Business ethics has been a hot topic in recent years following the last economic meltdown. There has been a lot of soul searching among many in the business community and it seems that business ethics is more important than ever. This is a subject that is taught at university but it is increasingly a topic of interest to non-academics as well. Business decisions can have a huge impact on the life of people so it is viewed as vital that there is some type of morality in the process. There have been many great books written on this topic and here are just five of the best of them.
Ethics and the Conduct of Business — 6th Edition- by John Raymond Boatright (2008)
This text manages to get the balance right between ethical theory and their practical applications. This should mean that the book will prove valuable to anyone with an interest in business ethics. It covers the ethical issues surrounding many types of business including the big multinational companies. Each of the ethical principles is traced back to their historical foundations and the reason for the relevance today is clearly explained.
Business Ethics: Decision-Making for Personal Integrity & Social Responsibility by Laura Hartman and Joseph DesJardins (2010)
This book is used in many universities to prepare students for the ethical decisions they will need to make in the business world. The authors provide real life business scenarios to show how ethical theory actual applies in practice. All the main ethical principles that are related to business are closely examined and this book will also make a good resource to have in your library.
Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making & Cases by O. C. Ferrell, John Fraedrich and Ferrell (2010)
This book is aimed at managers who face ethical decisions as part of their work. This information in this book is not meant as a purely academic exercise but instead the aim is to provide best practice guidelines. Everything is backed up with real life examples and this is another book that would be useful to keep handy as a resource to dip into whenever the need arises. All the information is up to date and there is no attempt to smother the reader in too much ethical theory.
There’s No Such Thing As “Business” Ethics: There’s Only One Rule For Making Decisions by John C. Maxwell (2003)
The title of this book might have people thinking that it advocates business people just doing what they want but this is not the case. The text argues that people should use the same moral standards they have in their personal life in business as well. It is a nice book to read and it takes a lot of the mystery out of business ethics. The information is easy to read and there is no sense that Maxwell is preaching to people. This book will likely benefit anyone who wants to find out about a good approach to morality in business.
Ethics 101: What Every Leader Needs To Know by John C. Maxwell (2005)
This small useful book provides an excellent introduction into business ethics with no attempt to overwhelm the reader. All the key ethical principles are there, but those who wish to delve deeper into each area can choose supplemental reading. Ethics 101 is meant as an introduction and it manages to do this very well. If you have no real previous knowledge about business ethics then this would probably be the ideal book to start with. It won’t make you an expert but you will be a lot better informed by the time you have finished reading it.
