2007 Handbooks

Business ethics has become a buzzword in recent times because of perceived violations of ethical standards by corporations and business people. Increasingly these dominate the media and pose challenges at all levels of business practice and organization. Within the context of changes taking place at a global, post modern and post 9/11 level, the spiritual and religious dimension behind many of these issues has become increasingly public. Religious ethics can no longer be confined to the bedroom but are relevant to the boardroom. The spirituality of work movement is growing rapidly, but needs critical engagement. This course is split into two parts. It will firstly explore and critically examine the religious/spiritual dimension of global business practice and ethics in a multifaith world. Second, it will examine the ethical aspects arising from this religious/spiritual dimension in relation to a range of pressures and tensions in business and the workplace that arise in these areas, eg, clashing individual and institutional loyalties, balancing work and other personal/spiritual commitments, moral management and multicultural/multi-faith workforces etc. These will be investigated with the help of a variety of ethical perspectives, including spiritual or religious ones, business administration literature, case studies, and contemporary role models. Emphasis will be placed on learning the habits and practices of ethical reflection in concrete and collaborative ways.