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A Philosophical Approach to Business Education
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Business education has been blamed for deficiencies in the leadership, decision- making and ethical conduct of business managers. The quantitative and analytical orientation in business school curricula and the consequent lack of humanities-based courses have been identified as reasons. The fundamental reason, however, lies in the philosophy of business research and education which shapes the curricula, teaching methods, and ultimately the graduates' ability to handle various managerial functions. The most commonly recognized philosophical basis of business research is empiricism. The argument presented here is that pragmatism, which shares elements with empiricism, has also significantly shaped business education. This paper is an attempt to show why empiricism, together with pragmatism, are the root causes of the above deficiencies. Supplementing business school curricula with humanities courses, a strategy often recommended to correct for the deficiencies, is not sufficient. As an alternative solution, an objective philosophical approach is evaluated, along with its practical implications for business education.
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... The principles adopted by BB&T have been derived from Objectivist virtues (Woiceshyn 2012). Case studies represent one method for developing character, but simply discussing cases without making value judgments might have little benefit (Woiceshyn 1992). Hartman (2006) noted that "recent research" (68) has found benefit in developing character through case instruction. ...
Today, capitalism is in question, as the 2013 Academy of Management conference theme claimed. Many view business skeptically because they see capitalism as incompatible with ethics. The same problem pervades the business ethics education classroom. Business ethics can be taught in a way that demonstrates that economics and ethics are compatible and are integrated most directly in the function of management. This essay provides an overview of Ayn Rand's philosophy as an alternative to current conventions but largely consistent with approaches such as virtue ethics and conscious capitalism. The essay concludes with challenges to teaching Objectivism in business schools.
... The principles adopted by BB&T have been derived from Objectivist virtues (Woiceshyn 2012). Case studies represent one method for developing character, but simply discussing cases without making value judgments might have little benefit (Woiceshyn 1992). Hartman (2006) noted that "recent research" (68) has found benefit in developing character through case instruction. ...
In AMLE’s most-cited article, Ghoshal (2005) identified a fundamental flaw in the edifice of ethics education. Because ethics involves human beings, scholars should develop theories that offer intentional explanations that allow for the richness of the human experience, and account for the knowing subject. However, the foundation underlying business ethics is economic, and the economic theories that underpin this foundation provide morally neutral causal explanations that do not account for knowing subjects. Agency theory, the dominant theory in management, purports to be scientific and morally neutral. As a negative theory couched in Theory X, it assumes that employees and managers must be watched and controlled or they will perform poorly, and that organizations not only compete with their rivals but also with their suppliers, customers, employees, and regulators. One body of work that addresses Ghoshal’s concerns is Ayn Rand’s objectivism, an intentional explanation with a positive, albeit “heroic” view of the possibility in human beings. Rand provides a direct and comprehensive response to the Academy theme “Capitalism in Question.” Her philosophy includes an ethical component that would not have led to debacles such as Enron. Moreover, her philosophy promotes full individual and corporate responsibility for their actions, reducing the concern about negative externalities. This paper expounds on these and other challenges in economics education and ethics education, proffers objectivism as one solution to these challenges, and suggests that the management discipline is an appropriate domain for addressing the critical nexus between economics and ethics.
Managers face increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous situations that are more and more challenging to navigate. Ethical decision-making has become particularly complicated considering that codes, frameworks and protocols have proven deficient in resolving moral dilemmas. Managers’ unpreparedness to handle such challenges reflects the ineffectiveness of business ethics education, calling for new approaches towards training managers. This article makes a case for transforming business ethics education by taking it back to its roots. This implies the re-incorporation of its foundational discipline: philosophy. Philosophy offers a rigorous approach for decision-making, which helps managers face the unknown. It helps them analyse situations from different perspectives, reconsider how things are done and examine the underlying premises of their thinking. It can strengthen one of the most central managerial competencies: the ability to reason, especially ethically. As the foundational discipline of business, ethics and their intersect, philosophy is uniquely positioned to elevate business ethics education for managers at all levels. It can help current and future managers to reflect more deeply and critically on the ethical issues they face.
The article presents structural-functional analysis for the socio-practical potential of such educational component as philosophy of business, as well as research the degree of its impact on evolution of strategic thinking abilities, progress of creative potential, values and attitudes of students. Therefore, in the text of the article is outlined the author’s structure of the analyzed educational component, that is relevant for socio-economic sphere of contemporary Ukraine and, at the same time, one that will motivate younger generation to apply cross-disciplinary knowledge for improving the national business sphere and for making progress in economic culture of Ukrainian society in general. The structure of analyzed educational component must include: studying the philosophy of business problem field in the context of game theory; analysis of business ontological specifics as well as related risks and success criteria; description the philosophical aspects of branding and business-leadership; analysis of such phenomena connection as capital, property and wealth; determining the basics of culture, ethics and social responsibility of business, its role in the structure of social institutions; and also studying of such instruments for strategic thinking evolution as theory of game Go and 36 ancient Chinese stratagems; and, finally, a detection of essential transformations for business-processes in conditions of digitalization and active artificial intelligence development. So we consider that socio-creative manifestations of that educational discipline should be analyzed, first of all, on three main levels: economic, administrative law and culturological. Article proves that in each of these professional educational areas, philosophy of business, as separate educational component, provides specific functional effects, significantly supplementing and improving curricula with additional knowledge and competencies that increases preparation level of modern specialists, creates opportunities for their better understanding of business practical value for national and global economies.
