Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Applied Ethics in a Troubled World pp 151–166Cite as

Business Ethics as a Goal-Rights-System

  • Chapter

  • 272 Accesses

Part of the book series: Philosophical Studies Series ((PSSP,volume 73))

Abstract

The endeavour to outline a viable conception of business ethics and to establish it as a respectable academic discipline confronts a host of difficult methodological and foundational problems. Yet in spite of these difficulties the development of such a conception is a supremely important task that must be undertaken if more clarity in the business ethics debate is needed and if it is also assumed that academia, in shaping its various disciplines, bears some responsibility for improving actual business life. To discuss my topic, I begin by presenting a critical view of Adam Smith and Max Weber (chapter 1). I then sketch an “action-oriented” conception of business ethics that provides a framework within which the discussion of substantive issues can be conducted fruitfully (chapter 2). Finally, I take up the normative-ethical approach of a “goal-rights-system” proposed by Amartya Sen and try to develop it further (chapter 3).

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

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Berenbeim, R.E. (1987), Corporate Ethics. A Research Report from The Conference Board, New York: The Conference Board.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowen, E.F. (1991), ‘The Role of Business in Three Levels of Literacy’, in Freeman, ed. (1991), 177-187.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ciulla, J.B. (1991), ‘Business Ethics as Moral Imagination’, in Freeman, ed. (1991), 212-220.

    Google Scholar 

  • Donaldson, T (1991), ‘The Language of International Corporate Ethics’, paper presented at the ‘Tokyo Conference of the Ethics of Business in a Global Economy’, on 10th–12th September 1991 in Kashiwa City, Chiba, Japan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drucker, RE (1989), The New Realities — in Government and Politics/in Economics and Business/in Society and World View, New York: Harper and Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Encyclopédie Philosophique Universelle (1989–1991), publiée sous la direction d’andré Jacob, Paris: Presses universitaires de France.

    Google Scholar 

  • Enderle, G. (1987), Sicherung des Existenzminimums im nationalen und internationalen Kontext — eine wirtschaftsethische Studie, Bern-Stuttgart: Haupt.

    Google Scholar 

  • Enderle, G. (1988), Wirtschaftsethik im Werden. Ansätze und Problembereiche der Wirtschaftsethik, Stuttgart: Akademie der Diözese Rottenburg-Stuttgart.

    Google Scholar 

  • Enderle, G. (1989), ‘Gesinnungsethik oder Verantwortungsethik — ein falscher Gegensatz’, in Dubs, R./ Hangartner, Y./ Nydegger, A., eds. (1989), Der Kanton St. Gallen und seine Hochschule. Beiträge zur Eröffnung des Bibliothekbaus, Buchs SG: BuchsDruck und Verlag, 523–532.

    Google Scholar 

  • Enderle, G. (1990), ‘Das Verteilungsproblem als Problem der Sicherung des Existenzminimums’, in Steigleder/Mieth, eds. (1990), 121-135.

    Google Scholar 

  • Enderle, G. (1991), ‘What Is Business Ethics?’, paper presented at the ‘Tokyo Conference of the Ethics of Business in a Global Economy’, on 10th–12th September 1991 in Kashiwa City, Chiba, Japan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Enderle, G. (1991a), ‘Business Ethics and Market Failure’, in Harvey, B./ Van Luijk, H./ Corbetta, G., eds. (1991), Market Morality and Company Size, Dordrecht-Boston-London: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 67–85.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Enderle, G. (1991b), ‘Our Common Ground? — Christian Environmental Stewardship: Its Relevance to Corporate Environmental Responsibility’, paper presented at the conference on ‘Corporate Environmental Responsibility’ on 7–9 October 1991 at the Evangelical Academy of Tutzing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Enderle, G. (1992), ‘Umrisse einer handlungsorientierten Wirtschaftsethik’, in Wils, J.-R, ed. (1992), Alibi Wirtschaftsethik? Tübingen: Attempto, 56–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freeman, R.E., ed. (1991), Business Ethics. The State of the Art, New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frey, R.G., ed. (1984), Utility and Rights, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gabele, E. (1990), ‘Ziele in mittelständischen Unternehmen Europas — eine empirische Untersuchung’, in Klemm, R./ Hirsbrunner, D., eds. (1990), Entwicklungspotential: Erkennen und Nutzen. Ein Lesebuch für die Praxis, Bern: Haupt, 89–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gewirth, A. (1978), , Reason and Morality, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gewirth, A. (1986), ‘Why Rights are Indispensable’, Mind 95, 329–344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gewirth, A. (1990), ‘Die rationalen Grundlagen der Ethik’, in Steigleder/Mieth, eds. (1990), 3-34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gewirth, A.R. (1991), ‘Can Any Final End Be Rational?’, Ethics 101, 66–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hengsbach, F. (1991), Wirtschaftsethik. Aufbruch — Konflikte — Perspektiven, Freiburg: Herder.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoeffe, O., ed. (1980), Lexikon der Ethik, München: Beck.

