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The Relevance of Ancient Greeks to Modern Business? A Dialogue on Business and Ethics

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Abstract

What follows is a dialogue, in the Platonic sense, concerning the justifications for "business ethics" as a vehicle for asking questions about the values of modern business organisations. The protagonists are the authors, Gordon Pearson – a pragmatist and sceptic where business ethics is concerned – and Martin Parker – a sociologist and idealist who wishes to be able to ask ethical questions of business. By the end of the dialogue we come to no agreement on the necessity or justification for business ethics, but on the way discuss the uses of philosophy, the meanings of integrity and trust, McDonald's, a hypothetical torture manufacturer and various other matters.

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Pearson, G., Parker, M. The Relevance of Ancient Greeks to Modern Business? A Dialogue on Business and Ethics. Journal of Business Ethics 31, 341–353 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010759312535

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010759312535

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