Searching the BU Catalog
Selected books are listed here; for additional titles, consult BU Libraries Search; use subject terms such as Business Ethics, Social Responsibility of Business, or Corporate Responsibility.
Books & E-Books
The Ethics of Sustainability in Management by
Organizational storytelling has been taught for many years in many different places as part of organizational development, organizational change, organizational learning, and business ethics. There has not been any comprehensive framework that addresses sustainability in organizations and so this book develops a new ethics of sustainability for management and organizations. A terrestrial ethics of storymaking is proposed, which responds to Latour's claim that the Terrestrial has become a new decisive political actor in politics. The Terrestrial is born from Gaia, a metaphor for a new look on life on Earth. Gaia situates life in the thin layer of matter that is the surface of the Earth. It entails the view that nature is a process that humans are part of. Storymaking is constructed from Arendt's political philosophy, which is rooted ontologically in the principle of natality: rebirth of life. The term 'storymaking' is developed from Arendt's understanding of storytelling as political action to emphasize not only that stories are spatial, embodied and material practices that are tied to a specific time and space but also that technology is an important dimension in making stories. Stories are thus human practices that apart from meaning making and politics involve the use and manipulation of material and objects, and which are crucial for how a human world is shaped. This human world is furthermore shaped by the rhythms of life embedded in the complex landscapes that humans move through. Storymaking is developed through rethinking the links between the central categories of labor, work, action, and thinking in Arendt's writings. Implications for business ethics are drawn out and a comprehensive ethics framework is constructed that connects the biological and physical with the social, economic, and political regarding how organizations work. Finally, a storymaking philosophy of management is constructed, making this book especially relevant to researchers, academics, managers, and students in the fields of business ethics, management studies, leadership, organizational studies, and international business
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2024
AI, Ethics, and Discrimination in Business: The DEI Implications of Algorithmic Decision Making by
This book takes a historical approach to explore data, algorithms, their use in practice through applications of AI in various settings, and all of the surrounding ethical and DEI implications. Summarizing our current knowledge and highlighting gaps, it offers original examples from empirical research in various settings, such as healthcare, social media, and the GIG economy. The author investigates how systems relying on a binary structure (machines) work in systems that are instead analogic (societies). Further, he examines how underrepresented populations, who have been historically penalized by technologies, can play an active role in the design of automated systems, with a specific focus on the US legal and social system. One issue is that main tasks of machines concern classification, which, while efficient for speeding up decision-making processes, are inherently biased. Ultimately, this work advocates for ethical design and responsible implementation and deployment of technology in organizations and society through through government-sponsored social justice, in contrast with free market policies. This interdisciplinary text contributes to the timely and relevant debate on algorithmic fairness, biases, and potential discriminations. It will appeal to researchers in business ethics and information systems while building on theories from anthropology, psychology, sociology, management, marketing, and economics. Marco Marabelli is a Professor of Computer Information Systems at Bentley University, USA. His research focuses on the ethical and DEI implications of the use of emerging technologies in organizations and society and on the historical and legal aspects concerning social injustice associated with the use of artificial intelligence.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2024
Research Handbook on Organizational Integrity by
This ground-breaking Research Handbook showcases the value, uniqueness, versatility, and holistic character of organisational integrity. Bringing together diverse perspectives from a wide range of expert contributors, it not only provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of the field, but also charts exciting new directions for future research. Chapters explore the many dimensions and characteristics of organisational integrity, analysing the varied ways in which it can be defined, operationalised, and organised. They cover key topics including organisational hypocrisy, integrity in the supply chain, accountability, and integrity management systems. Combining the approaches of business ethics and public administration ethics, contributors examine both public and private organisations to present novel insights into organisational integrity. Ultimately, this Research Handbook highlights the richness of organisational integrity as a concept, and the importance of nurturing and unlocking it in scholarship and in practice. Providing a unique understanding of organisational integrity, this Research Handbook will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars of business ethics, public administration ethics, public integrity, management, and organisation. It will also be an essential guide for professionals seeking to protect and improve the integrity of their organisations
