Virtual Symposium on Business Ethics in Times of Pandemic

About a year ago, the editors of BEJR issued a call for submissions to a “virtual symposium” on business ethics in times of pandemic. We’ve been pleased to receive a number of submissions. The first three four Commentaries published as part of our virtual symposium are listed here. We’ll add to it as we publish additional commentaries. (And our original Call for Submissions — which remains open! — is appended below.)

Pandemic Preparation, Democracy, and the Morality of the Market, by David Silver

The Peculiar Nature of the Duty to Help During a Pandemic, by Santiago Mejia

What About Price Gouging By Employees?, by Alexander P Reese and Ingo Pies

Social Media Ethics and the Politics of Information, by Jennifer Forestal and Abraham Singer

Call for Submissions!

The Business Ethics Journal Review is seeking submissions for a virtual symposium on “Business Ethics in Times of Pandemic.”

Is the existing literature useful on the question of price-gouging? Given what has been written about CSR, what are an employer’s obligations to employees when business drops to zero? Should consumers embrace, or avoid, delivery services during a pandemic, in light of what has been written about the ethics of the gig economy? How and to whom should cleaning products and personal protective equipment (PPE) be marketed during a pandemic? These are just a few suggestions for topics that might be tackled as business ethics scholars contemplate the current crisis.

Business Ethics Journal Review (ISSN 2326-7526) is a peer-reviewed, online journal that has been actively publishing since 2013. We publish short (1,000-2,000 word) commentaries on peer-reviewed articles. It is edited by Alexei Marcoux and Chris MacDonald.

We are currently seeking short, focused commentaries on business ethics related to the current Covid-19 crisis. For this special symposium, we are relaxing our normal rules, while attempting to stay true to our basic mission. Accordingly, we offer the following guidelines for submissions:

– All submissions must be between 1,000 and 2,000 words, inclusive of abstract and citations.

– In light of our status as a journal review, submissions should be focused on commenting on prior literature.

– Authors are strongly encouraged to focus on literature from the last 10 years (the usual BEJR rule is 3 years!)

There is NO FIXED DEADLINE for this call, but potential authors should contact the editors (editors@bejr.org) to discuss their potential contribution.

v9n4: Honouring Dr. Arthur Wesley Cragg

Wesley Cragg

In Memorium: The Contribution of Dr. Arthur Wesley Cragg, by Mark S Schwartz

Abstract: The author comments on two journal articles authored by his former PhD supervisor, Dr. Arthur Wesley Cragg.

To download the full PDF, click below: 

Mark Schwartz

Mark S. Schwartz is Associate Professor, Management and Ethics in the School of Administrative Studies, York University.

v9n3: Reese and Pies on Price Gouging By Employees

What About Price Gouging By Employees?, by Alexander P Reese and Ingo Pies

Abstract:

To download the full PDF, click here: 

Alexander Reese is a doctoral candidate in Economic Ethics at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, and currently a visiting PhD at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.

Ingo Pies is Professor of Economic Ethics at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. 

v9n2: Mejia on Mejia on Helping During a Pandemic

The Peculiar Nature of the Duty to Help During a Pandemic, by Santiago Mejia

Abstract:

To download the full PDF, click here: 

Mejia Comments on Mejia

Santiago Mejia is assistant professor at the Gabelli School of Business, Fordham University. His research interests span normative ethical theories of businesses, moral psychology, and virtue ethics.

Editorial Note: While BEJR does not normally encourage commentaries aimed at the author’s own work, in the present case we made an exception: the Covid pandemic allowed Santiago Mejia to see a gap in his own work, and the editors thought it admirable for an author to step forward in such circumstances.

v9 n1: Mensch Responds to Raelin on Leadership-as-Practice

The Challenge of Rival Versions of Moral Enquiry Within Leadership-As-Practice, by Kirk Mensch

A RESPONSE TO Joe Raelin (2020), “The Genealogical Ethics of Leadership-as- Practice”, Bus Ethics J Rev 8(5): 27–31 https://doi.org/10.12747/bejr2020.08.05

Abstract: Herein, I clarify my concern regarding Raelin’s Leadership-as-Practice (L-A-P) and argue that inconsistent moral philosophies undermine the veracity of leadership theory, especially more recent democratic, shared, collective, and practice oriented theories; that this problem seems to be proliferating in the social sciences, and that this is especially concerning in socio-psychologically oriented theories. I contend that the moral foundations of L-A-P remain philosophically disquieting, unless it is understood as excluding moral agents other than those of a genealogical tradition, and that such exclusionary consequences in practice may lead to moral disengagement, which might then lead to cognitive dissonance and even self-harm.

