Abstract
This paper will endeavour to provide a general context for the papers and certain parts of the discussions in the session on ‘Ethics’ of the research seminar on ‘Decision-Making in Business.’ As already stated, this session was focused on the relationships between ethics and the decision-making processes in business. In the scientific study of decision-making in business, the topic of ‘ethics and business,’ or as it is sometimes called, ‘business ethics’ cannot be ignored in the world of today. When I say that it cannot be ignored in this era, this might suggest that this was possible in the past; the rest of this paper will make it clear that this conclusion would be wrong. However, owing to certain circumstances1 the scientific study of decision-making in business has been centred on other topics, and the same applies to most of the public at large.
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Notes
See section 3.3.
See, for instance, M. A. M. de Wachter’s paper, this volume.
See also the section ‘Ethical problems are nearly always problems of choice’ in C. H. I. E. M. Teulings’ paper, this volume.
See S. L. Jaki’s paper, ‘Ethics and the science of decision-making in business: a specification of perspectives,’ this volume.
Other reasons might be technological progress (more about this in the rest of this paper) and the growth of prosperity in the Western world in recent decades, which has made it possible to concentrate not on the material aspects of life alone.
See also H. Schreuder, ‘The social responsibility of business,’ this volume.
See A. Hordijk, ‘Trade unionism and ethics,’ this volume.
See A. Kreykamp, ‘A reconnaissance into technology and ethics,’ this volume.
See also M. A. M. de Wachter, ‘Moral policy and public policy,’ this volume.
See C. H. I. E. M. Teulings’ ‘Standards and values in the business enterprise,’ this volume.
The paper by W. L. van Reijen, ‘Power and legitimation,’ adds to this limitation much more structural objections with regard to the legitimation of laws.
See C. H. I. E. M. Teulings, ‘Standards and values in the business enterprise,’ paragraph 2: ‘The growing pluriformity of our value judgements,’ this volume.
See J. C. Ramaer, ‘Theses on man and private enterprise,’ this volume.
See G. B. J. Bomers, ‘Multinational ondernemingen en gedragscodes,’ Intermediair 13th year, Vol. 18, pp. 31–35; and by the same author, ‘Multinational corporations and industrial relations: a comparative study of Western Germany and the Netherlands,’ Assen/Amsterdam: Van Gorcum, 1976.
See P. Hesseling ‘A moral interregnum for multinationals in the third world?’, this volume.
See ‘Guidelines for international investment,’ ICC, 1972, Paris, adopted unanimously by the Council of the ICC.
See inter alia section 2.2.
See Information, ICC Members’ Bulletin, No. 2/76.
See H. Schreuder, ‘The social responsibility of business,’ this volume.
See for instance C. van Dam, ‘Capital investment decisions: an introduction,’ in: C. van Dam, Trends in financial decision-making: planning and capital investment decisions, Leiden, 1978, pp. 207–208. See also J. C. Ramaer, ‘Theses on man and private enterprise,’ this volume.
See A. Hordijk, ‘Trade unionism and ethics,’ this volume.
See H. Schreuder ‘The social responsibility of business,’ this volume.
For instance by accepting only a moderate increase in wages if the government reduces public spending on defence and increases aid to developing countries.
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© 1978 H. E. Stenfert Kroese B.V.
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Tijmstra, R.S. (1978). Incorporating Ethics in Business Decision-Making. In: van Dam, C., Stallaert, L.M. (eds) Trends in business ethics. Nijenrode Studies in Business, vol 3. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-4059-1_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-4059-1_13
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