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2024
Principled Productivity: Why Ethical Treatment of Everyone in an Organization Will Result in Increased Productivity by
Dr. Gerald J. Watson, Jr. earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Industrial Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology, was commissioned and spent two years in the U.S. Army with the last tour in Vietnam. He returned to school to earn a Ph.D. degree in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University in 2009 after working as a manufacturing engineer/manager and safety manager for various companies and consultant for over thirty years. Jesse Derouin (Illustrator) has worked for over ten years accumulating valuable industry experience. Jesse has had the benefit of having worked in several capacities gaining an understanding of how to successfully combine people, equipment, and processes to create favorable outcomes.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2023
Business Ethics and Critical Consultant Jokes: New Research Methods to Study Ethical Transgressions by
This open access book offers four ways to enrich traditional research methods in business ethics. By looking at critical jokes and cartoons on management consultants, their business practice and their clients’ demands, many ethical transgressions in business get addressed. By illustrating and criticizing such transgression, jokes can serve as an example in a theoretical argument, as a prompt to reflect on in an open interview, as a statement to assess in an enquiry or as basis for qualitative content analysis. By adding jokes to the conversation on ethical transgressions in business much depth and honesty can be added, resulting in better research data. Jokes can help to surpass social desirability bias included in answers given in traditional interview settings or enquiries. This book is of interest to consultants, researchers, educators and students in business ethics and management. The book showcases what kind of practical and ethical wisdom is embedded in business jokes and how this knowledge can be made productive in the context of business ethics.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2023
Sustainable Business : Managing the Challenges of the 21st Century by
This open access book is a compact guide to the development of sustainable business, which has become the central concept in discussions about the future development of humanity and planet earth. It provides basic terminology and concepts on sustainable business and offers insights into a new management paradigm that integrates social and environmental dimensions into business models, strategies, and operations. New business concepts such as the donut economy, the circular economy, social innovation and sustainable leadership are introduced and the book outlines how they influence the way we run businesses today and in the future. This book lays the foundation for new management thinking in business and academia, making it a essential reader for professionals and students alike.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2023
Managing with Sense and Sensitivity Professionalism in Leadership by
Managers wrestle daily with emotional leadership challenges because emotions and relationships influence organizational energy, commitment, and financial results. This book helps managers strike a balance between feeling and reason in a professional and ethical manner with attention to the manager's position in the hierarchy of the organization. The authors argue that all managers need to develop their own leadership style based on who they are as persons, their convictions and the circumstances in which they find themselves. This book shows managers how to use judgement, experience, reflection and general knowledge to be better leaders. The book also describes managerial responsibility for the conditions that create a compassionate and effective work environment where emotions can be expressed in ways that constructively benefit the entire organization.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2023
Business, Human Rights and the Environment: the Evolving Agenda by
More than ten years after the adoption of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, this book critically reviews the achievements, limits and next frontiers of business and human rights following the 'protect, respect, remedy' trichotomy. The UN Guiding Principles acted as a catalyst for hitherto unprecedented regulatory and judicial developments. The monograph by Macchi proposes a functionalist reading of the state's duty to regulate the transnational activities of corporations in order to protect human rights and adopts a holistic approach to the corporate responsibility to respect, arguing that environmental and climate due diligence are inherent dimensions of human rights due diligence. In the volume emerging legislations are assessed on mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence, as well as the potential and limitations of a binding international treaty on business and human rights. The book also reviews groundbreaking litigation against transnational corporations, such as Lungowe v. Vedanta or Milieudefensie v. Shell, for their human rights and climate change impacts. The book is primarily targeted at academic and non-academic legal experts, as well as at researchers and students looking at business and human rights issues through the lenses of legal studies (particularly international law and European law), political sciences, business ethics, and management. Additionally, it should also find a readership among practitioners working in the public or private sector (consultants, CSR officers, legal officers, etc.) willing to familiarize themselves with the expanding areas of liability, financial and reputational risks connected to the social and environmental impacts of global supply chains. Chiara Macchi is currently Lecturer in Law at Wageningen University & Research in The Netherlands.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2022
