Humanism in Business

An investigation into the possibility of creating a human-centered, value-oriented society based on humanistic principles.

Heiko Spitzeck (Edited by), Michael Pirson (Edited by), Wolfgang Amann (Edited by), Shiban Khan (Edited by), Ernst von Kimakowitz (Edited by)

9780521898935, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 26 February 2009

472 pages, 4 tables
23.5 x 16 x 2.6 cm, 0.87 kg

'This book stresses the theme of humanism in business in terms of seeking the goal of sustainability, not only in terms of the earth's resources, but also in terms of relationships to all the contributors to the creation of wealth. The editors propose that the corporation needs to be conceived as a community of people who are committed not only to one another's sustainable well being, but beyond that to the further enrichment of one another's lives. Call it sustainability plus.' Paul Lawrence, Professor Emeritus, Harvard Business School

What is the purpose of our economic system? What would a more life-serving economy look like? There are many books about business and society, yet very few of them question the primacy of GDP growth, profit maximization and individual utility maximization. Even developments with a humanistic touch like stakeholder participation, corporate social responsibility or corporate philanthropy serve the same goal: to foster long-term growth and profitability. Humanism in Business questions these assumptions and investigates the possibility of creating a human-centered, value-oriented society based on humanistic principles. An international team of academics and practitioners present philosophical, spiritual, economic, psychological and organizational arguments that show how humanism can be used to understand, and possibly transform, business at three different levels: the systems level, the organizational level and the individual level. This groundbreaking book will be of interest to academics, practitioners and policymakers concerned with business ethics and the relationship between business and society.

List of figures
List of tables
List of editors and contributors
HUMANET: HUmanistic MAnagement Research NETwork: paving the way towards a life-serving economy
Introduction Michael Pirson, Ernst von Kimakowitz, Heiko Spitzeck, Wolfgang Amann and Shiban Khan
Part I. Philosophic-Historical Grounding of Humanism: 1. Philosophical grounds of Humanism in economics Julian Nida-Rümelin
2. The Humanist tradition Matt Cherry
3. Humanism and culture: balancing particularity and universalism among the world's religions Greg Epstein
4. A requisite journey: from business ethics to economic philosophy Claus Dierksmeier
5. The global economy from a moral point of view Stephen B. Young
6. The implications of Humanism for business studies Omar Aktouf and W. David Holford
7. Current trends in Humanism and business Domènec Melé
Part II. Towards an Integration of Humanism and Business on a Systems Level: 8. Towards a civilized market economy: economic citizenship rights and responsibilities in service of a humane society Peter Ulrich
9. Development as freedom - individual freedom as a social commitment Amartya Sen
10. On corporate responsibility for human rights Klaus M. Leisinger
11. The value shift: merging social and financial imperatives Lynn Sharp Paine
12. The ugly side of capitalism: what the young generation needs to combat Ulrich Steger
Part III. Humanistic Management: 13. Democratizing the corporation Allen L. White
14. Social entrepreneurship – a blueprint for humane organizations? Michael Pirson
15. Humanism at work: crucial organizational cultures and leadership principles Claudia Peus and Dieter Frey
16. Positive organizational scholarship: embodying a humanistic perspective of business Miguel Pereira Lopes, Miguel Pina e Cunha, Stephan Kaiser and Gordon Müller-Seitz
17. Corporate sustainability as an indicator for more humanism in business? A view beyond the usual hype in Europe Oliver Salzmann, Aileen Ionescu-Somers and Ulrich Steger
18. Changing direction - corporations as ambassadors of the environment? Oliver Rapf
Part IV. The Individual as a Change Agent for a Humane Business Society: 19. Ethical codes at work Adrian Henriques
20. The daunting challenges of globalization and the power of individuals in cross-stakeholder networks for a humanistic face of globalization Jean-Pierre Lehmann
21. The leader as responsible change agent: promoting Humanism in and beyond business Thomas Maak and Nicola Pless
22. Quiet leadership - a way to sustainable positive change Joe Badaracco
23. Everyone a changemaker: social entrepreneurship's ultimate goal William Drayton
24. Social business entrepreneurs are the solution Muhammad Yunus
25. Concluding observations Ernst von Kimakowitz, Michael Pirson, Heiko Spitzeck, Wolfgang Amann and Shiban Khan
Index.

Subject Areas: Economic theory & philosophy [KCA]