E-Book Overview
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.
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Praise for Humanism in Business Values make a difference. For the most part, having a ‘purpose beyond profit’ has proven one of the best ways for a company to be profitable and socially valuable. Some of the earliest socially responsible businesses achieved this purpose beyond profit from the religious convictions of their founders. In this more secular age, there are many who will be interested in how such values translate into the pragmatic, success-oriented business environment of today. Those seeking a rigorously academic study from an avowedly humanistic perspective will find a wealth of food for thought in Humanism in Business. Mallen Baker, CEO Business Respect and Development Director for Business in the Community in the UK This book is a most crucial and insightful collection showing persuasively how humanism can be practiced creatively at the core centre of economic development policy agenda, not being a rhetorical flourish but the fundamental basis of economic prosperity and sustainability. Many contributors to this collection illuminate the role of business within society and its potential as a life-serving organ for positive social change. It offers an intriguing blueprint for how the world would be better with a more life-conducive economic system. A must-read for world policy leaders of the future. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak, Member of Parliament, Thailand 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. Call it sustainability plus. Paul Lawrence, Professor Emeritus, Harvard Business School The notion that “humanism in business” is an oxymoron is nonsensical, discredited by both history and logic. Ultimately, business – the centralization and utilization of physical, financial resources, human energy and intellect within organizations great and small – has the societal function of providing the goods and services essential for
human survival and well-being. How this function is fulfilled has varied greatly over time and place. An important factor in determining the “how” are the values which underlie the society and are manifested in the operations of its business institutions and those who lead them. The editors and authors of this creative volume demonstrate convincingly that business activity in the twenty-first century is not, and cannot, be governed by mechanistic markets operating autonomously of broader societal values and expectation. It is our humanistic traditions developed over millennia from philosophical, religious and cultural sources that in the final analysis defi