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Morality in business: Oxymoron?

Published: 26 May 2016

There are those who would say that the term “morality in business” is an oxymoron – a contradiction in terms. Businessmen like to believe that there are two sets of values – one for individuals and a different one for businesses and corporations.

There is this widespread belief that it is only leaders of the Catholic Church, like Pope Francis, who are warning us that there is too much greed in the business community. But even non-religious management gurus like Henry Mintzberg believe that this “glorification of self interest” has been intensifying. More than ten years ago, Mintzberg wrote: “Greed has been raised to some sort of high calling; corporations are urged to ignore broader social responsibilities in favour of narrow shareholder; chief executives are regarded as if they alone create economic performance. A society devoid of selfishness may be difficult to imagine, but a society that glorifies selfishness can be imagined only as cynical and corrupt. In effect, our societies have been tilting increasingly out of balance in favour of markets at the expense of other social institutions.”

Read full article: Philstar Global, May 26,  2016 

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