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Moral Foundations Theory: Building Value Through Moral Pluralism

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Handbook of Virtue Ethics in Business and Management

Abstract

Moral foundations theory (MFT) is a novel psychological framework that advances a pluralist view of morality, expandng it beyond commonly discussed themes of preventing harms and injustices to individuals. According to MFT societies construct moral virtues, norms, and meanings based upon multiple psychological systems (moral foundations): Care/harm, Fairness/cheating, Loyalty/betrayal, Authority/subversion, and Purity/degradation. MFT thus identifies moral concerns which govern how we treat other individuals, as well as how we operate within groups. Insights and concepts from MFT, particularly its attention to group-level moral concerns and virtues, have a range of potential applications in business, from increased understanding of clients and employees to improving organizational culture and leadership and to value-based marketing.

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Acknowledgements

During work on this article Dr. Sena Koleva was partially funded by a research grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. California State University, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Spassena Koleva

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, University Park Campus, 90089, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Erica Beall & Jesse Graham

Authors
  1. Spassena Koleva
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  2. Erica Beall
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  3. Jesse Graham
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Spassena Koleva .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain

    Alejo José G. Sison

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Koleva, S., Beall, E., Graham, J. (2015). Moral Foundations Theory: Building Value Through Moral Pluralism. In: Sison, A. (eds) Handbook of Virtue Ethics in Business and Management. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6729-4_79-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6729-4_79-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6729-4

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