This article offers an approach to advance the use of virtue ethics in the training of business managers and leaders, as well as in the education of business students. A thesis is that virtue ethics offers a valuable way to think about how we want to be and what we should strive to become qua businessperson, manager, and leader. The article provides a framework for thinking about virtue ethics in the context of business and leadership, with emphasis on building trust (...) in organizations. It includes a brief summary of Aristotelian virtue ethics, core concepts, and how they apply to management and leadership decision-making. The article concludes with a summary of an approach for teaching a virtue ethics module, which has evolved over the past 20 years. Included are exercises, a survey tool, and a business case as components of the module. The module has been used in corporate training, as well as graduate and undergraduate business education. It is hoped this approach will spur others to explore other ways to bring virtue ethics to business and business education. (shrink)

This is written as a dialogue with the central question, “What constitutes the essence of a ‘good’ businessperson?” Written in the form of a Platonic dialogue, this is an imaginary exchange between Socrates and Agoricus, the fictitious son of a well-respected businessperson of Athens at a time of unethical business practice. Various qualities are entertained in terms of defining a successful and good businessperson, including producing quality products at low prices, effectivesales techniques, creativity and innovation, respectful treatment of the customer, (...) business “know-how” (e.g. accounting), contributing to the community welfare, as well as being honest and trustworthy. Eventually the discussion winds its way to a kind of care and concern for customer welfare and satisfaction, leaving the initial question partially answered, while raising another question related to the proper way of teaching business. Connections to classical and contemporary business readings are made throughout the dialogue by the use of footnotes. The dialogue could be used with various graduate and undergraduate audiences, and it can be used in various ways, including class discussion regarding whether business should be conceived as a profession and whether ethical conduct lies at the heart of business. This only adopts the format of a Platonic dialogue for purposes of exploring the question. However, the dialogue does not claim to representthe ideas or position that Socrates or Plato might take on the question at hand. (shrink)

This is written as a dialogue with the central question, “What constitutes the essence of a ‘good’ businessperson?” Written in the form of a Platonic dialogue, this is an imaginary exchange between Socrates and Agoricus, the fictitious son of a well-respected businessperson of Athens at a time of unethical business practice. Various qualities are entertained in terms of defining a successful and good businessperson, including producing quality products at low prices, effectivesales techniques, creativity and innovation, respectful treatment of the customer, (...) business “know-how” (e.g. accounting), contributing to the community welfare, as well as being honest and trustworthy. Eventually the discussion winds its way to a kind of care and concern for customer welfare and satisfaction, leaving the initial question partially answered, while raising another question related to the proper way of teaching business. Connections to classical and contemporary business readings are made throughout the dialogue by the use of footnotes. The dialogue could be used with various graduate and undergraduate audiences, and it can be used in various ways, including class discussion regarding whether business should be conceived as a profession and whether ethical conduct lies at the heart of business. This only adopts the format of a Platonic dialogue for purposes of exploring the question. However, the dialogue does not claim to representthe ideas or position that Socrates or Plato might take on the question at hand. (shrink)

I began teaching business ethics over 20 years ago in the hope that I would be out of business in 10 years. Scandals and poor decision making have only continued, most recently with the financial crisis of 2008. The context for ethics and morality is decision making. Those who teach business ethics in this challenging century will be well served to consider the purpose and pedagogy of ethics in a business curriculum. I assess and discuss the purpose of business ethics (...) in a business curriculum. I argue that business ethics education can be conceived as strengthening skills for making good decisions. I relate this to the Greek conception of practical wisdom (“phronesis”). I propose a method for achieving this purpose, based on a flight simulation model, a method that hassignificantly reduced pilot error caused accidents. The characteristics of this program are decision making practice, exhaustive debriefing, and creating an environment for engaging diverse perspectives on problems and solutions. (shrink)

I began teaching business ethics over 20 years ago in the hope that I would be out of business in 10 years. Scandals and poor decision making have only continued, most recently with the financial crisis of 2008. The context for ethics and morality is decision making. Those who teach business ethics in this challenging century will be well served to consider the purpose and pedagogy of ethics in a business curriculum. I assess and discuss the purpose of business ethics (...) in a business curriculum. I argue that business ethics education can be conceived as strengthening skills for making good decisions. I relate this to the Greek conception of practical wisdom (“phronesis”). I propose a method for achieving this purpose, based on a flight simulation model, a method that hassignificantly reduced pilot error caused accidents. The characteristics of this program are decision making practice, exhaustive debriefing, and creating an environment for engaging diverse perspectives on problems and solutions. (shrink)

For the past five years at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver a community service or service learning component has been included in the Values in Action class (now Values-Based Leadership), a core MBA course that integrates ethics, law, and public policy perspectives on business issues. This paper summarizes the educational philosophy and the mechanics of this required component. Few empirical studies have been conducted to gauge the perceived value and impact of a service learning requirement (...) on students. Thus, several surveys were conducted to understand better the choices made by students as well as the impact of the requirement on students. Preliminary results reveal generally a positive effect on students, including some evidence that such a service learning requirement may influence students to make a greater lifetime commitment to community service. (shrink)