Business Ethics and Sustainability by
This book equips readers with the knowledge, insights and key capabilities to understand and practice business activities from ethical and sustainable vantage points. In our interconnected global business environment, the impacts of business activities are under increased ethical scrutiny from a wide range of stakeholders. Written from an international perspective, this book introduces the theory and practice of ethical and sustainable business, focusing in particular on eco-environmental sustainability, intergenerational responsibilities, current disruptive technologies, and intercultural values of the business community and consumers. Written by an expert author who also brings to the fore non-Western concepts and themes, this book: features positive case studies, as well as transferrable and applicable key insights from such cases; highlights the importance of taking cultural differences into account; takes a transdisciplinary approach which considers findings from research fields including conceptual and empirical business ethics, behavioral economics, ecological economics, environmental ethics, and the philosophy of culture; weaves in pedagogical features throughout, including up-to-date case studies, study questions, thought experiments, links to popular movies, and key takeaways. Written in an accessible and student-friendly manner, this book will be of great interest to students of business ethics, environmental ethics, applied ethics, and sustainable development, as well as business practitioners striving toward ethical, sustainable, and responsible business practice.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2022
From Me to We : How Shared Value Can Turn Companies Into Engines of Change by
Shared value is a management strategy in which companies find business opportunities in social problems. While philanthropy and CSR focus efforts focus on "giving back" or minimizing the harm business has on society, shared value focuses company leaders on maximizing the competitive value of solving social problems in new customers and markets, cost savings, talent retention, and more. This book takes the concept of shared value to the next level, with the concept of "Me to We" (also abbreviated as "M2W") and discusses the current state of the business-environment-government relationship and shows how the shared value model can contribute to each entity. Citing real cases and examples from multiple industries, the authors show that shared value promotes shareholder interests while serving as a successful business strategy. Chapters explore the emerging phenomenon of shared value, the shareholder-stakeholder comparisons, the role of government in the stakeholder environment, shared value as it related to competitiveness, and operational issues such as implementation, communication, and leadership in their relationship to shared value. Readers will find useful strategies of Me to We and its implementation by firms that have become leaders in their market. They will receive ideas and insights into business strategies that will overshadow CSR activities as a differentiation or brand development strategy of the past. Featuring interviews with corporate executives offering their perspectives on shared value, this book will discuss shared value within the context of business and society, competitiveness, and globalization.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2022
Handbook on Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility by
The world-wide transition towards corporate social responsibility (CSR) results in profound changes to business practices. Hence, this crucial Handbook adopts a global perspective to review key CSR issues and their implications for the future evolution of corporate governance. Michel Magnan and Giovanna Michelon bring together leading experts who deftly explore the critical tensions and areas of convergence between CSR and corporate governance. The Handbook further assesses the environmental responsibilities corporations are now facing and examines the wide range of social responsibility issues affecting businesses, with a particular focus on corporate philanthropy, boardroom diversity, workplace harassment and gender equality. The Handbook concludes with some thought-provoking discussion about the future evolution of corporate governance if it is to succeed in addressing emerging environmental and social challenges. Arguing that environmental and social responsibilities represent the essence of CSR, this dynamic Handbook provides a number of policy and practical recommendations, proposing ideas for future research and useful indications for boards of directors. This incisive and forward-thinking Handbook will be an important read for academics and researchers interested in corporate governance, CSR, and sustainability. It will also prove highly beneficial for professionals and practitioners working in corporate governance and its intersection with sustainability
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2024
Social Sustainability and Good Work in Organizations by