To download the full PDF, click here:

Kirk Mensch is a moral psychologist who specializes in understanding the impact of incommensurate moral worldviews on theory, practice, and affiliated agents in pluralistic organizations. Kirk can be reached at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirkmensch/ or at drkirkmensch@gmail.com

v8 n8: Tomhave and Vopat Respond to Davis on Boycotts

Boycotts and Silencing, by Alan Tomhave and Mark Vopat

A RESPONSE TO Jeremy V. Davis (2020), “Boycotts, Expressive Acts, and Withdrawal of Support”, Bus Ethics J Rev 8(3): 14–19, https://wp.me/p2x7zx-pd

Abstract:

Jeremy Davis offered critical comments on our article that argued some boycotts are pro tanto morally wrong. We argued against organized boycotts over expressive acts where the actor is attempting to engage in the market place of ideas. Davis offered two versions of a direct objection to our position – one that boycotts are not attempts to silence and one that boycotts do not cause a chilling effect – and one objection based on reframing the goals of boycotts. In this Response, we argue that Davis’s direct objections are unsound and his reframing objection is consistent with our initial position.

To download the full PDF, click here:

Alan Tomhave is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Interim Chair of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Youngstown State University. Mark Vopat is Professor of Philosophy and Co-Director of the Dr. James Dale Ethics Center at Youngstown State University.

v8n7: Strudler on von Kriegstein on Ownership and Shareholder Primacy

The Unowned Corporation, by Alan Strudler

A RESPONSE TO Hasko von Kriegstein (2020), “Shareholder Ownership is Irrelevant for Shareholder Primacy”, Bus Ethics J Rev 8(4): 20–26, https://doi.org/10.12747/bejr2020.08.04

Abstract:
In this response to Hasko von Kriegstein, I defend several claims, including that the publicly-traded corporation and its assets are unowned; that managers may stand in fiduciary relations to shareholders that do not require managers to maximize shareholder wealth; and that the rights of a shareholder and of the owner of a privately-held corporation may differ fundamentally.

To download the full PDF, click here: Strudler Responds to von Kriegstein on Ownership and Shareholder Primacy

Alan Strudler is Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania.

v8n6: Forestal and Singer on Social Media and Disinformation

Social Media Ethics and the Politics of Information, by Jennifer Forestal and Abraham Singer

A COMMENTARY ON Brett Gregory Johnson (2017), “Speech, Harm, and the Duties of Digital Intermediaries: Conceptualizing Platform Ethics,” J Media Ethics 32(1): 16–27.

This commentary is published as part of BEJR’s BUSINESS ETHICS IN TIMES OF PANDEMIC VIRTUAL SYMPOSIUM!

Abstract:
Johnson (2017) conceptualizes the social responsibilities of digital media platforms by describing two ethical approaches: one emphasizing the discursive freedom of platform-users, the other emphasizing protecting users from harmful posts. These competing concerns are on full display in the current debate over platforms’ obligations during the COVID-19 pandemic. While Johnson argues both approaches are grounded in democracy, we argue that democratic commitments transcend the freedom/ harm dichotomy. Instead, a commitment to democracy points toward social media companies’ responsibilities to structure their platforms in ways that facilitate perspectival diversity and collective deliberation.

To download the full PDF, click here: Forestal and Singer on Johnson

Jennifer Forestal is Helen Houlahan Rigali Assistant Professor of Political Science at Loyola University Chicago. Abraham Singer is assistant professor of business ethics at Loyola University Chicago.

v8n5: Raelin on Mensch and Barge on Leadership-as-Practice

The Genealogical Ethics of Leadership-as-Practice, by Joe Raelin

A COMMENTARY ON K. Mensch and J. Barge (2019), “Understanding Challenges to Leadership-as-Practice by Way of Macintyre’s Three Rival Versions of Moral Enquiry,” Bus & Prof Ethics J 38(1): 1–16, https://doi.org/10.5840/bpej2018101273

Abstract:
Mensch and Barge in their interpretation of Alasdair MacIntyre’s critique of genealogical ethics as a basis of ethical weakness in the emerging field of “leadership-as-practice,” suggest that L-A-P is lacking in ethical grounding especially because of its relativist philosophy. I address this valid ethical concern in L-A-P theory by arguing that there is a form of realism in Nietzchean axiology and that the dialogic potentialities in material-social interactions may offer a greater capacity for ethical reflexivity than a reliance on rules.

To download the full PDF, click here: Raelin on Mensch and Barge on Leadership-as-Practice

Joe Raelin is the Donald Gordon Visiting Professor of Leadership, University of Cape Town and The Knowles Chair Emeritus, Northeastern University. He specializes in collective leadership and collective learning. Joe can be reached at: j.raelin@neu.edu

v8n4: von Kriegstein on Ownership and Shareholder Primacy

Shareholder Ownership is Irrelevant for Shareholder Primacy, by Hasko von Kriegstein

A COMMENTARY ON Alan Strudler (2017), “What To Do With Corporate Wealth?” J Poli Philos 25(1): 108–126.

Abstract:
Strudler rejects shareholder primacy and argues that, once contractual obligations have been fulfilled and shareholders have received a reasonable return on investment, corporate executives may use corporate wealth for the general good. He seeks to establish this claim via an argument that, contrary to the received view, shareholders do not own corporations. After raising some questions about the latter argument, this commentary goes on to argue that the question of corporate ownership is a red herring. The argument for shareholder primacy that Strudler wants to reject does not rely on the premise that shareholders own the firm.

To download the full PDF, click here: von Kriegstein on Strudler on Shareholder Ownership and Primacy

Hasko von Kriegstein is Assistant Professor at the Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University.