Wolfgang Amann

Humanism in Business

What is the purpose of our economic system? What would a more life-serving economy look like? There are many books about business and society, yet very few of them question the primacy of GDP growth, profit maximization and individual utility maximization. Even developments with a humanistic touch like stakeholder participation, corporate social responsibility or corporate philanthropy serve the same goal: to foster long-term growth and profitability. Humanism in Business questions these assumptions and investigates the possibility of creating a human-centered, value-oriented society based on humanistic principles. An international team of academics and practitioners present philosophical, spiritual, economic, psychological and organizational arguments that show how humanism can be used to understand, and possibly transform, business at three different levels: the systems level, the organizational level and the individual level. This groundbreaking book will be of interest to academics, practitioners and policymakers concerned with business ethics and the relationship between business and society.

Humanistic ethics in the age of globality

Through ongoing globalization managers today are faced with an array of values and codes of conduct that claim to be of relevance to their daily practice. Cultures and moral expectations differ around the globe which has resulted in the management of corporate responsibility becoming increasingly complex. Is there, however, a humanistic consensus that can bridge cultural and ethnic divides and reconcile the diverse and contrary interests of stakeholders world-wide? The authors of this book discuss this question by exploring the rich traditions of humanistic ethics. They operate from the assumption that a concentration on the nature and the well-being of the human person could provide the requisite focus for an inter-cultural debate around normative ideals that could help both clarify and improve the often tense relationship between business and society

Managing external pressures through corporate diplomacy

Todays corporations face many demands from a plethora of different stakeholders, which are often incongruous. While shareholders demand a decent return on their investment, employees demand safe and well-paid jobs, communities stress upon their tax revenues and public pressure groups call for more social and environmental responsibility. Corporations thus require a great deal of corporate diplomacy to prioritise and – where necessary and possible – reconcile these different demands. This paper describes a framework for managerial/corporate attitudes and external pressure levels. Four case studies illustrate varying attitudes towards corporate diplomacy determine the outcome of controversies over genetically modified food products.

Introducing This Book and Humanistic Management

It seems virtually impossible today to open a newspaper without finding articles about corporate predators stalking the planet with unethical and sometimes bluntly illegal acts. Companies are involved in human rights violations, environmental degradation, bribery, excessive executive compensation, misleading corporate communication, and spying on employees or competitors; the examples are too numerous to list. Have corporations become more ruthless in the means they use to seek ever-greater profits, or have society and the media become more sensitive to corporate misconduct? While the truth may well lie in between, the number of publicized cases that undermine what we believe to be ethically sound corporate conduct has reached unprecedented levels.

Dialogue-Based Leadership Style As Part of Humanistic Organizational Cultures: The Case of dm in Germany

dm drogerie markt is a chain of drugstores that has been operating mainly in Germany since the company’s inception in 1973. Over time, dm has expanded in other European countries as well. In 2008, Erich Harsch took over as CEO from Goetz Werner, who built a reputation for dm as being one of the most humanistic companies – an example for others to follow. Declining market conditions, comprising a marked price sensitivity, market concentration, and a slowing demand due to the burst subprime mortgage bubble would challenge Erich Harsch considerably, putting the sustainability and humanistic concepts instilled by his predecessor to the test. There is reason to believe that a humanistic orientation and humanistic practices at dm do not represent a cost to be minimized, but rather act as a key ingredient to leverage employee and customer satisfaction, as well as sustaining business success. dm enjoys a strong market position, but dm’s current main rival, Schlecker, is still the market leader in Germany – with significantly different values, as will be outlined below.

Humanism in Business - Concluding Observations

What is the purpose of our economic system? What would a more life-serving economy look like? There are many books about business and society, yet very few of them question the primacy of GDP growth, profit maximization and individual utility maximization. Even developments with a humanistic touch like stakeholder participation, corporate social responsibility or corporate philanthropy serve the same goal: to foster long-term growth and profitability. Humanism in Business questions these assumptions and investigates the possibility of creating a human-centered, value-oriented society based on humanistic principles. An international team of academics and practitioners present philosophical, spiritual, economic, psychological and organizational arguments that show how humanism can be used to understand, and possibly transform, business at three different levels: the systems level, the organizational level and the individual level. This groundbreaking book will be of interest to academics, practitioners and policymakers concerned with business ethics and the relationship between business and society.

Online Communication for Environmental Fundraising

Non-profit organizations avail the Internet to disseminate information to the public and to build community support for their causes. This chapter explores the status quo of Internet use for fundraising activities within environmental non-profits and proposes necessary improvements. A quantitative study was conducted via interviews with key fundraising personnel of multiple organizations. Non-profit environmental organizations from the state of Pennsylvania, USA, served as the sample. The results clearly indicate the overall effectiveness of Internet use for fundraising purposes to be quite disheartening. Due to resource constraints and a lack of technical knowledge, compounded by organizational reservations about its advanced use, online fundraising emerged as a low priority for the targeted organizations. None of the organizations seemed content with their level of online fundraising, despite acknowledging its vast potentials. Two strategy roadmaps are recommended to overcome the status quo.

Driven by Customers or Driving Customers? What Really Matters in Executive Education

Executive education (EE) institutions are still recovering from the financial crisis which haunted companies and countries in the 2007–2012 period. This period refers to a time in which the majority of companies suffered so severely from the poor economic environment that expenditure on EE was the first item to be cut in the budget. In the aftermath of this crisis, several schools folded, or embarked on merger and acquisition activities to ensure survival, exemplified by the recent Hult and Ashridge merger in 2014 (cf. Bradshaw, 2014).

Emerging Insights on World Humanism

What are the key insights to be learned from the chapters on world humanism? At the end of this book, we are keen to induct three key lessons from the included contributions. The first one important to us brings us to the question of whether the world is flat or spiky. We allude to key authors and colleagues who have discussed to what extent practices around the world have converged already. According to Thomas Freedman (2007) as stated in his award winning book, the world has become a level playing field in terms of commerce. Everyone has the same opportunities, and historical and geographical divisions are becoming increasingly irrelevant. In the increasingly rapid occupation of market and technological niches, we can ill afford to pay attention to differences in practicing management. The world, as a consequence, has become flat. Let us see in the following, how and whether this book connects to Freedman’s train of thought.

Towards a Better Understanding of World Humanism

The main purpose of this book is twofold. First, together with our fellow authors, we want to mirror and embrace the complexity inherent in the different shades and ways of understanding humanism in business. It is very tempting to ignore this phenomenon and simply let it lie, as the local idiosyncrasies we have experienced during our research, teaching, and consulting projects around the world is bewildering. These local elements often present themselves quite distinctly, while at other times they are less noticeable. Overall, the sheer plethora of shades eventually leads to a rather fascinating kaleidoscope. The second purpose of this book, therefore, is to endeavour to capture this kaleidoscope.