Innovation, rule breaking and the ethics of entrepreneurship

This article examines a feature of the ethics of entrepreneurship that is infrequently directly discussed, viz., rule breaking. Entrepreneurs are widely said to engage in rule breaking. Many examples of this appear in popular and academic literature. But how may this be integrated into an account of the ethics of entrepreneurship? One response would be that when entrepreneurs break legal and moral rules then what they do is wrong and ought to be condemned. There is a great deal to be said for this rule model of entrepreneurial ethics. However, this view is also mistaken. Instead, this article defends a virtue-based account of the ethics of entrepreneurship in which certain instances of rule breaking, even if morally wrong, are nevertheless ethically acceptable and part of the creative destruction that entrepreneurs bring not only to the economy but also to morality.Innovation Rule breaking Ethics Entrepreneurship

The Oxford handbook of business ethics /

The Oxford Handbook of Business Ethics is an up-to-date and in-depth analyses of leading topics and issues and a comprehensive philosophical treatment of business ethics. It contains twenty-four original and detailed chapters by accomplished philosophers in the field, a substantive introduction to the field and to the chapters in the volume, up-to-date recommendations for further reading in each area discussed, and innovative presentations of seldom-addressed issues of business ethics.Series statement from jacket.Includes bibliographical references and index.Deception and information disclosure in business and professional ethics / Thomas L. Carson -- Informational privacy / Richard A. Spinello -- The moral problem in insider trading / Alan Strudler -- Intellectual property rights / Richard T. De George -- pt. 6. Incentives and influence -- Conflicts of interest / Wayne Norman and Chris MacDonald -- Corruption and bribery / Manuel Velasquez -- Business in politics : lobbying and corporate campaign contributions / Andrew Stark -- pt. 7. Employee rights and corporate responsibilities -- Discrimination, affirmative action, and diversity in business / Bernard Boxill -- Whistle-blowing, moral integrity, and organizational ethics / George G. Brenkert -- Employment at will and employee rights / John J. McCall and Patricia H. Werhane -- Working conditions : safety and sweatshops / Denis G. Arnold -- pt. 8. Safety, risk, and harm -- Environmental ethics and business / Lisa H. Newton -- The mirage of product safety / John Hasnas --^Pt. 1. Basic philosophical issues -- The methods of business ethics / Ronald M. Green and Aine Donovan -- The place of ethical theory in business ethics / Robert Audi -- pt. 2. Competitive markets and corporate responsibility -- The idea and ideal of capitalism / Gerald Gaus -- The public authority of the managers of private organizations / Christopher McMahon -- Corporate responsibility and its constituents / Kenneth E. Goodpaster -- pt. 3. Economic justice and consumer rights -- Executive compensation : unjust of just right? / John R. Boatright -- Just access to health care and pharmaceuticals / Paul T. Menzel -- pt. 4. Universal norms and the relativity of moral judgements -- Relativism, multiculturalism, and universal norms : their role in business ethics / Tom L. Beauchamp -- Business and human rights : a principle and value-based analysis / Wesley Cragg -- Moral issues in globalization / Carol C. Gould -- pt. 5. The use and protection of information --^Pt. 9. Creating moral organizations -- Organizational integrity and moral climates / Norman E. Bowie.The Oxford Handbook of Business Ethics is an up-to-date and in-depth analyses of leading topics and issues and a comprehensive philosophical treatment of business ethics. It contains twenty-four original and detailed chapters by accomplished philosophers in the field, a substantive introduction to the field and to the chapters in the volume, up-to-date recommendations for further reading in each area discussed, and innovative presentations of seldom-addressed issues of business ethics