This edited research monograph collects nine unique research contributions on the concept of social sustainability and its connection to possibilities and hindrances for good work in organisations. Social sustainability, in organisational contexts, emphasizes the long-term well-being of stakeholders and communities. The authors in this book demonstrate how organisational long-term strategies should prioritise employee well-being, mental health, community engagement, and ethical supply chain management, inter alia. Readers, from undergraduate students to the research community, will learn how long-term social sustainability orientation is different from Corporate Social Responsibility, which responds to immediate stakeholder expectations. The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals have nudged many organisations to implement social sustainability, and many authors in this book relate to UN concepts such as the SDGs or Global Compact's definition of social sustainability. However, many organisations have come under scrutiny for acting merely ceremonial to live up to the current megatrends. In consequence, readers will take away that the line between genuine corporate mission and ceremonial lip services must be critically observed, and how this can be done in different areas. Key chapters of this book explore social sustainability, e.g., in higher education (as sustainable knowledge in business students), in corporate communication (employee identification, corporate volunteering, and corporate heritage), and in sustainable human resource management practices. Workplace toxicity, especially towards minorities, is explored, highlighting both the role of bystanders, and the financial repercussions of ignoring workplace harassment. Digital transformation's social implications, employee well-being, and the importance of psychological safety in startups are addressed. The chapters, all together, signify the relevance of meaningful work for long-term societal cohesion and individual fulfilment"
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2024
Beyond Sustainability Reporting: The Pathway to Corporate Social Responsibility by
How to Convert Sustainability Disclosure into Action New standards such as those of the International Sustainability Standards Board and new regulations from the Securities and Exchange Commission are challenging companies to increase and improve their disclosure on what they are doing to support sustainability for their Environmental, Social and Governance activities. Companies are responding by changing their controls and procedures to include sustainability processes. But is this enough? For companies that truly want to help with sustainability issues, the answer is no. What is needed is the more action-oriented approach laid out in this book, which: Enables modifying the corporate strategic plans to include real sustainability actions. Makes use of the skills developed in providing sustainability disclosures, such as integrated thinking. Includes proper adoption of recognized standards for control procedures recognized by regulatory authorities. Adapts traditional management change tools, such as SWOT and the Porter Five Forces Model to include sustainability. Shows how to move the company from sustainability disclosure to integrated thinking to Corporate Social Responsibility. Beyond Sustainability Reporting: Integrated Thinking and Corporate Social Responsibility is a must-read for any company wanting to make a strong contribution to sustainability issues, for educators who wish to teach sustainability issues and how to manage them, and for anyone interested in knowing how companies can develop a strong and successful action-oriented program for sustainability.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2024
Concise Encyclopedia of Corporate Social Responsibility by
This Concise Encyclopedia is an interdisciplinary overview of the field of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It not only incorporates well-established concepts proffered by highly influential voices, but also captures the perspectives of tomorrow. The entries present some of the main topics gravitating around CSR and its theoretical evolution, while recognising how the framework has spread out into different academic fields. This Concise Encyclopedia helps to update CSR scholarship in line with developments within the broader discourse on the responsibilities of business, with new reflections on well-established concepts. Presenting a state-of-the-art discussion on the evolution of and future for CSR, this Concise Encyclopedia will serve as a significant reference point for both scholars and students of Business Ethics, Business and Human Rights and Corporate Sustainability. The depth of discussion throughout the Concise Encyclopedia will be useful for academics, practitioners, and policymakers alike. Key Features: - 46 accessible and fully-referenced entries - Contributions from leading scholars and academics in the field - Written in a critical and reflective style, with entries grounded in ongoing debates on CSR - Recognition of Business and Human Rights (BHR) as an emergent theme within CSR, with entries on modern slavery and workers' rights
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2024
CSR, Governance, and Value by
This book presents the changing face of social responsibility, showing how it has grown to encompass governance, becoming a vital part of various aspects of human endeavor. From businesses to politics to justice systems, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has expanded its reach, touching every sphere of human activity. What is particularly interesting is how governance failures have highlighted its importance in addressing the economic and social challenges that many organizations face today. This shift has led to a reevaluation of the traditional triple bottom line approach, with governance and supplier behavior emerging as critical components of CSR. Stakeholders, especially consumers, are now actively monitoring companies, influencing their decisions and ultimately impacting their bottom line. The book critically examines these transformations in business behavior through the lenses of governance and CSR, questioning the need for redefining key concepts in the field. Authored by scholars from diverse global backgrounds, it blends theoretical insights with practical considerations, offering a comprehensive exploration of the evolving landscape. Drawing from the tradition of the Social Responsibility Research Network, known for its inclusive approach and emphasis on interdisciplinary research, the book presents varied perspectives and solutions derived from shared best practices. Based on contributions from the Network's recent conference, this book showcases both the unity and diversity of ideas within the field. By examining both theory and practice, it aims to deepen our understanding of these evolving trends and their implications for defining key concepts in social responsibility and governance.