A model of business ethics

ABSTRACT. It appears that in the 30 years that business
Ethics has been a discipline in its own right a model of
Business ethics has not been proffered. No one appears to
Have tried to explain the phenomenon known as ‘business
Ethics and the ways that we as a society interact with the
Concept, therefore, the authors have addressed this gap in
The literature by proposing a model of business ethics that
The authors hope will stimulate debate. The business
Ethics model consists of three principal components
(i. e. expectations, perceptions and evaluations) that are
Interconnected by five sub-components (i. e. society
Expects; organizational values, norms and beliefs; outcomes;
Society evaluates; and reconnection). The introduced
Model makes a contribution to the creation of a
Conceptual framework for business ethics. A few tentative
Conclusions may be drawn from the introduced model of
Business ethics. The model aspires to be highly dynamic.
The ultimate outcome is dependent upon the evolution
Of time and contexts. It is also dependent upon and
Provides reference to the behaviours and perceptions of
People. The model proposes business ethics to be a
Continuous and an iterative process. There is no actual
End of the process, but a constant reconnection to the
Initiation of successive process iterations of the business
Ethics model. The principals and sub-components of the
Model construct the dynamics of this continuous process.
They provide guidance on what and how to explore our
Common efforts to understand the phenomenon known
As business ethics. The model provides opportunities for
Further research in the field of business ethics.
KEY WORDS: model of business ethics, conceptual
Framework
Introduction
The newspapers around the world are littered with
The names

of corporations and their high profile
Senior executives who have fallen foul of the law.
Companies such as Enron, WorldCom, Tyco
International, Arthur Andersen, Qwest, Global
Crossing, Parmalat, Barings Bank, Systembolaget
And Skandia (Carroll and Meeks, 1999; Davies,
2001; Flanagan, 2003; Heath and Norman, 2004;
Rosthorn, 2000; Wallace, 2004) have all come to
Prominence for the wrong reasons. Across the
World, we have seen these people, their advisors and
Even a spouse face courts and the wrath of their
Go¨ran Svensson is a Professor at the Osla School of Management
In Norway. He holds a Ph. D. at the School of
Economics and Commerical Law, Go¨teborg University,
Sweden. He is the editor of European Business Review
(Emerald) and the regional editor for Europe of Management
Decision (Emerald). He is also a member of numerous
Editorial boards of other academic journals. During the
1980s he was an entrepreneur in South America. He has
Published in areas such as Business Ethics, Business Logistics,
Supply Chain Management, Services Marketing,
Industrial Marketing, Leadership, Quality Management,
Human Resource Management, Public Sector Management,
Higher Education, History of Management/Marketing,
Academic Publishing/Journals, Cause Related Marketing
And General Management.
Greg Wood is an Associate Professor in the Bowater School of
Management and Marketing at Deakin University, in
Warrnambool, Australia. He holds a Ph. D. from Deakin
University in the area of Management. His thesis was in
The field of Business Ethics. His work experience has been
In Business and in Education. In the 1980s, he worked for
A large multinational energy and resources company in national
And international roles.