Ian Harris Director, Z/Yen Group Limited “New Learning” Commercial Ethics: Process or Outcome? Barnard’s Inn Hall Holborn London EC1N 2HH © Gresham Collegewww.gresham.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)20 7831-0575 Fax: +44 (0)20
Download ReportTranscript Ian Harris Director, Z/Yen Group Limited “New Learning” Commercial Ethics: Process or Outcome? Barnard’s Inn Hall Holborn London EC1N 2HH © Gresham Collegewww.gresham.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)20 7831-0575 Fax: +44 (0)20
Ian Harris Director, Z/Yen Group Limited “New Learning” Commercial Ethics: Process or Outcome? Barnard’s Inn Hall Holborn London EC1N 2HH © Gresham College 2007 www.gresham.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)20 7831-0575 Fax: +44 (0)20 7831-5208 Email : [email protected] Ethics "The science of morals" (Chambers English Dictionary) “A set of principles of right conduct” (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ethics) "The principles of conduct governing an individual or a group“ (Webster's 9th New Collegiate Dictionary) © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk “Grub first, then ethics” Bert Brecht Outline Underlying normative theories of Commercial Ethics Two “ologies” for the price of one Lots of lovely little thinkers Tour d’horizon and attempted scope Example One: Procurement – rigid tendering processes Example Two: New technology – an ethical framework Summary and discussion © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk “Such is the brutalization of commercial ethics in this country that no one can feel anything more delicate than the velvet touch of a soft buck” Raymond Chandler Dam Your Ethics © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk View from Simi La: Nyerulung Valley with artificial hydroelectric lake Two “ologies” For The Price of One © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk Teleology Deontology Telos: end, purpose “Ethics of what is good” Rightness or wrongness based on outcomes Legal Positivism Deon: obligation, duty “Ethics of what is right” Obligations based on duties, principles, rules Natural Law Enlightened Selfinterest, Utilitarianism, Consequentialism Moral Absolutism, Kantianism, Categorical Imperative Crass Business School Two-by-Two Good Spiv Just Do It OUTCOME Not Good Don’t Do It “The best things in life are free, Wrong But you can keep ‘em, For the birds and bees; Thing © Gresham College 2008 Now give me money” www.gresham.ac.uk Barrett Strong Patsy PROCESS Right Thing “..…& All I Got was This Lousy Shanty” © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk Minority Garo people “relocated” in a shanty village, Near Shillong, Megalaya, North-East India Slightly Less Crass Two-by-Two Good Spiv Ethical Nuances Zone OUTCOME Not Good © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk “Do the Wall Street Shuffle, Let your money hustle; Bet you’d sell your mother, You can buy another” 10cc Just Do It Don’t Do It Wrong Thing Patsy PROCESS Right Thing Actual Zone of Ethical Nuances Good Spiv Ethical Nuances Zone OUTCOME Not Good © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk “You better think” Aretha Franklin Just Do It Don’t Do It Wrong Thing Patsy PROCESS Right Thing Perceived Ethical Nuances - Boom Good Spiv Just Do It Ethical Nuances Zone OUTCOME Not Good © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk Don’t Do It “When I think of all the Wrong good times that I’ve wasted; Thing Having good times” Eric Burdon Patsy PROCESS Right Thing Rump, Anyone? © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk Perceived Ethical Nuances - Slump Just Do It Good Spiv OUTCOME Ethical Nuances Zone Not Good “Hard times” (repeat until blue in the face) www.gresham.ac.uk Human League © Gresham College 2008 Don’t Do It Wrong Thing Patsy PROCESS Right Thing Taxonomy of Commercial Ethics 1 Commercial Ethics Teleology Ethical Egoism © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk Deontology Utilitarianism Pragmatism Ethics Kantian Social Contractarianism Virtue Ethics Self-interest Egoism Act Utilitarianism Natrural Rights Contractarianism Corporate Profits Egoism Rule Utilitarianism Fairness Principles Contractarianism Utilitarianism Jeremy Bentham Pain and pleasure Consequentialsm Bentham’s Greatest Happiness Principle Mill’s Harm Principle Act Utilitarianism verses Rule Utilitarianism John Stuart Mill © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk “John Stuart Mill, Of his own free will, On half a pint of shandy, Was particularly ill” Monty Python Egoists Adam Smith Milton Friedman © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk Enlightened self-interest Invisible Hand No free lunch – especially if the butcher, brewer or baker are involved Corporations: your sole responsibility is to deliver profits Governments: do as little as possible if you want optimal markets “Hang On To Your Ego” The Beach Boys Taxonomy of Commercial Ethics 2 Commercial Ethics Teleology Ethical Egoism © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk Utilitarianism Deontology Pragmatism Ethics Kantian Social Contractarianism Virtue Ethics Adam Smith Jeremy Bentham Natrural Rights Contractarianism Milton Friedman John Stuart Mill Fairness Principles Contractarianism Immanuel Kant Actions guided by universal principles irrespective of the consequences Categorical imperative Situational variant of the golden rule: “do unto others as you would have done to yourself” © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk “You mentioned Kant and I was shocked; You know, where I come from, none of the girls have such foul tongues” Sparks Social