This volume examines the breadth and depth of virtue ethics and aims to counter the virtue ethics amnesia that both afflicts general moral philosophy and affects business and management ethics. Divided into two parts, the handbook starts out with a historical introduction and chronology of the development of virtue ethics, providing a comprehensive assessment of its evolution and identifying the most influential authors and their works. The authors discussed include those who follow a philosophical or conceptual tradition in their treatment of virtue and those who belong to the research tradition of positive science, in particular, empirical, quantitative and applied psychology. The second part of the book discusses systematic approaches and major themes developed in virtue ethics. These contributions are conceptual, empirical/applied or case studies. They offer insight into the different topics to which virtue ethics has been applied, and show how virtue ethics has influenced the various operational areas of firms. Finally, they examine the virtue ethics responses to some of the most important issues that businesses and organizations face in the 21st century.​

African philosophies about the way to live a flourishing life are predominantly virtue-oriented. However, narratives of African conceptions of virtue are uncommon. This book therefore helps bridge an important gap in literature. Authors writing from South Africa, Ghana, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Côte D’Ivoire and Nigeria share research on indigenous wisdoms on virtue, displaying marked consensus about the communitarian nature of African virtue ethics traditions and virtues essential for a flourishing life. They also show how indigenous virtue ethics improve corporate practices. This book will be a launchpad for further studies in Afriethics as well as a medium for sharing rich knowledge with the rest of the world.

The late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries have seen a renaissance in the study of virtue -- a topic that has prevailed in philosophical work since the time of Aristotle. Several major developments have conspired to mark this new age. Foremost among them, some argue, is the birth of virtue ethics, an approach to ethics that focuses on virtue in place of consequentialism (the view that normative properties depend only on consequences) or deontology (the study of what we have a moral duty to do). The emergence of new virtue theories also marks this new wave of work on virtue. Put simply, these are theories about what virtue is, and they include Kantian and utilitarian virtue theories. Concurrently, virtue ethics is being applied to other fields where it hasn't been used before, including bioethics and education. In addition to these developments, the study of virtue in epistemological theories has become increasingly widespread to the point that it has spawned a subfield known as 'virtue epistemology.' This volume therefore provides a representative overview of philosophical work on virtue. It is divided into seven parts: conceptualizations of virtue, historical and religious accounts, contemporary virtue ethics and theories of virtue, central concepts and issues, critical examinations, applied virtue ethics, and virtue epistemology. Forty-two chapters by distinguished scholars offer insights and directions for further research. In addition to philosophy, authors also deal with virtues in non-western philosophical traditions, religion, and psychological perspectives on virtue.

Virtue ethics has emerged as a distinct field within moral theory - whether as an alternative account of right action or as a conception of normativity which departs entirely from the obligatoriness of morality - and has proved itself invaluable to many aspects of contemporary applied ethics. Virtue ethics now flourishes in philosophy, sociology and theology and its applications extend to law, politics and bioethics. "The Handbook of Virtue Ethics" brings together leading international scholars to provide an overview of the field. Each chapter summarizes and assesses the most important work on a particular topic and sets this work in the context of historical developments. Taking a global approach by embracing a variety of major cultural traditions along with the Western, the "Handbook" maps the emergence of virtue ethics and provides a framework for future developments.

Can business activities and decisions be virtuous? This is the first business ethics textbook to take a virtue ethics approach. It explains how virtue ethics compares with alternative approaches to business ethics, such as utilitarianism and deontology, and argues that virtue ethics best serves the common good of society. Looking across the whole spectrum of business—including finance, governance, leadership, marketing and production—each chapter presents the theory of virtue ethics and supports students’ learning with chapter objectives, in-depth interviews with professionals and real-life case studies from a wide range of countries. Business Ethics: A Virtue Ethics and Common Good Approach is a valuable text for advanced undergraduates and masters-level students on business ethics courses.

"A brilliant and comprehensive introduction to the most seminal component of leadership: wisdom. The diversity of the readings and wisdom of the authors make this a most original and valuable addition to the management canon." —Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Management, University of Southern California and author of On Becoming a Leader "This wonderful compilation proves that management is as much art as science, and that deep thinking can inform and inspire practice to be more humane, ethical, and, yes, wise." —Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School Professor and best-selling author of Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End "If you'll forgive a pun, this is a wise book about organizational and managerial wisdom. It shows what's possible when some of our best thinkers turn their collective attention to such timely subjects as EQ, negotiation, global politics, and individual and organizational ethics." —Steve Kerr, Chief Learning Officer, Goldman Sachs, and Past President of the Academy of Management "One of the 'most promising' forthcoming management books." —EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT "To wade into the topic wisdom is to see organizing differently. To wade into this volume is to see wisdom differently. Both forms of effort embody a wonderful moment of wisdom itself." –Karl E. Weick, Distinguished Professor of Organizational Behavior and Psychology,University of Michigan Some interesting issues emerge when one views organizations from a wisdom-based perspective. Does technology promote or inhibit wisdom? How do HR systems, organizational forms, management practices, and operational capabilities relate to wisdom? What are the ethical and social dimensions of wisdom? What makes a wise leader? Can wisdom be developed and utilized strategically? Do conceptions and manifestations of wisdom vary across cultures? Can one teach wisdom? Editors Eric Kessler and James Bailey have produced a ground-breaking compendium of globally renowned thinkers in the Handbook of Organizational and Managerial Wisdom. This Handbook systematically explores the characteristics of understanding, applying, and developing organizational and managerial wisdom. Key Features Organizes wisdom around the five primary philosophical branches—logic, ethics, aesthetics, epistemology, and metaphysics Applies wisdom in organizations and management through international examples that synthesize a set of practical principles for academics and practicing managers Offers an outstanding collection of world-renowned scholars who give profound insights regarding wisdom

The Handbook is a comprehensive reference work in ethical theory consisting of commissioned articles by leading scholars. The first part treats meta-ethics and the second part normative ethical theory. As with all the Oxford Handbooks, the collection is designed to achieve three goals: exposition of central ideas, criticism of other approaches, and defenses of distinct points of view.

The Handbook of Business Ethics: Philosophical Foundations is a standard interdisciplinary reference handbook in the field of business ethics. Articles by notable philosophers and economists examine fundamental concepts, theories and questions of business ethics: Are morality and self-interest compatible? What is meant by a just price? What did the Scholastic philosophers think about business?