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Principles of Managerial Moral Responsibility

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2015

Edward Soule,
Marcus Hedahl and
John Dienhart
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Abstract:

The purpose of this paper is to formulate and defend a set of moral principles applicable to management. Our motivation is twofold: 1) to increase the coherence and utility of Integrative Social Contracts Theory (ISCT); and 2) to initiate an alternative stream of business ethics research. To those ends, we specify what counts as adequate guidance in navigating the ethical terrain of business. In doing so, a key element of ISCT, Substantive Hypernorms, is found to be flawed beyond repair. So we propose and defend a remedy: prima facie moral principles. After delineating the appropriate criteria and format for such principles, we formulate, explain, and defend five of them. We conclude with a brief comment on future research possibilities.

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Business Ethics Quarterly , Volume 19 , Issue 4 , October 2009, pp. 529 - 552
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Business Ethics 2009

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