Business Ethics: Stakeholder and Issues Management Approach

This text examines the role of ethics in the business world and the ethical dilemmas encountered by managers. Ethical decisions do not take place in a vacuum, and many people, faced with their own interests and standards, are involved in business encounters every day. “Stakeholder and Issues Management” is this text’s unique approach to teaching business ethics. It pays special attention to the relationships among the many and varied stakeholders that have roles in business situations, including both the market and non-market entities that affect a business. Ethical issues must be addressed by individuals, groups, corporations, and even nations in very different ways, and the consequences differ with each person or group involved. This text gives students practical tools to handle moral dilemmas in the workplace and the world. Topics include risk management, preferential hiring, corporate legitimacy, and moral accountability.

Joseph W. Weiss is Professor of Management at Bentley College, where he teaches and researches in the areas of business ethics, leadership, technology management, and organizational change management. He is a Fulbright Program Specialist and national peer reviewer for business applicants, past chair of the Academy of Management Consulting Division, and current co-chair of the HICSS (Hawaii International Conference of System Sciences) IT/Project Management track. He has studied and worked in the Middle East (the American University of Beirut) and has written five books, including BUSINESS ETHICS, ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR & CHANGE, and FIVE-PHAS PROJECT MANAGEMENT. He has been awarded the Teaching Excellence Award by the Organizational Behavior Teaching Society, as well as the Innovative Teaching Award at Bentley College. He is a fellow with ACLS (American Council of Learned Societies), which awarded him a grant to introduce spirituality into the management curriculum at Bentley. He is a leadership consultant with two decades of experience working with Fortune 500 firms, government agencies, and startup companies.