    Google Scholar 

  • Homann, K. (1980), Die Interdependenz von Zielen und Mitteln, Tübingen: Mohr.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hont, I./ Ignatieff, M. (1983), ‘Needs and Justice in the Wealth of Nations: an Introductory Essay’, in Hont, I./ Ignatieff, M., eds. (1983), Wealth and Virtue. The Shaping of Political Economy in the Scottish Enlightenment, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1–44.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Luhmann, N. (1988), Die Wirtschaft der Gesellschaft, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Luxemburg, R. (1980), Gesammelte Werke, vol.3, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maclntyre, A. (1981), After Virtue. A Study in Moral Theory, Notre Dame/IN: University of Notre Dame Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matsushita, K. (1989), As I See It, Tokyo: PHP Institute, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahoney, J. (1990), Teaching Business Ethics in the UK, Europe and the USA. A Comparative Study, London: Athlone Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahoney, J. (1990a), ‘The Basis of Human Rights’, in Curran, C.E., ed. (1990), Moral Theology: Challenges for the Future, Essays in Honor of Richard A. McCormick, New York: Paulist Press, 313–333.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nickel, J.W. (1987), Making Sense of Human Rights. Philosophical Reflections on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Berkeley: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nozick, R. (1974), Anarchy, State and Utopia, Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rawls, J. (1971), A Theory of Justice, Cambridge/MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rawls, J. (1987), ‘The Idea of an Overlapping Consensus’, Oxford Journal of Legal Studies 7, 1–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rawls, J. (1989), ‘The Domain of the Political and Overlapping Consensus’, New York University Law Review 64, 233–255.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rawls, J. (1991), Theories of Moral Philosophy: David Hume, Gottfried W. Leibniz, Immanuel Kant, manuscript.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rich, A. (1990), Wirtschaftsethik Band II: Marktwirtschaft, Planwirtschaft, Weltwirtschaft aus sozialethischer Sicht, Gütersloh: Mohn.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ricœur, P. (1987), ‘The Teleological and Deontological Structures of Action: Aristotle and/or Kant?’, Archivio di Filosofia 55: 1–3, 205-217.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scanion, T.M. (1977), ‘Rights, Goals, and Fairness’, Erkenntnis 11, 81–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schäfers, M. (1991), ‘“Rerum Novarum” — Ergebnis der christlichen Sozialbewegung “von unten”’, Concilium 27, 351–359.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schulz, W. (1989), Grundprobleme der Ethik, Pfullingen: Neske.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwemmer, O. (1980), ‘Ethik’, in Mittelstrass, J., ed. (1980): Enzyklopädie Philosophie und Wissenschaftstheorie, vol. 1, Mannheim-Wien-Zürich: Bibliographisches Institut, 592–599.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sen, A. (1981), ‘Rights and Agency’, Philosophy and Public Affairs 11, 3–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sen, A. (1982), ‘Evaluator Relativity and Consequential Evaluation’, Philosophy and Public Affairs 12, 113–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sen, A. (1985), Commodities and Capabilities, Amsterdam: North-Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sen, A. (1985a), ‘Rights as Goals’, in Guest, S./ Milne, A., eds. (1985), Equality and Discrimination: Essays in Freedom and Justice, Stuttgart: Steiner, 11–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sen, A. (1987), On Ethics and Economics, Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sen, A. (1987a), The Standard of Living, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, A. (1759/1976), The Theory of Moral Sentiments, ed. by Raphael, D.D./ MacFie, A.L., Oxford: Clarendon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, A. (1776/1979), An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, general editors R.H. Campbell and A.S. Skinner, textual editor W.B. Todd, vols. I and II, Oxford: Clarendon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solomon, R.C. (1991), ‘Business Ethics, Literacy, and the Education of the Emotions’, in Freeman, ed. (1991), 188-211.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steigleder, K./ Mieth, D., eds. (1990), Ethik in den Wissenschaften. Ariadnefaden im technischen Labyrinth?, Tübingen: Attempto.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNDP (1990), Human Development Report 1990, published for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNDP (1991), Human Development Report 1991, published for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College for Business Administration, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, 46556, USA

    Georges Enderle

Authors
  1. Georges Enderle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Universität Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria

    Edgar Morscher  & Otto Neumaier  & 

  2. University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    Peter Simons

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1998 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Enderle, G. (1998). Business Ethics as a Goal-Rights-System. In: Morscher, E., Neumaier, O., Simons, P. (eds) Applied Ethics in a Troubled World. Philosophical Studies Series, vol 73. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5186-3_9

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5186-3_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-6182-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-5186-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation