Abstract
The selection of ‘Ethics’ as one of the four basic themes at a seminar on decision- making in business represents a both hopeful and challenging decision on the part of the organizing committee. As a business economist I must admit that the ethical aspect of decision-making is often lacking in our textbooks and courses. Furthermore, when economists do become involved in matters with an ethical content, the results do not always speak in their favour.1 Add to these considerations my belief that economics and ethics cannot really be separated, and it will be clear that there is a gap to be bridged.
‘The economists of the laissez-faire school purported to abolish the moral problem by showing that the pursuit of self-interest by each individual rebounds to the benefit of all. The task of the generation now in rebellion is to reassert the authority of morality over technology; the business of social scientists is to help them see both how necessary and difficult that task is going to be’ (Joan Robinson, Freedom and necessity, 1970).
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© 1978 H. E. Stenfert Kroese B.V.
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Schreuder, H. (1978). The Social Responsibility of Business. 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_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-4059-1_8
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