Societies for Business Ethics
Archie B. Carroll
Societies for business ethics are organizations created for and sustained by individuals interested in the subject of business ethics. Such societies are typically based in academia and are composed primarily of academic members, but are also open to practitioner members. Such organizations periodically meet to discuss their common interests, and they frequently hold annual meetings for discourse among members. Societies for business ethics typically publish periodic newsletters and sponsor working groups, and some sponsor journals or periodicals for thought and research on the topic of business ethics.
Prominent societies for business ethics include the Society for Business Ethics (SBE), the International Association for Business and Society (IABS), the International Society of Business, Economics, and Ethics (ISBEE), the European Business Ethics Network (EBEN), the Social Issues in Management (SIM) Division of the Academy of Management, and the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE).
Society for Business Ethics
SBE is an international organization of scholars engaged in the academic study of business ethics. Founded in 1980, SBE has a number of important objectives, among which are the following: to promote the study of business ethics; to provide a forum in which moral, legal, empirical, and philosophical issues of business ethics may be openly discussed and analyzed; to provide a means by which those interested in and concerned with business ethics may exchange ideas; to promote research and scholarship; to promote the improvement of business ethics teaching in universities and organizations; to develop and maintain a friendly and cooperative relationship among teachers, researchers, and practitioners in the field of business and organizational ethics.
SBE conducts an annual meeting for the presentation of research, and issues a news letter with information of interest to members. SBE publishes a journal, Business Ethics Quarterly, for the dissemination of the most import ant scholarship in the field, along with other publications, including the Ruffin Lecture Series. For more information about SBE, consult http://www.societyforbusinessethics.org/.
International Association for Business and Society
IABS is a learned society devoted to research and teaching about the relationships between business, government, and society. Business ethics is one of its most important subjects. IABS was founded in 1990 and now has over 300 members worldwide from over 100 universities in more than 20 countries, as well as members from various corporations and non profit organizations. IABS is a multidisciplinary association which attracts scholars and executives from all the disciplines of business and management.
Key objectives of IABS are to advance research, teaching, and professional standards in the field of Business and Society by facilitating exchange of information and ideas, and encouraging and assisting activities which advance knowledge of the business and society relation ship. The research domain of IABS covers the various aspects of the interface between management and the social–political dynamics of the surrounding society. This domain includes, among others, research on business ethics, corporate social responsibility, performance and citizenship, and emerging social issues in business.
IABS organizes annual conferences, which generally meet two years in North America and one year outside North America. International locations have included Belgium, Austria, France, and the Netherlands. IABS publishes a quarterly newsletter, which is posted on its webpage, and sponsors a journal, Business and Society, a peer reviewed scholarly journal devoted to research, discussion, and analysis of the relationship between business and society. The web page for IABS may be found at http:// www.iabs.net/.
International Society of Business, Economics, and Ethics
ISBEE is a worldwide professional association that focuses exclusively on the study of business, economics, and ethics. ISBEE’s professional orientation involves people not only in academe, but also those with practical competencies in responsible management positions. Membership also includes entrepreneurs of medium size and small companies. ISBEE is strongly inter national in character, with members from around the world.
ISBEE developed in response to a sensed need to bring together individuals in tradition ally distinct fields – economics, business, law, and philosophy – and from different practical areas – human resources, finance, social and environmental concerns, and marketing. The mission of ISBEE is to provide a forum for the exchange of experiences and ideas; to enhance cooperation in cross functional and cross cultural projects; and to discuss the ethical dimension of economic, social, and environmental issues which affect companies nationally and internationally. The organization supports a cross disciplinary approach with the participation of both academicians and practitioners. It schedules its conferences and pro grams to encourage both formal and informal sharing of ideas and projects.
A culminating event of ISBEE’s activities is the World Congress of Business, Economics, and Ethics, held every four years. Past congresses have taken place in Japan and Brazil. ISBEE’s web page is http://www.isbee.org/.
European Business Ethics Network
EBEN is the only international network dedicated wholly to the promotion of business ethics in European private industry, public sectors, voluntary organizations, and academia. EBEN is a not for profit association, registered in the Netherlands. EBEN members include business people, consultants, public managers, academics, and students. EBEN’s role is to promote values based management, ethical leadership, and increased awareness about companies’ responsibility in society.
The members of EBEN are concerned with promoting business ethics education and training as well as improving practices. EBEN is recognized on the world stage as representing European views on business ethics. Members from all over the world have joined together to advance business ethics by becoming active in the network. The diversity of membership of EBEN (from 33 countries in the year 2000) means that there are many varied views within the group about business ethics. EBEN is an inclusive network that accepts this plurality of perspectives.
EBEN supports initiatives at cross European, national, and regional levels. National networks of EBEN are established or developing in Germany, Spain, the UK, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Poland. There are active groups in a number of other countries, and always the possibility of forming more established National EBEN networks. The web page for EBEN is http://www.eben.org.
Social Issues in Management Division, Academy of Management
The Academy of Management, founded in 1936, is the oldest and largest organization of management scholars in the world. In 2003 it had 13,732 members from 90 nations. SIM is one of the academy’s original divisions, created in 1971. The domain of SIM encompasses the exploration and analysis of various environmental and stakeholder influences upon the organization and the organization’s effect upon these groups. The SIM domain includes:
- The social environment: topics such as corporate social responsibility, corporate philanthropy, stakeholder management, and corporate social performance.
- The ethical environment: topics such as corporate codes of ethics, corporate crime, individual ethical behavior, the influence of the organization on ethical conduct, ethical implications of technology, and the assessment of personal values and corporate culture.
- The public policy environment.
- The stakeholder environment.
- The international environment.
Each year, SIM holds its annual meeting in conjunction with the Academy of Management. Each meeting provides the opportunity for the presentation and discussion of scholarly papers addressing business ethics and other domain related topics. Research on business ethics is published in the Academy of Management’s major journals: Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Executive, and Academy of Management Learning and Education. The academy also publishes a Best Papers Proceedings for each annual meeting.
Association for Practical and Professional Ethics
APPE was founded in 1991 to encourage inter disciplinary scholarship and teaching of high quality in practical and professional ethics by educators and practitioners who appreciate the practical–theoretical aspects of their subjects. The association facilitates communication and joint ventures among centers, schools, colleges, business and non profit organizations, and individuals concerned with the interdisciplinary study and teaching of practical and professional ethics.
Ethics centers have proliferated over the past two decades, as have media stories reflecting heightened concern over the ethical behavior of organizations, politicians, and professionals. Colleges and universities are rethinking their curricula to address concerns about educating for civic and professional responsibility. These phenomena underscore a growing conviction that the need has never been more urgent for practical ethical discourse in civic and professional life.
APPE sponsors a newsletter, Ethically Speaking. It holds an annual meeting and it also pro vides its members with access to resources of institutional members. APPE’s website is http://www.indiana.edu/~appe/.
Societies for business ethics serve an import ant need in promoting research and studious inquiry into the nature and application of business ethics knowledge. Doubtless, there are other such societies, but the six major societies discussed above provide a solid foundation for further exploration into the topic.