (Notre Dame University Press, Notre Dame, 2nd edn.).
Michalos, A. C.: 1995, A Pragmatic Approach to Business Ethics (Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA).
O'Neil R. F. and D. A. Pienta: 1994, ‘Economic Criteria Versus Ethical Criteria: Toward Resolving A Basic Dilemma in Business’, Journal of Business Ethics 13, 71–78.
Phillips, M. J.: 1995, ‘Corporate Moral Responsibility: When It Might Matter’, Business Ethics Quarterly 5, 555–576.
Rubin, D. P. and R. E. Reidenbach: 1987, ‘Social Responsibility, Ethics, and Marketing Strategy: Closing the Gap Between Concept and Application’, Journal of Marketing (Jan.), 44–58.
Sandel, M.: 1982, Liberalism and The Limits of Justice (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K.).
Soutar, G. N. et. al.: 1995, ‘A Management Perspective on Business Ethics’, Journal of Business Ethics 14, 603–611.
Soutar, G. N. et. al.: 1994, ‘The Impact of the Work Environment on Ethical Decision-Making: Some Australian Evidence’, Journal of Business Ethics 13, 327–339.
Stranga, K. G. and R. A. Turpen: 1991, ‘Ethical Judgments on Selected Accounting Issues: An Empirical Study’, Journal of Business Ethics 10, 739–747.
Tansey, L. A.: 1994, ‘Right vs. Wrong’, in John E. Richardson (ed.), Business Ethics 95/96 (Dushkin Publishing Group/Brown and Benchmark Publishers, Guilford, Connecticut).
Taylor, C.: 1989, Sources of the Self (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA).
Taylor, C.: 1991, The Ethics of Authenticity (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Quinn, J.K., Reed, J.D., Browne, M.N. et al. Honesty, Individualism, and Pragmatic Business Ethics: Implications for Corporate Hierarchy. Journal of Business Ethics 16, 1419–1430 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005787209221
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005787209221