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2024
Power and Corporate Responsibility: Dimensions, Purpose, and Value by Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2023
Social Management Responsiveness in Business by
A lot of controversy exists around the contribution of the mining industry and the territorial development of the regions where it operates. Despite the boom in mineral prices, there are still many communities that do not show development. At the macroeconomic level, countries with a mining industry receive income from mining taxes and royalties, however, at the micro level this greater income is not reflected in the closing of socio-economic gaps and the well-being of the population. Cesar Saenzpresents the Social Management Model Canvas (SMMC), describing the rationale of how an extractive company can create and deliver social value for communities around and beyond the sphere of influence. The SMMC can best be described through nine basic building blocks - the social value proposition; defining the community; social channels; relationship with the community; key social resources; key social activities; key social partners; social investment structure and social benefits. Companies can map the existing social management model to visualize, understand and communicate the level of responsiveness of the model, whilst using the canvas to explore new social management improvements to get a social license to operate. Communities require companies and governments to address their needs such as education, employment, health service, among others. Combining all these elements in a social management model helps companies consider all the variables when designing and implementing strategies that meet both business and community needs.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2023
Corporate Social Responsibility and Marketing Ethics by
Changes in the economy and greater competition force us to adapt our business practices and to take greater account of the needs of consumers and the social problems they care about. Consumers are placing an increasing weight on the social responsibility of the organisations they choose to purchase from and associate with, and businesses must adopt corporate social responsibility practices into their marketing strategies. This book demonstrates the concept of CSR and how it is included as an element of value-based marketing. Using research from the Polish market, the author explores the concept of value-based marketing, how organisations are implementing CSR and analyses the effect on consumer behaviour. It examines consumer awareness of CSR practices and the effect this has on their purchasing decisions and brand loyalty, making the argument that disregarding CSR can be detrimental to businesses success and profit. Providing both empirical and theoretical perspectives, this book will be a useful reference for scholars and upper-level students across business disciplines including marketing, CSR and business ethics.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2023
Corporate Social Responsibility in Difficult Times by
It has been fairly traumatic for everyone and every organization over the last couple of years as we have had to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. It has certainly been a shock to the economic system of the world from which many are still recovering. Equally it has affected social systems and the environment, the effects of which are still being felt and will be felt for some time to come. In addition, there has been a fairly general economic crisis around the world as people struggle and adapt to the new environment. Certainly, there have been and will be changes which are likely to become permanent. While recovering from one crisis however another is becoming more significant as climate change and its effects start to become ever more apparent. So, it seems inevitable that difficult times will continue into the future. This book therefore sets out to examine aspects of the changes to corporate and institutional behaviour which have come about by the difficult times of needing to deal with past and future crises. The international origins of the contributors to this volume make this very original, taking some of the best ideas from around the world. This approach is based on the tradition of the Social Responsibility Research Network (SRRNet.org), which in its 20-year history has sought to broaden the discourse and to treat all research as inter-related and relevant to business. This tradition has always been to explore the subject widely and to seek relevant solutions, while also sharing best practice
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2023
Communicating corporate social responsibility : the trust factor by
The Trust Factor: Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility explores theoretical frameworks and practical applications for creating trust between an organization and key stakeholders. Scholars of communication, public relations, and leadership will find this book of particular interest
