Honest Work: A Business Ethics Reader

by Joanne B. Ciulla, Clancy Martin, Robert C. Solomon

Revised in the midst of the worst global financial crisis since the Great Depression, the new edition of Honest Work: A Business Ethics Reader reflects and reinforces the editors' assertion that business ethics is primarily about the ethics of individuals. It provides a unique focus on the personal dimension of ethics by challenging students to consider the relationship between the ways in which people do business and the kind of lives they want to live.
Now in its second edition, Honest Work provides a practical overview of business ethics that concentrates on the ethical problems and dilemmas students are most likely to face in their prospective work environments. Featuring 103 articles and 80 cases, the book covers a wide spectrum of issues, ranging from such classic topics as honesty and trust in the workplace, whistle-blowing, product liability, finance ethics, and conflicts of interest to more cutting-edge areas like environmental ethics and ethics and technology. Excerpts from plays, short stories, and novels--including Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman and George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant"--enliven the text. Each reading and chapter is followed by engaging questions for study and discussion. Offering a welcome alternative to the impersonal tone of most business ethics texts, the editors address students in an appealing and conversational manner.
Integrating new material on technology, hedge funds and derivatives, and the future of the free market, the second edition features sixteen new readings--by such eminent philosophers as Harry G. Frankfurt, Robert Nozick, and Judith Jarvis Thomson--and five provocative new cases, including "Martha Stewart Focuses on Her Salad" and "Dancing with the Dragon: Google Goes to China."
Ideal for introductory undergraduate and MBA courses in business ethics, the text is supplemented by an updated Companion Website (www.oup.com/us/ciulla) containing chapter objectives and summaries, essay questions, and suggested readings and web links. An Instructor's Manual with Test Bank is available to adopters.

Genres: Grad School, Business

688 pages, Paperback

First published February 10, 2006

Reviews

[Hande · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely this book broadened my perspective and added value to me. Besides, it's easy to read, not like a study book. I probably will keep this book unlike the other course books.

[Brendan Shea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used this as a text for a course in Business Ethics. There are *lots* of (relatively short) readings per chapter, along with end of the chapter case studies. I think the book could have improved with an extended "overview of the contemporary debate" section, or something like that. I also think that book could do with a bit of trimming (especially if this brought down the cost). Still, a pretty decent text, and one that I'll probably use again.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great vignettes about business is easily understood examples with short pieces great for a classroom setting

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had some great articles and writings.

[John C. Duff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastic collection of thought provoking essays and articles. A nice reader for anyone interested in ethics.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this for school. it's unusual because it's a compilation of essays. a topic is presented, like "environmental responsibility" [as it pertains to business] and then it's broken down into subtopics containing 5-10 essays of variegated notions about it's moral implications, why it is/isn't important, how it should/shouldn't be carried out, etc.

it's interesting enough. even familiar ideas were sometimes explained or justified in new ways, which i like. i like hearing/seeing people's ideas, especially regarding ideals. it did a good job presenting opposing viewpoints, i was pretty impressed by that. some areas though were blatantly biased, and while i don't necessarily disagree, it's always good to know the position of the opposition.

there are a lot of holes. which makes sense, you can't cover every viewpoint, but there were many times where basic arguments to moral issues and dilemmas were completely missing. if the purpose is to inform the reader and guide them to think critically, then i think certain areas should be more fleshed out. i was particularly disappointed with the chapter on artificial intelligence. this will soon be very relevant and it was so underdeveloped as to be almost irrelevant. other areas were much better covered.