Published by Kogan Page, London, June 1997

© Copyright, David J Murray, 1997
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Summary of Part 3 - Ideas for Progress

What does the future hold for business ethics? What will be the challenges? From where will come the pressures for change? Before devoting time to this question in Chapter 21 we look first at some of the already available sources both of challenge and assistance. Many organisations provide useful information for the student of business ethics and for the activist who (whether inside or outside of industry) wishes to understand the issues in depth and gain some balance by exploring a variety of perspectives. Such bodies also have their own ethical obligations and we will not neglect these. A newspaper, for example, may perform a valuable public service in exposing a fraudulent contract in the local government offices. The paper itself, however, also has a moral obligation to be balanced and fair, and to place truth before circulation-boosting sensation.

Governments

Governments enshrine some ethical imperatives in law, whilst leaving other issues to voluntary regulation and to a common sense of decency and responsibility. En route to making such judgements they frequently sponsor public debate of the issues. Discussion documents, the more serious official (as distinct from party-political) speeches and announcements, conference papers, etc., can be of great value to the corporate ethicist who wishes to review both the facts and the decisions.

Chapter 15 looks also at the ethics of governments themselves, whether they can be trusted, the values and codes of public life, and what is being done in many countries around the world in attempts to rebuild people's confidence in their governing institutions. The major components of a national integrity framework are outlined, these being of particular importance in countries which are in process of transition to participative democracy and market economics. Also, business people are not forgotten; there is a checklist of questions regarding relationships between private organisations and public institutions.

Media and Other Information Sources

The value of media freedoms to a civilised society are stressed. The media frequently report and sometimes investigate in depth the conduct of business organisations - often responsibly, although not always. Also, as the electronic communication revolution takes hold new sources of instant information are rapidly becoming available; we look at some of these and how to use them. This is designed as a practical chapter, including guidance on how to obtain and manage information from both traditional and modern electronic sources.

Professions

Professional and industry associations generally seek to establish minimum standards of conduct for their members, with varying degrees of regulation and policing. Chapter 17 is based on a survey of professional codes which I commenced in 1992. Such codes vary widely in their nature and impact.

Some professions are currently paying great attention to ethics, especially those in which technological advance threatens to outstrip our understanding of the implications for humanity and society. Medical ethics and bio-ethics are two closely related examples. Then there is the area of computing and the information technologies, which generate a steady flow of moral concerns as the information age moves from dream to reality.

Voluntary Organisations

Voluntary organisations (frequently described in somewhat negative terms as, "Non-governmental Organisations" or NGOs) often exert pressure on businesses in connection with their own particular interests and agendas. Some now exist with aspects of business ethics as their prime concern. In Chapter 18 I argue that confrontation between pressure groups and companies, whilst sometimes inevitable in the context of specific incidents, should not be the norm. More progress would be made if the two sides talked and attempted to understand one another. The American example of the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies is used to illustrate a gradual movement toward working together with greater understanding on all sides.

Faith

Churches and other religious bodies frequently comment on business matters, especially when they feel that people, either as individuals or communities, are being treated less well than is desirable; an increasing number give serious long-term and well-informed thought to questions of the relationship between faith and working life. Chapter 19 describes some recent, and some not so recent, initiatives, some within the boundaries of individual faiths and others involving representatives of different faiths working together.

Academia

Colleges and universities now pay much more attention than in the past to the moral implications of business policy and professional conduct. A large number now have specialist units with this as either the sole or prime topic of study. Many MBA programmes include ethics or corporate social responsibility as an important theme, something almost unheard of even five years ago. High quality journals are now produced on both sides of the Atlantic; conferences (local, national and international) proliferate. There are both strengths and weaknesses in this academic trend.

Ethics in the Influencing Bodies

Each of these bodies, as well as commenting on and prescribing for the business world, has ethical issues within its own operation. We will look at some of these and encourage managers within them to take a serious view of their own ethical standards, on the argument that those who seek to guide, advise or legislate for others should pay attention to themselves also.

This is not, of course, to demand that a person or organisation must be 100% safe from any fear of accusation before commenting on behaviour elsewhere in society. In that case this book could never have been written. Its author cannot lay claim to perfection any more than the next person. It seems fair, however, to call for honesty, equity, objectivity, reasonableness and understanding, especially on the part of those who set themselves up to criticise. It seems reasonable to demand balanced and thoughtful, courteous and respectful, as well as provocative and challenging, behaviour on the part of all who make moral demands on the businesses which deliver the relative comfort and prosperity from which they themselves benefit.

In brief, this third Part of the book is about (i) how such bodies currently contribute their critiques and ideas, and also (ii) how they might examine themselves, and in doing so bring even greater advantages to business society in the future.

The 21st Century

What is around the corner? We can only know to a limited extent. We can extrapolate from present experience and make intelligent guesses, but we can never be certain. One thing we can be fairly certain of, though, is that as technologies and societies develop they will give rise to ever more complex moral dilemmas. Managers in organisations need to be prepared for these. There is grave danger in an attitude to technology which implies, "If it can be done it must be done." Choices about the application of technology, and about transitions in world society, are made at all levels from the major global players to the single small-town individual. Ethics as a skill, and values as a foundation, must be given far higher priority in the training of coming generations of leaders, managers and professional specialists, indeed of everyone.

From "Ethics in Organisations" by David Murray (to be published April 1997 by Kogan Page, London)

"Ethics in Organisations" Front Page

Summary of Part 1

Summary of Part 2