Научната монография „Българската стопанска политика в управленски контекст 1920 – 2020“ е първа по рода си в България. Основната цел на автора е да демонстрира възможностите на управленския подход и неговата висока научна пригодност за описание, анализ и интерпретация на българската стопанска политика. За да се изпълни поставената цел се разглеждат и проучват три основни проблемни кръга: Основни подходи за изследване на българската стопанска политика; Основни управленски подходи за изследване на българската стопанска политика; Изследване на българската стопанска политика посредством управленския подход. Съчинението е комбинация между теория, аналитични описания с управленско-исторически характер в рамките на стогодишен времеви период (1920 – 2020) и конкретно изследване по оригинална управленска методика. Трудът, който е с интердисциплинарен характер е предназначен за изследователи, преподаватели, студенти, както и за специалисти по управление, икономика, история, политология, философия, социология, психология, сигурност и други сродни научни специалности. Тъй като стилът на изложение не е строго научен, то произведението може да се чете и от всеки, който се интересува от сложната, но и вълнуваща проблематика на домашната стопанска политика, която засяга пряко всеки един българин. Монографията е онагледена с многобройни фотографии, както и с таблици и фигури.
Education is a method of sharing social consciousness and social reconstruction. There is an existential crisis in business education driven by the conflict between social and financial objectives. A paradigm shift in business education requires that leaders be taught how to incorporate new competencies. Phronesis (practical wisdom), individual and collective, is an essential competence to be addressed in business education. It leads companies to continuous innovation and highly sustainable performance. We conducted 23 interviews with leaders from organizations in 14 countries to discuss some transformations that business education needs through leaders’ awareness concerning organizational phronesis. We conducted a thematic analysis of the interviews with support from NVivo software. The results demonstrate gaps in leaders’ awareness concerning phronesis and its relationships with knowledge management and organizational spirituality. Business education still needs to be reviewed to enable leaders to learn and incorporate phronesis theory and practice. Building on the gaps found in the leaders’ awareness of phronesis, we propose interdisciplinary pedagogical methods to teach business students competencies that enable the embodiment of phronesis. These changes in business education are indispensable to reach sustainability.
Questionnaires measuring epistemologies and personal values were administered to 270 undergraduate students, registered in liberal arts and business programs. Comparisons were made between those in first year and those in senior years. Students differed somewhat in values and epistemology, even among first year students alone. Evidence was obtained, however, for a type of socialization process, wherein business students appeared over time to become more estranged from traditional liberal arts and social constructionist values, while liberal arts students appeared to endorse these values more strongly over their undergraduate years. Some implications for understanding the broader effects of university curricula and experience upon students are suggested. Results suggested that undergraduate business education, for example, might well be enhanced through curriculum reform based on the goals of liberal arts education. Some implications of the results for student counseling and psychotherapy are outlined.
Cambridge Core - Business Ethics - Ethical Theory and Business - by Denis G. Arnold
Research methods similar to those used in the natural sciences have long been the norm in organizational behavior and organization theory. However, several writers have recently questioned their appropriateness for the study of organizations and the groups and individuals who make them up. In this paper I examine five major objections to the use of such methods in organizational behavior and organization theory and conclude that, while they may indicate a need for more thoughtful application of the natural science approach, they do not rule it out as the primary research strategy for the study of organizations.
In the decades since the Pierson (1959) and the Gordon and Howell (1959) reports, business research and teaching have become increas-ingly scientific. Today the humanities are not well represented and, perhaps, not well understood m the business schools. This paper argues that the differences between the sciences and the humanities stem from fundamentally different philosophical views concerning knowledge and human nature, and, therefore, it is very difficult to develop a business school program in w^hich the two can operate coUaboratively. Both have a contribution to make to business educa-tion, and the proposal is advanced that a principal mission for the discipline of business ethics should be to provide a humanities-based counterbalance in what is now an almost entirely science-based education. Thirty-one years ago, the British physicist-tumed-novelist C. P. Snow characterized the line of demarcation between the scientific culture and the culture of the humanities. "The separation between the two cultures," he wrote "has been getting deeper under our eyes; there is precious little communication between them, little but dif-ferent kinds of incomprehension and dislike" (1956, p. 413). Snow's essay has generated much discussion concerning whether this deep division really exists. In this paper, it is argued that the division between the two cultures is indeed real in busi-ness education and that Snow may even have underestimated its seriousness and the difficulty of reconciliation. Nevertheless, both cultures should be represented in business education, and a principal mission for the discipline of busi-ness ethics should be to provide a humanities-based counterbalance to what is now an almost entirely science-based education.
This article describes the deficiencies of positivist science for generating knowledge for use in solving problems that members of organizations face. Action research is introduced as a method for correcting these deficiencies. When action research is tested against the criteria of positivist science, action research is found not to meet its critical tests. The appropriateness of positivist science is questioned as a basis for judging the scientific merits of action research. Action research can base its legitimacy as science in philosophical traditions that are different from those which legitimate positivist science. Criteria and methods of science appropriate to action research are offered.