Contractarians Social contract underpinned by John Locke John Rawls © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk natural, inalienable rights – Locke (also Hobbes, Rousseau) principles of justice Rawls Original position – veil of ignorance Difference principle c/w Nozick entitlement theory “John Rawls must have put an X in the box for no publicity; But I don’t suppose too many people loved him for his looks anyway” Harris Taxonomy of Commercial Ethics 3 Commercial Ethics Teleology Ethical Egoism © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk Utilitarianism Deontology Pragmatism Ethics Adam Smith Jeremy Bentham Milton Friedman John Stuart Mill Immanuel Kant Social Contractarianism Virtue Ethics John Locke John Rawls Systems of Survival © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk Commercial Syndrome Guardian Syndrome Business, professions, trades Creating/trading nonlimited goods/services (positive sum) Optimistic nature Governments, police forces, campaigners Protecting limited societal resources (zero sum or negative sum) Fatalistic nature Values trust, innovation, Values tradition, loyalty, efficiency force Teleological? Deontological? Agency Theory © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk [Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principal-agent_problem] Dam Your Ethics © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk View from Simi La: Nyerulung Valley with artificial hydroelectric lake The Tender Trap And then you wonder how it all came about, It’s too late now, there’s no gettin’ out; ……… You’re hooked, you’re cooked, You’re caught in the tender trap. Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk Aristotle Virtue ethics ethical character rather than ethical behaviour Nichomachean Ethics: phronesis (practical wisdom, moral wisdom) arête (excellence, virtue) eudaemonia (flourishing, happiness) © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk “Artistotle, Aristotle; Was a blogger, Full of bottle” Monty Python (2008 Harris Remix) Third System: Gratton, Phoenix, McKendree © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk Commercial Syndrome Guardian Syndrome Information Syndrome Business, professions, trades Governments, police forces, campaigners Inventors, information geeks, internet pioneers Creating/trading nonlimited goods/services (positive sum) Protecting limited societal resources (zero sum or negative sum) Disseminating replicable intellectual property (unlimited sum) Optimistic nature Fatalistic nature Idealistic nature Values trust, innovation, efficiency Values tradition, loyalty, force Values creativity, reputation, skill Teleological? Deontological? Virtue? Tends meso Tends macro Tends micro Monstrous Intersections? Guardian Ethics Tragedy of the Commons e.g. sustainability & climate change Commercial Ethics © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk “Why must you record my phone calls, Are you planning a bootleg LP?” Special AKA Civil Liberties Justice, Difference & Entitlement Intellectual Property Information Ethics Topic Map – Micro/Meso/Macro Macro Procuremen t Ethics Ethical Standards & Labelling Meso Ethical Investment Reputation Management Micro Personal Missions & Goals Teleological © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk Ethical Decision Support Framework s Environment Ethics e.g. Climate Change Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate Governance Whistle Blowing Codes of Conduct, Ethical Training Personal Values, Faiths & Beliefs Deontological Ethical Decision Making: BCS DIODE 1 DIODE FLOW CHART TO CHOOSE APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT ROUTES © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk Draft © British Computer Society 2008 Ethical Decision Making: BCS DIODE 2 DIODE FIVE STAGE FRAMEWORK WITH ITERATION © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk Draft © British Computer Society 2008 John Dewey Pragmatism Ethics Dynamic model Deliberative, adaptive Contextual, evidence & experiment-based Dramatic rehearsal Problem solving, management decision-making approach © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk “I’m in love with Jacques Derrida; Read a page and know what I need to” Scritti Politti Taxonomy of Commercial Ethics 4 Commercial Ethics Teleology Ethical Egoism © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk Deontology John Dewey Utilitarianism Adam Smith Jeremy Bentham Milton Friedman John Stuart Mill Immanuel Kant Social Contractarianism Aristotle John Locke John Rawls Discussion 1. 2. © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk Is the very phrase “commercial ethics” a contradiction in terms? Can ethics really be embedded into the ways people do business and make decisions? “The man who puffs the big cigar, Turns all he touches into stone” Roy Bailey & Leon Rosselson Ethical Commercial Break “Governance, Trust and Business”, Sir Michael Snyder, Barnard’s Inn Hall, 18:00, Tuesday 11 November 2008 “It’s a Mad, Bad, Wonderful World: A Celebration of Commercial Diversity”, Professor Michael Mainelli, Barnard’s Inn Hall, 18:00, Monday 17 November 2008 © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk “Hey, you; Don’t watch that, watch this” Madness Thank You © Gresham College 2008 www.gresham.ac.uk Process Outcome Deontology Categorical Imperative: “be there or be square” Rules, duties, obligations, principles Go to the principal’s office (Headmaster’s Study) Teleology Enlightened Selfinterest: “spoil yourself” Outcomes, consequences, results As a result, enjoy drinks and nibbles “Ethics first, then drinks and nibbles” Bert Brecht (arr. Harris)