Ethical Theory and Business [Paperback]

Norman E. Bowie (Author, Editor), Tom L. Beauchamp (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0133985202 | ISBN-13: 978-0133985207 | Publication Date: September 3, 1996 | Edition: 5

An anthology that includes readings, legal perspectives and case studies for courses in Business Ethics offered by both Philosophy and Business Depts.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For twenty-five years, successive editions of Beauchamp and Bowie have defined the state of the art in business ethics. With its masterful mix of classic and cutting-edge articles, relevant legal materials, and provocative cases, this business ethics text is the standard by which all others are judged." — John R. Boatright, Professor of Business Ethics, Loyola University Chicago

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

This book presents a comprehensive anthology of readings, legal perspectives, and cases in ethics in business.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 661 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 5 edition (September 3, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0133985202
• ISBN-13: 978-0133985207
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,531,048 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In Defense of Beauchamp and Bowie, June 16, 2001

By 

basil e smith (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ethical Theory and Business (6th Edition) (Paperback)

I teach business ethics at the college level, and have found Ethical Theory and Business to be very helpful. Basically, B and B attempt to do three things, or so it seems to me. First, they offer an introductory essay, covering some of the main distinctions in both meta-ethics (e. g. whether morality is objective or subjective) and normative ethics. This essay is the weakest part of the book, I think, because they seem to offer caracatures of most relativist leaning views (e. g. egoism), and do not adequately criticize Kantian moral philosophy. But even so, the essay does explain many useful distinctions in philosophical ethical thought. Second, B and B offer both classic readings in Business Ethics (e. g. Milton Friedman), as well as really up to date readings, by many of the leaders in the field (e. g. R. Edward Freeman). This is quite a good selection of readings, although they have omitted a few classic essays (like Galbraith's 'The Dependence Effect'), and a few subjects which might have been useful, such as the question of whether one can attribute moral agency to corporations at all. Even so, B and B include more than any course in Business Ethics could cover. Third, B and B provide a Web site with excersizes and instructor aids. Depending on how much one uses the Web, this may be helpful too. So generally speaking, although no anthology is perfect, Beauchamp and Bowie have put together an admirable collection. There is a seventh edition coming out soon. Perhaps that one will be as good as this one.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Critical Compendium, July 19, 2002

By 

Michael Cranford "internetguru" (San Juan Capistrano, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ethical Theory and Business (Paperback)

This book is a critical reader, and it's probably the most highly used text in business ethics today. Those who reviewed this book negatively sound like people looking for a fun, non-academic overview of the field. If so, this book isn't it. These are articles published in top academic journals, edited for readability, by scholars who are addressing the fundamental issues in a wide range of topics. It's meant to expose the span of the field and still give students (not light readers) exposure to contemporary literature that touches on the most salient points. It's meant to be a starting point to deeper research in any given topic. As such, the book is a complete success. B & B do a great job (here as in other ethics compendiums) of providing a framework that makes it easy for a professor to expose her students to the field in one swoop. They do a fine editorial job, stripping the articles of padding, and they work hard to keep the offerings up to date (passing on older articles that are superceded by fresh insights that touch on contemporary challenges and technologies; look for something relating to the corporate scandals of this last year in the next edition). If you are a student looking for an overview on business ethics, this book is the correct starting point. If you are someone looking for light reading about corporate corruption, with illustrations and full-color photos, stick to People magazine.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Anthology, June 23, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Ethical Theory and Business (6th Edition) (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this anthology, especially the section on sexual harassment. Some of the subjects were hard going, but, it was a good introduction to business ethics.