Ethical Infrastructure

This book deals with the field of organization management and is based on the scientific discoveries of business ethics, which introduce concepts in organization research that traditionally did not merit a place in managerial theories. These include the issue of organization ethics, ethics management, and the development and implementation of ethical infrastructures within organizations. The book analyses the impact that all of the above have on the moral behaviour of managers and other members of organizations. It shows the presence and development of ethical infrastructures in organizations, the relationship between individual elements of the existing ethical infrastructures, and their effect on the moral behaviour of managers in companies. The subject of ethical infrastructures is a unique and under-researched area. This book will serve to diminish this gap by providing a clear overview of a variety of subjects that influence the way ethics is institutionalized in organizations and by stimulating not just knowledge, but also an understanding of the concept of ethical infrastructure and the place it has within each individual organization.

This book explores how the ethically inconsistent behaviour in workplaces can be rooted in moral fibers of the decision-makers, and/or in their varying moral foci depending on the philosophical cornerstones, on which those rest. It explores further whether such decisions may be shaped or modified by contextual factors leading, possibly, to bounded ethicality. Based on a primary survey approaching the academicians, administrators, and other service-holders from India and abroad, it analyses the problem, its determinants and variations across socio-economic and demographic factors.

Moral pragmatism has been largely ignored in Business Ethics, despite its natural attraction and the fact that it is prominent in philosophy and socio-economic theories. The main premise of the book is that the complexity of today’s business world does not permit a grand ethical theory, notwithstanding the different attempts made by scientists. Moral pragmatism is the ‘go-to’ approach where the ethical decision-making of managers varies dependent on different circumstances but it always integrates moral considerations. Ethical decision-making is no longer based simply on known rules, but entails the constant dynamic interaction of circumstances, the development of new rules, managers’ past experiences, their knowledge concerning ethics, and skills of moral reasoning. This book interweaves the postmodern approach to management studies and, based on its innovative research, reintroduces moral pragmatism in Business Ethics. The combination of decision-making theories, philosophy and postmodernism paves the way for future novel research in Business Ethics, making it an excellent resource for researchers, academics, and advanced students in the field of Business Ethics. Practitioners, on the other hand, will benefit by improving their skills in ethical decision-making and leadership.

The leadership landscape has begun to shift. Researchers have started to realize that previous conceptualizations of leadership that focus only on the positive aspects of leadership are too narrow and may represent a romantic notion of leadership. A growing body of inquiry has emerged with a focus on the darker side of leadership. Allowing for the possibility that leaders can also do harm, either intentionally or unintentionally, broadens the scope of leadership studies and serves to increase the practical implications of leadership research. This book brings together contributions by scholars from several different countries addressing topics such as narcissistic and destructive leadership, ethical leadership and leader errors.

Technological developments and improved treatment methods have acted as an impetus for recent growth and change within the medical community. As patient expectations increase and healthcare organizations have come under scrutiny for questionable practices, medical personnel must take a critical look at the current state of their operations and work to improve their managerial and treatment processes. Organizational Culture and Ethics in Modern Medicine examines the current state of the healthcare industry and promotes methods that achieve effective organizational practice for the improvement of medical services in the public and private sphere. Focusing on patient communication, technology integration, healthcare personnel management, and the delivery of quality care, this book is a pivotal reference source for medical professionals, healthcare managers, hospital administrators, public health workers, and researchers interested in improving patient and employee satisfaction within healthcare institutions.

This book links ethical leadership theory to the implementation of improved leadership practices, particularly in highly operational environments. It builds on the recognition that bad forms of leadership lead to declining motivation and consequently to problems in the social climate and quality of work in organizations and the personal health of employees. It is based on a qualitative study from 100 in-depth interviews using inductive categorization, retrieving deep, rich and unprompted data from a highly developed and advanced production facility. The book reviews the current state of research in this field and describes the setup of the underlying study, linking it to the author’s professional experience. It discusses the research design, its testing and its adaption to organizational practice. The book presents the findings of the study, introduces specific issues arising from the analysis, then critically discusses the interpretation of the findings and matches these with theoretical concepts. One finding of the study is that CSR and ethics are too often implemented with a focus on governance, process and reporting, without looking at leadership on all levels as the critical component. Finally it discusses the conclusions and implications derived from the findings. Overall, the book critically assesses how ethical leadership can be practically implemented in business organizations as a means of transforming organizations into better-governed institutions that exhibit ethical behavior. Foreword by Prof Dr James F. O'Kane, Dean of The Business School, Edinburgh Napier University /div