Business Ethics, A Teaching and Learning Classroom Edition: Concepts and Cases [Paperback]

Manuel G. Velasquez (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0131930079 | ISBN-13: 978-0131930070 | Publication Date: July 25, 2005 | Edition: 6th

This book provides readers with a clear, straightforward writing style, an abundance of examples, detailed real-life cases, and current data and statistics. It aims to 1) introduce ethical concepts that are relevant to resolving moral issues in business, 2) develop the reasoning and analytical skills needed to apply ethical concepts to business decisions, 3) identify moral issues specific to business, and 4) examine the social and natural environments within which moral issues in business arise. Chapter topics cover ethics and business, ethical principles in business, the business system, ethics in the marketplace, ethics and the environment, the ethics of consumer production and marketing, the ethics of job discrimination, and the individual in the organization. For anyone in business.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Manuel Velasquez is the former Director of Santa Clara University’s Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. He is now chair of the Department of Management at the Leavey School of Business at SCU. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles on Business Ethics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 6th edition (July 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131930079
• ISBN-13: 978-0131930070
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,150 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #63 in Books > Business & Investing > Business Life > Ethics

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful for those unfamiliar with philosophy or ethics, August 21, 2008

By 

Tecumseh (British Columbia, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Business Ethics, A Teaching and Learning Classroom Edition: Concepts and Cases (Paperback)

Business Ethics: Concepts and Cases is widely used as an introduction to the study of business ethics. I have seen it used in first and second year philosophy courses; it is also used at the graduate level in business schools. The author, Manuel Velasquez, was trained as a philosopher but has worked in business programs for a good deal of his career. Not surprisingly then the text tends to reflect the preoccupations of business faculties more than those of philosophy departments.

In several key respects the text is philosophically unsophisticated, especially in chapter two, the lengthy chapter devoted to normative ethical theory. Many philosophers would reject Velasquez' characterization of Kantian ethics, especially his explanation of the first formulation. His treatment of the ethic of caring in chapter two is adequate, but in later chapters the core elements of the caring perspective are lost, to be replaced by a generalized concern for the welfare of everyone, even that of total strangers and distant ecosystems.

One of the chief strengths of the text lies in the high quality of the case studies. These have been carefully crafted to bring out the complexity and uncertainties of everyday moral deliberation.

This the sixth edition of the text reflects the general trend in collegiate publishing to appeal to weaker students who find reading a chore and resent being confronted with their own limitations. It is ironic then that one reviewer has complained that the language employed in the text is unduly sophisticated. This is one of the simpler texts in business ethics. Unlike other texts in the Prentice Hall catalog it doesn't expect students to read scholarly work in its original form, but instead offers predigested summaries of important theories and principles found in ethics.

The fifth edition is more detailed than the sixth edition and doesn't see the need for photographs, sidebar summaries, bulleted lists, video CDs of the nightly news and other props which add to the price of an already overpriced textbook.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best out there, May 28, 2009

By 

Professor M. (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Business Ethics, A Teaching and Learning Classroom Edition: Concepts and Cases (Paperback)

I have taught business ethics for over ten years. This is the book I use. It is the best introductory business ethics text I know of. I tried Trevino & Nelson's text last year, but found that it didn't present enough in the way of theory to help students actually make ethical decisions. I've come back to using Velasquez's book. I agree with the reviewer that complained about Velasquez's writing style. I wish Velasquez had read The Elements of Style and taken it to heart. But this is a minor quibble, given the superior quality of the content.

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, but indirect and prolix., July 15, 2009

By 

Andrew Donaldson (East Lansing, MI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Business Ethics, A Teaching and Learning Classroom Edition: Concepts and Cases (Paperback)

The cases are very interesting and informative. The wording and writing style can be very confusing, although Velasquez does provide examples that provide more clarity. The questions for both the chapter review and case studies require critical thinking, but are too elaborate, and most aren't thought-provoking or serve any particular purpose.