Collective Phronesis in Business Ethics Education and Managerial Practice: A Neo-Aristotelian Analysis

The aim of this article is to provide an overview of various discourses relevant to developing a construct of collective phronesis, from a (neo)-Aristotelian perspective, with implications for professional practice in general and business practice and business ethics education in particular. Despite the proliferation of interest in practical wisdom within business ethics and more general areas of both psychology and philosophy, the focus has remained mostly on the construct at the level of individual decision-making, as in Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. However, he also made intriguing remarks about phronesis at the collective level in his Politics: remarks that have mostly eluded elaboration. The aim of this article is practical and revisionary, rather than exegetical and deferential, with respect to Aristotle. Nevertheless, just as most of the literature on individual phronesis draws on Aristotle’s exposition in the Nicomachean Ethics, the obvious first port of call for an analysis of collective phronesis is to explore the resources handed down to us by Aristotle himself. The lion’s share of this article is, therefore, devoted to making sense of Aristotle’s somewhat unsystematic remarks and the lessons we can draw from them about collective managerial phronesis and business ethics education.

Vygotskian Business Ethics: The Influence of Peers on Moral Reasoning in Business Ethics Education

The Russian developmental psychologist Lev Vygotsky provides important theoretical underpinnings for an alternative to business ethics pedagogy. Although Vygotsky’s constructivist approach has been applied to other disciplines, such as cognitive development, moral development, and network analysis and learning, its application to business ethics education is virtually nonexistent. Vygotsky’s focus on language and peer influence provides a novel approach to ethics education. Although many business ethics instructors already use group discussion in their classes, we provide evidence that will reinforce such techniques as a crucial pedagogical method. This study is an exploratory application of Vygotsky’s developmental theory to business ethics education. Data were gathered in business ethics and management courses, with experimental and control groups, and analyzed using the Defining Issues Test and thematic-coded journal entries. Results indicated that discussions created a zone of proximal development improving the moral reasoning for most students giving them multiple perspectives and providing support to engage in deliberations and peer dialogue when discussing ethical frameworks, ethical scenarios, and ethical decision making.

Cultivating Compassion 慈: A Daoist Perspective

The purpose of this paper is to make a contribution to our working knowledge, practice and pedagogy of compassion through consideration of a Daoist perspective on the matter. I begin with a consideration of Daoist cosmology and a sage’s compassion drawn primarily from the Daodejing, This serves as a backdrop to consider Daoist contemplative pedagogy for the cultivation of virtue and compassion. Consistent with Daoist practices which rely on exemplars as a means of inspiring others I justify considering Nelson Mandela an exemplar of compassion. I then discuss how his life lines up with the Daoist conception of compassion. Finally I discuss the practicalities of developing compassion along with other virtues in post-secondary business ethics education classes. These classes work with the following principles: starting small, self- compassion, person to person connections and relationship. Students engage in emotional intelligence activities including: exercises to know their purpose or calling, meditative exercises that help them become aware of their emotions, and structured interpersonal interaction challenging them to develop new social skills. While this work is in its early stages it appears to assist students in developing compassion for others.

The Effect of Business Ethics Education, Religiosity, Gender, and Academic Performance on the Ethical Perceptions of Accounting Students Who Have Worked in the City of Semarang

This study aims to examine whether there is influence of business ethics education, gender, religiosity, and Academic Performance of the Ethical Perceptions of accounting students who have worked in the city of Semarang. Independent variables in this research are business ethics education, gender, religiosity, and Academic Performance. The sample was taken by using purposive technique and obtained 90 respondents. The result of different test of independent sampl t-test shows that there is a significant difference between students who have not and have taken etbis courses on their ethical perception in making decision. There is a significant difference between students who have a GPA above or equal to 3.3 with students who have GPA below 3.3 on their ethical perceptions of decision making There is no significant difference between male and female students on their ethical perceptions in making decisions. There is a significant difference between students who have high degree of religiosity with students who have a low degree of religiosity their ethical perceptions in making decisions. Key words: Ethical Perception, Academic Performance, Religiusity, Gender, Business Ethics Education.