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2023
The ethically responsible organization by
Today's businesses have an obligation to conduct themselves in an ethical and responsible manner at all times. Fortunately, many businesses have historically embraced the idea that they can operate in an ethically & responsible manner. However, there are way too many companies that are willing to cut corners and do whatever it takes to make a profit, thus contributing to the vortex of mistrust, distrust, misinformation, disinformation and less than full disclosures as a result of their unethical misconduct. This book takes the positon that 'enough is enough' and argues that all businesses can and must be ethically responsible no matter its size or whether it operates locally or globally. The book describes the features of an ethically responsible (e.g., ethical and socially responsible) organization that is committed to always "doing the right things" which means they are committed to building, institutionalizing and sustaining an ethically oriented organizational culture. Ethical responsibility means maintaining -even improving- your bottom line, while setting a high bar for high ethical standards AND making a positive contribution to society. The book argues that organizations must be attentive to ensuring that the culture that has as its core accountability, responsibility, and learning which means it invests in developing and expecting all of its employees to be fully engaged in making ethical decisions and being ethical leaders. The book also discusses what it means to be an ethically responsible global business, leader, middle manager, and lower-level employee. The book provides a detailed look at the importance of organizations doing preventive work to avoid ethical falls or scandals and takes the position that if such a fall or scandal occurs then the company should seize the moment and learn from the experience by becoming a learning organization. The book also takes the position that an ethically responsible organization is already a learning organization that continuous inquiry, diagnosis, reflection, learning and self-correction as the keystone of the way it operates. Finally, the book offers some ideas on how organizations can reinforce an sustain themselves as ethically responsible businesses today and in the future by taking a strategic approach to ethics that includes constant and consistent ethics training and education for all its employees and partners. In the end, the purpose of the book is to continue to increase our understanding of why organizations stray from "doing the right things" and how a focus on being ethically responsible can position companies to avoid or quickly respond to any potential ethical misconduct or found themselves in the list of the years' top ethical scandals. This book is written for all those who also take the stance that 'enough is enough' when it comes to the headlines of another failure because the organization's leaders would not commit to being ethically responsible and find themselves in the throes of an ethical scandal and unable to recover from it - and like 'Humpty Dumpty, all the kings horses and all the kings men the company can't recover from what was a preventable ethical fall.
Location: Online (Single User Access)Publication Date: 2023
Stakeholder Management and Social Responsibility : Concepts, Approaches and Tools in the Covid Context by
The main objective of this book is to provide an innovative set of concepts and tools regarding company management, internal and external stakeholders and social responsibilities, reflecting the necessities and opportunities generated by the digital transformation, the transition to a knowledge-based economy, and the COVID-19 crisis. The book, based on a holistic vision and contextual approach of business, contributes to the development of company management and stakeholder and social responsibility theories and practices, being structured in 12 chapters. The original company management vision, approaches, and tools are based on three pillars: a new "manager-relevant stakeholder" rather than "manager-subordinate" managerial paradigm; a new type of company social responsibility rather than corporate social responsibility; and a new concept of company-relevant stakeholder rather than that of salient stakeholders. The book contains two innovative managerial mechanisms: the managerial synapse and company-relevant stakeholders-based management system able to help companies and stakeholders face successfully the challenges of digital transformation and the COVID-19 crisis and to generate greater organization functionality and performance. The book will be of interest to company managers and management specialists, management academics, consultants and researchers, and MBA students interested in a style of management with social responsibility at the forefront.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2022
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Sustainability and Environmental Social Governance (ESG) Approaches to Ethical Management by
This book provides a comprehensive overview of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its practical applications. In addition to the structured procedure with definitions and CSR approaches, functions within the value chain are described in comprehensive manner with reference to business practice. Business trends in special sectors such as innovation management and hospitality management are also covered. Numerous practical examples and country-specific recommendations for decisions in practical situations are also offered.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2022
