Business Ethics and Ethical Business

This second edition of Business Ethics and Ethical Business has all the virtues of the first edition as well as additions and revisions throughout, and three new chapters—one on AI and two on environmental ethics and sustainability.

It explores the place of business in society, describes ethics in management, recognizes the challenges of environmental preservation, and explores challenges of international business. It introduces the major standards of business ethics and provides tools for ethical analysis to guide decision-making.

The book is also distinctive in its many concept definitions—including bribery, conflict of interest, intellectual property, preferential hiring, rights, stakeholders, sustainability, technology transfer, transparency, and value. Its combination of brevity, clarity, and comprehensiveness makes it usable in short or long courses, and every chapter is self-contained.

Authors Robert Audi and Nathan L. King explain enough basic ethics to free instructors from assigning lengthy readings in general ethics, and the book will easily complement standard readings in business ethics. It is especially useful for modules or courses exploring detailed case studies. Instructors in executive MBA, management, or marketing courses, who may have limited time to teach business ethics, will find the book frees them from needing to assign a separate case book. To stimulate class discussion and analysis, the book features twenty case scenarios modeled on ethical problems common in business.

Key Features:

· Updates to the Second Edition include:

• Three new chapters, one on AI and two on environmental ethics and sustainability
• Additions and revisions throughout the text, including updates to end notes

· Includes an appendix containing twenty short case scenarios modeled on ethical problems in business

· Provides the main tools for ethical analysis in business

· Is clear enough for undergraduate courses but advanced enough for MBA programs

· Features self-contained chapters, which can be easily added or dropped from weekly reading assignments

· Introduces basic ethics in the context of concrete business examples

· Includes definitions of key ethical principles and a glossary of many key terms in business ethics.

Preface PART I: THE ROLE OF BUSINESS IN A FREE DEMOCRACY 1. Two Democratic Traditions 2. The Rights and Social Responsibilities of Business 3. Determining The Moral Responsibilities of Business: Some Major Approaches 4. The Constituencies of Ethical Business 5. A Framework for Making Ethical Decisions PART II: THE PUBLIC FACE OF BUSINESS 6. The Environmental Responsibilities of Ethical Businesses 7. The Ethical Importance of Future Generations 8. Marketing: Product, Target, and Image 9. The Ethics of Financial Representation PART III: THE ETHICS OF INTERNAL MANAGEMENT 10. Hiring Policies and Compensation Standards 11. Conditions of Employment and Codes of Ethics 12. Religion in the Workplace 13. Managerial Leadership and Corporate Culture 14. Artificial Intelligence: Promises, Problems, and Principles PART IV: ETHICAL PROBLEMS OF GLOBAL BUSINESS 15. International Trade and Cross-Cultural Standards 16. Nationalism, International Business Ethics, and Cosmopolitansim Conclusion Ethical Principles Discussed or Defended Brief Case Scenarios Glossary Endnotes Index

Robert Audi writes, teaches, and lectures in ethics and related areas. He is John A. O’Brien Professor of Philosophy (previously David E. Gallo Professor of Business Ethics) at the University of Notre Dame. His ethics books include Practical Reasoning and Ethical Decision (2006), Moral Value and Human Diversity (2007), Democratic Authority and the Separation of Church and State (2013), Means, Ends, and Persons (2016), Of Moral Conduct: A Theory of Obligation, Reasons, and Value (2023), and The Moral Intuitionism of W. D. Ross (2026).

Nathan L. King is Edward B. Lindaman Endowed Chair at Whitworth University, where he teaches in the School of Business and the Philosophy Department. His research interests include business ethics and the theory of knowledge. He is author of The Excellent Mind: Intellectual Virtues for Everyday Life (2021).

Praise for the Second Edition:

"Audi and King’s new edition is both timely and timeless, carefully and clearly integrating high level philosophical analysis with an impressive array of contemporary moral challenges and questions facing business organizations, their employees, and the societies in which they operate." -- Gary Weaver, University of Delaware

"This is the rare business ethics textbook that respects both the philosophical complexity of the subject and the practical intelligence of working professionals. Audi and King never simplify where they should complicate, and never complicate where they should clarify… The result is a book that thinks with its readers rather than lecturing at them." -- Miguel Alzola, Fordham University

“This engaging and instructive book is a masterful demonstration that serious philosophy has much to contribute to both our understanding of the role of business in a democratic society and the practical conduct of business in a competitive, capitalist economy.” -- John R. Boatright, Loyola University Chicago

"Second acts are hardly ever, if ever, better. But Audi and King have clearly beaten the odds. They have not sacrificed scope, with added chapters on AI, the environment, and sustainability, but they retain philosophical rigor and user-friendliness. An invaluable reference for everyone in the field." -- Alejo Sison, University of Navarra

“An excellent overview of the role of business in society. Applying classical ethical principles to current challenges, Audi and King provide guidance regarding business's responsibilities for employees, other stakeholders, and the environment.” --Amy E. Colbert, University of Iowa

"Offering concise but rich analysis, this book takes up an array of topics in business ethics (including issues connected with management, the environment, religion, and AI) and introduces students to important concepts and complexities." -- Eugene Heath, State University of New York at New Paltz

“This book provides an excellent foundation for instructors to build comprehensive business ethics courses for all levels. The text is a sure guide for what is most difficult about teaching business ethics: the seamless integration of the requisite elements of moral theory with thorough understanding of business contexts. The facility … in moving from normative foundations to business practice aptly demonstrates the practical relevance of philosophy … instructors teaching in diverse programs can turn to this resource with confidence.” -- Rosemarie Monge, University of St. Thomas

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Praise for the First Edition:

"This is a virtuoso performance by one of the most distinguished scholars in the field of business ethics." -- Edwin M. Hartman, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York University

"As we have come to expect of Audi’s work, the reasoning and style has the ‘triple-barrels’ of richness, insightfulness, and clarity." -- Mitchel R. Haney, University of North Florida

"This elegant and concise introduction to business ethics examines business as a practice that sits at the nexus of democratic values, free market values, and individual and community conceptions of the good life." -- Joanne B. Ciulla, University of Richmond

"Audi cuts away the fluff and gives his reader the essentials without unnecessary embellishment." -- Peter Madsen, Carnegie Mellon University