Business Ethics What Everyone Needs to Know

An authoritative and practical guide to business ethics, written in an accessible question-and-answer format

In today's turbulent business climate, business ethics are more important than ever. Surveys of employees show that misconduct is on the rise. Cover stories reporting indictments, prosecutions, and penalties imposed for unethical business conduct appear almost daily. Legislatures pass requirements elevating the levels of punishment and their enforcement against corporations and individuals. Organizations face pressure to design and implement effective ethics and compliance programs. As a result, businesses and businesspeople are increasingly worried that their conduct might cross lines that put their wealth and reputations at risk.

Business Ethics: What Everyone Needs to Know ® explains what those lines are, how not to cross them, and what to do when they are crossed. Written for both businesspeople facing real-life dilemmas and students studying ethical questions, this succinct book uniquely surveys materials from moral philosophy, behavioral science, and corporate law, and shares practical advice. Experts J.S. Nelson and Lynn A. Stout cover a wide array of essential topics including the legal status of corporations, major ethical traps in modern business, negotiations, whistleblowing and liability, and best practices. Written in a short question-and-answer style, this resource provides engaging and readable introductions to the basic principles of business ethics, and an invaluable guide for dealing with ethical dilemmas.

J.S. Nelson is a professor of law and an expert legal advisor. She holds the first tenure-track appointment in a U.S. law school specifically to teach business ethics and develop law-school curricula around the subject. She teaches at Villanova University's Charles Widger School of Law, has a courtesy appointment at Villanova's Business School, and is a senior fellow at the Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. She has received numerous awards from the Academy of Legal Studies in Business, and she publishes in top law-reviews and peer-reviewed journals.

Lynn A. Stout was an American corporate law scholar, and a Distinguished Professor of Corporate & Business Law at Cornell Law School. She researched and wrote about corporate law, securities and derivatives regulation, law and economics, business ethics, and prosocial behavior in relation to the law. Her other books include Cultivating Conscience: How Good Laws Make Good People (2011); The Shareholder Value Myth: How Putting Corporations First Harms Investors, Corporations, and the Public (2012); and Citizen Capitalism: How A Universal Fund Can Provide Influence and Income to All (published posthumously in 2019). She died in 2018, with this book in progress.

Chapter 1: An Overview of Business Ethics
Chapter 2: The Benefts of Acting Ethically
Chapter 3: Moral Philosophical Bases for Business Ethics
Chapter 4: What Does Science Tell Us About Ethical Behavior?
Chapter 5: Legal Foundations for Business Ethics
Chapter 6: Understanding Corporations, LLCs, and Other Legal "Persons"
Chapter 7: The Corporation as an Ethical "Person" in Modern Society
Chapter 8: The Costs of Acting Ethically
Chapter 9: Major Ethical Traps in Modern Business
Chapter 10: Negotiations
Chapter 11: Specific Liability Questions and Whistleblowing Options
Chapter 12: Special Issues of Ethics in Leadership
Chapter 13: How to Institute Best Practices
Chapter 14: How to Respond to Investigations and Protect Your Reputation
Chapter 15: Additional Resources and People You Can Reach Out To
Notes
References
Index