A Return to Objective Ethics in Business Education: A Faith Based Argument for Plato’s Virtue Ethics

Christian Ola, Eric Sartell

Grove City College, Grove, PA, USA.
Whitworth University, Spokane, Washington, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/ojbm.2014.23020                

Abstract

Business ethics is an idea that many students and practitioners believe cannot exist together, often the result of religious underpinnings and philosophical debates deemed too “soft”. It is our belief, however, that business ethics is quite relevant given the current landscape and that a new model should be introduced immediately to all business schools that hope to produce future business leaders, not just business people. This model implements proven neurological traits inherent to all people into widely accepted virtue-based ethical teaching of the world’s major religions, and by doing so, a new framework for teaching what was once an awkward discipline into an interactive, highly-applicable theory.

Keywords

Business Ethics, Virtue Ethics, Teaching Ethics, Ethical Modeling

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Nickels, W.G., McHugh, J.M. and McHugh, S.M. (2010) Understanding Business. 9th Edition, McGraw Hill, New York.
[2]	Gallup (2010) Americans Three Times as Confident in Small vs. Big Business Gallup (2010, July 27). Americans Three Times as Confident in Small vs. Big Business. http://www.gallup.com/poll/141578/americans-three-times-confident-small-big-business.aspx
[3]	Hinnenkamp, C. (2011) Personal Communication.
[4]	Encyclopedia Britannica (2011) Book of the Year 2011.
[5]	Dahlsbaard, K. and Peterson, C. (2005) Shared Virtue: The Convergence of Valued Human Strength across Culture and History. Review of General Psychology, 9, 203-213. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.9.3.203
[6]	Darr, K. (2006) Virtue Ethics: Worth Another Look. Nexus: Ethics, Law, and Management, 84, 29-31.
[7]	Blomquist, R.F. (2009) Pragmatically Virtuous Lawyer? Weidener Law Review, 15, 94-157.
[8]	Donaldson, T. and Dunfee, T. (1999) Ties That Bind: A Social Contracts Approach to Business Ethics. Harvard Business School Press, Boston.
[9]	MacIntyre, A. (1984) After Virtue (Vol. 211). University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame.
[10]	Anscombe, G.E. (1997) Modern Moral Philosophy. Oxford University Press, New York.
[11]	Walton, C. (2001) Character and Integrity in Organizations: The Civilization of the Workplace. Business and Professional Ethics Journal, 20, 105-128. http://dx.doi.org/10.5840/bpej2001203/417
[12]	Reynolds, S.J. (2006) Neurocognitive Model of Ethical Decision Making Process: Implications for Study and Practice. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 737-748. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.91.4.737
[13]	Salvador, R. and Folger, R.G. (2009) Business Ethics and the Brain. Business Ethics Quarterly, 19, 1-31. http://dx.doi.org/10.5840/beq20091911
[14]	CIA (2011) CIA World Factbook. http://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2122.html
[15]	Pieper, J. (1996) Four Cardinal Virtues. Notre Dame University Press, Notre Dame.
[16]	Gier, N.F. (2009) Dharma Morality as Virtue Ethics. Indian Ethics.
[17]	Peterson, C. and Seligman, M. (2004) Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. Oxford University Press, Washington DC.
[18]	Dahlsbaard, K. and Peterson, C. (2005) Shared Virtue: The Convergence of Valued Human Strength across Culture and History. Review of General Psychology, 9, 203-213. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.9.3.203
[19]	Kuhnen, C.M. and Chiao, J.Y. (2009) Genetic Determinants of Financial Risk Taking. Plos One, 4, 1-4. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004362
[20]	Knutson, B., Wimmer, G.E., Kuhnen, C.M. and Winkielman, P. (2008) Nucleus Accumbens Activation Mediates the Influence of Reward Cues on Financial Risk Taking. Neuro Report, 19, 509-513. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/WNR.0b013e3282f85c01
[21]	Golec, J.H. (1996) Effects of Mutual Fund Managers’ Characteristics on the Portfolio Performance, Risk and Fees. Financial Services Review, 5, 133-148. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1057-0810(96)90006-2
[22]	Shukla, R. and Singh, S. (1994) Are CFA Charter Holders Better Equity Fund Managers? Financial Analysts Journal, 50, 68-74. http://dx.doi.org/10.2469/faj.v50.n6.68
[23]	DeBondt, W.F. and Thaler, R. (1985) Does the Stock Market Overreact? The Journal of Finance, 40, 793-805. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.1985.tb05004.x
[24]	Pompian, M.M. (2006) Behavioral Finance and Wealth Management. John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, 106-107.
[25]	Malkiel, B. (1985) Random Walk down Wall Street. 4th Edition, W. W. Norton, New York.