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Abstract

Discussions in ethical theory literature attempt to present the diversity of ethical opinions. However, discussions of teleology, deontology, and ethical pluralism present no organic base for the study of business ethics. (The papers in this special issue sug gest a more focused position for understanding business ethics. This paper, for ex ample, examines the question of self-interest via a study of Western Civilization.) The authors hold that history provides the necessary framework in which both to discuss and to seek answers to the three necessary and sequential questions about business ethics: (1) What is ethics and what does it mean to be ethical; (2) why be ethical; and (3) how can one be ethical?

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Ethical Orientations for Understanding Business Ethics

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