Business Ethics on the Edge: An Autoethnographic Perspective from the UK

There are many ways in which the story of the development of business ethics can be told. Given the concurrence of the author’s career with the maturing of the academic field, an autoethnographic approach is used to provide insights into what has happened in the UK. Since the 1980s, consistent with wider ‘infrastructural’ developments internationally, such as the launch of specialist journals, business ethics research and teaching have grown significantly in the UK. However, as noticed by commentators in other countries, much of this growth has taken place under labels such as ‘corporate social responsibility’ and ‘sustainability’. I also note that, given how business schools have expanded over the period, the absolute growth is much less impressive when viewed in relative terms. I suggest that business ethics, especially when viewed as a normative endeavour rooted in philosophical ethics, is still ‘on the edge’—a dual-aspect concept that I explore further in terms of both marginality and precarity.