Researching and Teaching Business Ethics in Europe: Developments, Challenges and Opportunities

This book provides a description and analysis of how the concept of business ethics has been received, adopted, adapted and developed in different countries in Europe. While a substantial Europe-wide dialogue about business ethics research and education has taken place since about 1990, especially as a result of the establishment of the European Business Ethics Network, implementation has varied by country, because Europe is a patchwork of cultures, value systems, political ideologies, intellectual traditions and business systems at different stages of development. Each country, particularly the former communist states, presents its own unique challenges. Yet there are also issues that are common to all or most countries, even if the ways they have been manifested and responded to have differed, depending on the countries’ institutional frameworks and traditions. This book explores the rich variety in business research and education across a diverse range of European countries. Each chapter presents the expert view of individual business ethics scholars in the respective countries. Their perspectives and recollections are those of reflective professionals, and therefore unique, insightful, and bearing the mark of a deep conviction and personal engagement. This is the story of European business ethics told from within, which will be of great value to all business ethics scholars wishing to understand the development of their field.