Andrea Giampetro-Meyer

Do we really want more leaders in business

In this article, we focus on the concept of leadership ethics and make observations about transformational, transactional and servant leadership. We consider differences in how each definition of leadership outlines what the leader is supposed to achieve, and how the leader treats people in the organization while striving to achieve the organizations goals. We also consider which leadership styles are likely to be more popular in organizations that strive to maximize short run profits. Our paper does not tout or degrade any of these leadership theories. Instead, it points out which theories allow reason to play more than a minimal role in ethical decision-making, as well as those that are most consistent with a firms desire to achieve efficiency in the short run. We explain our view that the way leadership is practiced in large, bureaucratic organizations suggests that ethics is often absent from the leaders decision-making process. Consequently, we suggest that before we engage in a meaningful dialogue about what kind of leaders we might really want in business, we must consider how much short-run profit we are willing to forego in exchange for more ethical corporate cultures.

In Search of a Happy Ending

In this paper, we consider the question whetherbusiness ethics courses should have a happyending. The paper starts by considering ideasthat might give students who take businessethics courses hope that they can play a rolein promoting improved corporate cultures. Thepaper then explores Jesuit teachings as theyrelate to ethical decision-making. Inparticular, the paper highlights the idea ofdiscernment, which encourages students tobecome self-aware and to test their ability toact on principles of right and wrong. Ultimately, the paper concludes that there isno easy answer to the question whether businessethics courses should have a happy ending. Students who are ever mindful of the importanceof discernment are the most likely tounderstand the true nature of the moral mazesthey face in bureaucratic organizations.