| Description |
1 online resource (viii, 399 pages) : illustrations |
| Series |
Princeton studies in cultural sociology |
|
Princeton studies in cultural sociology.
|
| Contents |
The moral background -- Ethics as a business proposition -- Christian motives -- The good of American business -- The good of American society -- Standards of practice -- The Christian merchant |
| Summary |
In recent years, many disciplines have become interested in the scientific study of morality. However, a conceptual framework for this work is still lacking. In The Moral Background, Gabriel Abend develops just such a framework and uses it to investigate the history of business ethics in the United States from the 1850s to the 1930s. According to Abend, morality consists of three levels: moral and immoral behavior, or the behavioral level; moral understandings and norms, or the normative level; and the moral background, which includes what moral concepts exist in a society, what moral methods can be used, what reasons can be given, and what objects can be morally evaluated at all. This background underlies the behavioral and normative levels; it supports, facilitates, and enables them. Through this perspective, Abend historically examines the work of numerous business ethicists and organizations - such as Protestant ministers, business associations, and business schools - and identifies two types of moral background. "Standards of Practice" is characterized by its scientific worldview, moral relativism, and emphasis on individuals' actions and decisions. The "Christian Merchant" type is characterized by its Christian worldview, moral objectivism, and conception of a person's life as a unity. The Moral Background offers both an original account of the history of business ethics and a novel framework for understanding and investigating morality in general. -- from dust jacket |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index |
| Notes |
Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on September 08, 2023) |
| Subject |
Business ethics -- History
|
|
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS -- Business Ethics.
|
|
Business ethics
|
| Genre/Form |
History
|
| Form |
Electronic book
|
| LC no. |
2013035034 |
| ISBN |
9781400850341 |
|
1400850347 |
|
9781306452434 |
|
1306452430 |
|
