To communicate with a group that is far from small, or with an audience in cyberspace was a question I posed myself: the answer I arrived at can be seen here, with this unveiling of a new blog, but I have also resolved that this will not be at the cost of neglecting the first community. And having decanted positively in this new direction, another question arose; there are already such an abundance of blogs, what can I offer? And on reflection, I have identified five reasons, which I’d briefly like to present.
The first is that, in spite of the proliferation of blogs, there are few dedicated to the subject matter that this will consider – business ethics and responsibility, and also, to a certain extent at least, social ethics. This latter sphere of interest is obviously extensive, but still closely related to the former.
The second is the opportunity to contribute my more than quarter-century experience as a teacher and researcher of business ethics, so that others can compare their perspectives and visions of the debate.
The third reason is my profound conviction that there is a need for a well-founded ethical discourse present in social debate. Too often, all that is heard are opinions of an economic or a political hue. Even worse is that the economic ideas are often presented as the explanation for practically everything, and still the recommended prescription for all business and social needs. It’s seldom too that the political views we hear or read respond to the noble office of Politics (observe the upper-case), understood as the art of good governance, and which does undoubtedly require solid ethical foundations.
The fourth reason pushing me to write is my wish to contribute to the foundation required for business ethics and responsibility, which today often seems raised on weak foundations, or on theories in which the person is not considered to the extent that his or her dignity and innate rights merit
Finally, I am stimulated by the necessity to disseminate some of my studies carried out over the years in my field. These have been published in collective works and international publications, particularly in the Journal of Business Ethics , and also in my two most recent books, written for students of business management and executives: Business Ethics in Action (2009) y Management Ethics (2012).
This blog will pick up on what is happening in ‘current affairs’, bringing analysis and comment from an ethical and humanistic perspective, with a special accent of Christian Humanism which, in my judgment, has much that is good to offer our society.
The blog will also make use of relevant business ethics cases from a variety of contexts (interpersonal relations, marketing, finance, people-management, leadership, organizational ethics, company-society relationships, etc.). Matters related to business responsibility, sustainable development and the sustainable business will also be subject to our attention.
As far as we are able we will include information here relating to the initiatives and activities of the Chair of Business Ethics of IESE, which I currently have the honour of filling. Other events and activities of both my institution and of others will also find mention here, as and when these are related to the content matter publicized. The necessity of ethical and humanistic foundations for the existence of a good society will also be quite evident. My intention is to publish each Tuesday, in Spanish and Catalan, and in English when the topic may have some interest for an international audience. I would like to offer in advance my gratitude to those who might follow this blog, and to those who respond to me through their comments.