Exploring Business School Ethics

Johannes Brinkmann; Ken Peattie

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Exploring Business School Ethics

Johannes Brinkmann

BI Norwegian School of Management, Norway

Ken Peattie

BRASS Research Centre, Cardiff University, UK

Volume 2 Issue 2: 2005, pp. 151-170: ABSTRACT

There is much more written about how and why business schools could and should talk about business ethics than about how they could “walk the talk.” When ethics is discussed, it is usually in relation to the position of business ethics within the curriculum, rather than about what does and does not constitute ethical behaviour on the part of a business school and its members. This paper seeks to explore how ethics can develop beyond the curriculum, and some methods by which business schools might promote effective ethical self-development. Four basic ethical concepts are used as potential starting points for business school faculty to engage with business ethics beyond the curriculum: moral conflict, role morality, moral codes, and moral climate. Through a discussion of these, eight theses are developed for further discussion and are suggested as a framework for future comparative research about business school ethics.