What is Business Ethics?

Business ethics is concerned with the moral guidelines of business entities. Ethical issues can arise in every step of business practice, for example, in hiring, advertising or product testing. Globalization adds to the complexity of the issues through a multitude of government regulations and societal norms that might disagree about the legality or moral weight of a given issue.

Getting Started

Before beginning your research, spend some time thinking about the topic at hand and how to develop a search strategy. Consider the following:

• Are you looking at current practices and issues, or do you need an historical perspective?
• What is the scope of your research: global, developed countries, United States?
• Do you want practical advice or an overview of practices and methods?
• Are you interested in particular issues, for example, deceptive advertising, insider trading, corruption, pollution or job discrimination?
  

Finding General or Background Information on Business Ethics

To get acquainted with the topic, use general sources of business ethics information – for example, dictionaries, guides or anthologies. Consider starting with these titles:

• The Blackwell Encyclopedic Dictionary of Business Ethics - R HF5387 .B55 1997
• The Blackwell Guide to Business Ethics - HF5387 .B55 2002
• Honest Work: A Business Ethics Reader - HF5387 .H663 2007
• International Business Ethics: Challenges and Approaches [electronic resource]
• Eighty Exemplary Ethics Statements - HF5387 .M876 1998
• Mission Statements : A Guide to the Corporate and Nonprofit Sectors - HD30.28 .G697 1994

Finding Information about Business Ethics in Books

Searching ROSIE Using Keywords

Search by keyword using terms closely relating to your topic of interest but also broaden your search using keywords like “business” or “manage*” and combining them with “ethic*”, “moral*”, “integrity*”, “corrupt*” and the like. The asterisk (*) allows you to search for words with different endings. Remember that you are searching book titles, subjects assigned to books, and (in some cases only) tables of contents – and not the contents of books. Leave the very specific, detailed search for periodical databases.

Searching ROSIE by Subject

Searching by Library of Congress Subject Headings allows you to do a more focused search for your topic; remember to explore the “related subjects” links. Some subject headings that may be useful include:

• Business ethics
• Work ethic
• Social responsibility of business
• Integrity
• Corporate governance
• Organizational behavior moral and ethical aspects

Browsing Call Numbers

Because books are arranged on the Library’s shelves by subject, browsing the library stacks in the call number areas suggested below can also be useful. You can get additional ideas from a book's table of contents or index. You can browse book records online through ROSIE, but remember that only records of recently published books list tables of contents and none lists an index.

HF 5387

Finding Articles Using Research Databases

Bowman Library subscribes to many Web-based databases where you will find newspaper, magazine and scholarly journal articles. Ones that are particularly useful for researching topic in business ethics are listed below. See Searching Electronic Resources Effectively for guidelines on making the most of your search.

ProQuest
Search ProQuest for articles about business ethics published in scholarly, trade and general interest periodicals. Explore the drop-down menus and “More Search Options” to broaden or narrow your search. Note, in particular, the limit to “Full text documents only.” On the results page, limit your search to scholarly (or trade) journals and magazines.

The Conference Board
The Conference Board (TCB) is a non-partisan, non-profit business network that attempts “to bring leaders together to find solutions to common problems and objectively examine major issues having an impact on business and society.” TCB has reports, studies and surveys on corporate governance and ethics. Select these topics (browse) from the drop down “topic” menu, or simply search for these terms.

Wilson Select Plus
Search Wilson for articles published in academic and professional publications. The best strategy is to use search capabilities from the Advanced Search: use the top menu tab to get there and then explore the drop-down menus. Limit your search to full text.

Business and Company Resource Center
Start by choosing the “Articles” icon and then searching for “business ethics” in “Subject Guide” (rather than searching by keywords).

Selected Free Web Sites

The following Web sites have been selected by Bowman Librarians as examples of sites appropriate for college research. Keep in mind, however, that free Web resources are rarely filtered, often making it difficult to determine the content's accuracy. Use our guide Evaluating Web Resources to help you review the authority, currency, and objectivity or bias of every site you use.

Center for Ethical Business Cultures
http://www.cebcglobal.org/KnowledgeCenter/Standards.htm
Center for Ethical Business Cultures, affiliated with the University of St. Thomas, lists annotated links to several corporate social responsibility standards.

Business Ethics and Anti-Corruption - U.S. Department of Commerce
http://ita.doc.gov/goodgovernance/business_ethics/index.asp
This section of the Department of Commerce ITA (International Trade Administration) site features, among other resources, Business Ethics: A Manual for Managing a Responsible Business Enterprise in Emerging Market Economies. Note that updates to the manual are available through EPIC (Ethics and Policy Integration Centre) at http://www.ethicaledge.com/manual_added.html.

Business Ethics Magazine
http://www.business-ethics.com/
The online version of Business Ethics magazine has selected articles in full text – for example, "The 100 Best Corporate Citizens for 2006." Follow the “Resources” menu choice to an extensive annotated directory of ethics resources.

Corporate Governance Principles
http://www.oecd.org/about/0,2337,en_2649_34813_1_1_1_1_1,00.html
OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) offers this internationally applicable benchmark for good corporate governance.

Transparency International
http://www.transparency.org
Transparency International (TI) is the leading global non-governmental organization devoted to combating corruption. The site contains business tools (guidelines), surveys and studies of corruption at national and international levels. Explore the "Corruption: Learn About It" menu; "Digital Library" link will take you to "Corruption Online Research & Information System (CORIS)."

Corporate Watch
http://www.corpwatch.org
For the last nine years, San Francisco Bay Area-based CorpWatch has been educating and mobilizing people through various campaigns about consumerism, globalization, corruption, executive compensation and more. Browse or search the CorpWatch Research Guide (please note that the guide lists only internet-based resources).

Small Business Administration (SBA)
http://www.sba.gov/managing/leadership/ethics.html
The U.S. Small Business Administration offers this short, example-based guide to developing an ethics policy for your company. It also includes an integrity self-test.

Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions
http://ethics.iit.edu/codes/codes_index.html
This site features links to ethics codes organized by profession.

Citing Your Sources

Be sure to check with your professor on which citation style is required. Bowman Library provides the following resources to assist with citation format:

For online resources, see How to Cite Your Research for links to MLA, APA and Chicago citation styles.

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers - LB2369 .G53 2003 (Located in Library Permanent Reserves).

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association - BF76.7 .P83 2001 (Located in Library Permanent Reserves).

The Chicago Manual of Style - Z253 .U69 2003 (Located in Library Permanent Reserves).

Have Questions?

• Explore WOODIE for help with Research.
• The following guides include related information that may assist your research:
  • Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Enterprise Research Guide
  • Diversity in the Workplace Research Guide
  • Company Research Guide
  • Exporters' Research Guide
• Ask a Librarian. We are here to help!