Facing Public Interest. The Ethical Challenge to Business Policy and Corporate Communications
Series
Issues in Business Ethics
ISBN
0-7923-3633-X
Type
book
Date Issued
1995
Editor(s)
Sarasin, Charles
Abstract
In a strong sense of the term, there is no such thing as private business because business activities have widespread and sometimes far-reaching impact upon the community. Side-effects of entrepreneurial decisions such as increasing unemployment or environmental pollution give rise to a growing public exposure of corporations in our difficult decade. Managements finds itself in the limelight of public criticism and of conflicting claims and values. Which of them deserve to be preferred, which to be postponed? Who is authorized to define the public interest? And what are the consequences for an ethically and economically sound understanding of corporate public affairs and external relations? The purpose of this book is to open new vistas on business policy and corporate communications facing public interest. The relationship between private enterprise and public interest is examined from an ethical point of view. The role of the general public as a locus of morality for business and the guiding idea of a corporate dialogue between management and the concerned public is highlighted. Instructive experiences of companies and public relations professionals with innovative business responses are presented. In this volume, corporate dialogue is not only proposed but put into practice: business leaders, representatives of concerned citizens' groups, public affairs consultants and academics from the fields of political philosophy, social and business ethics have come together to discuss the topic. Facing Public Interest: The Ethical Challenge to Business Policy and Corporate Communications presents the best contributions to the seventh conference of the European Business Network (EBEN) at the University of St. Gallen in September 1994.
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
No
Publisher
Kluwer Academic Publishers
Publisher place
Dordrecht/Boston/London
Number
8
Start page
274
Subject(s)
Eprints ID
17381