Preference is given to Australian-based empirical research. We
regularly search all overseas disciplinary journals for research
that contribute to the objectives of this website.
For continuation, see our companion website:
www.whistleblowingethics.info .
‘Corporate social and financial performance: A
meta-analysis’
The most comprehensive study to date by Dr Marc Orlitzky, Australian
Graduate School of Management (AGSM), (co-authored with Frank
L Schmidt and Sara L Rynes) suggests that “corporate virtue
in the form of social responsibility and, to a lesser extent,
environmental responsibility is likely to pay off…”.
Other research and website of Dr. Orlitzky shown on list of associates.
Marc Orlitzky, University of NSW, with Frank L Schmidt and Sara
L Rynes, Organization Studies, 24:3, (2003), 403-441.
‘Ethics as a Risk Management Strategy: The Australian
Experience’
Argues that there are compelling reasons to consider good ethical
practice to be an essential component of management that has beneficial
outcomes. Surveys Australian practices to identify benefits that
include identifying potential problems, preventing fraud, the
preservation of corporate reputation, and the mitigation of court
penalties should illegal transgression arise.
• Ronald Francis and Anona Armstrong, Victoria University,
Journal of Business Ethics 2003: 45/4
Earlier studies on ethics and performance
Qualitative studies by Rosabeth Moss Kanter and John Kotter of
the Harvard Business School also claim a relationship between
ethical behaviour in organisations and financial performance.
In Kanter's case she claims a positive relationship between ethical
personnel policies, innovative capacity and financial performance
of the organisation. Kotter’s research shows a positive
relation between corporate culture and financial performance.
Rosabeth Moss Kanter, The Change Masters: Corporate Entrepreneurs
at Work, London, International Thomson Business Press, 1996. Kotter
JP & Heskett JL, Corporate Culture and Performance, New York,
Free Press ,1992. Note that there appear to be no compelling reasons
why the results of this research would not also apply to the public
and non-profit sectors
‘Ready for the mantle? Australian human resource
managers as stewards of ethics’
Advocates of an expanded role for Human Resource Managers (HRM)
claim that an expanded role for HRM has not been accompanied by
an expanded discussion of the ethical implications. A survey of
HR managers in Australia found a high level of disagreement on
a range of ethical issues, even in relation to concepts rather
than attitudes.
• Glenn Martin – CCH Publication / Southern Cross
University
International Journal of Human Resource Management 2001:12:2:243-256
‘Auditors' predisposition to provide fair judgments:
Australian evidence of auditors' level of moral reasoning’
Examines auditors' predisposition to provide just and fair judgments,
using Kohlberg's theory of developmental moral reasoning. The
results indicate that a majority of auditors have the predisposition
to act fairly, particularly when faced with an ethical crisis.
A smaller number are likely to act in their own self-interest,
acting correctly only to avoid detection.
• Carolyn Windsor, Griffith University
Australian Accounting Review 2002:12: 2: 51-59.
‘Ethics and the sustainability of business’
The authors, from the Departments of Philosophy and Social Work
at the University of NSW, argue that ‘studies of corporate
collapse show that ethical failure may be part of the story’.
They point out that adherence to the law rather than adopting
a corporate code of ethical behaviour, a position advocated by
Milton Friedman and many others , is insufficient. Tighter regulation
and greater controls, which are implemented with increasing frequency,
are not conducive to effective business operations.
Damian Grace with Stephen Cohen, University Of NSW
Corporate Collapse, CCH, Sydney, 2001,
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"Environmental Initiatives, Toward a Triple Bottom
Line Reporting",
The study compared 425 annual reports of firms listed by market
capitalisation on the Australian Stock Exchange in 1988 and 1989.
It identified a trend to Triple Bottom Line reporting and a significant
change in the quality and quantity of environmental information,
albeit in specific categories.
• Jean Raar, Deakin University
Corporate Communications. An International Journal, Vol 7,
No3, 2002
‘Applied Ethics in Human and Ecosystem Health: The
Potential of Ethics and an Ethic of Potentiality’
Presents an ethical foundation for those who seek social sustainability
and the restoration of ecosystems world wide, by applying the
ethic of potentiality to environment in the same way as we value
humans for their potential. Draws on established philosophers
and modern theorists, along with a number of Australian examples.
• Glenn Albrecht, University of Newcastle
Ecosystem Health 2001:7:4:243-252.
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‘An Analysis of Australian Final Year Accountancy
Students' Ethical Attitudes’
An analysis of ethical values held by final year Queensland university
students shows a high percentage willing to accept a bribe or
to cheat in exams. Willingness to whistleblow reduced dramatically
depending on the institution and issue.
• Conor O'Leary, Queensland University of Technology and
Renee Radich, Macquarie University
Teaching Business Ethics 2001: 5:3:235-249
‘Accounting Students Cheating’
A cross country comparison, Australia, United Kingdom, and South
Africa, of self-reported propensity to engage in cheating when
presented with specific rewards, risks and penalties. Showed marked
differences between countries.
• Stephen Haswell, PeterJubb, and Bob Wearing, Australian
National University and Essex University.
Teaching Business Ethics 1999: 3, 211-239
‘Is it possible to assess the “ethics”
of medical school applicants?’
Two psychologists from the University of Newcastle, NSW, and
two staff members from medical schools in Sydney and Suva, explore
the possibilities of examining the ethical values of medical students
as a pre-practice screening. The analysis is backed by an examination
of ethical values of respondents in medical practice in the Newcastle
area, a review of Kohlberg, and derived ethical testing, and an
analysis of the psychiatric classifications of DSM IV. (Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).
Michael Lowe, Ian Kerridge, Miles Bore, Don Munro
Journal of Medical Ethics, 2001, Vol 27/8
The testing system that has been developed can be viewed at http://www.newcastle.edu.au/tunra/pqa/index.html
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Applying the ACS Code of Ethics.
This paper helps Information Technology professionals better
understand the ACS (Australian Computer Society) Code of Ethics.
Unlike professionals in many other disciplines, the ACS code of
ethics is recommended only. The paper discusses the underlying
principles of intellectual property, privacy, confidentiality,
quality of professional work, fairness and discrimination, liability
for unreliability, software risks, conflict of interest, and unauthorised
access.
• Oliver Burmeister, Swinburne University of Techology
Journal of Research and Practice in Information Technology2000:
32:2:107--120.
'Classification of Australian Corporate and Industry Based Codes
of Conduct'.
Concentrating on the classification of the types of codes of
ethics in Australia and examining their impact. Is not concerned
with the link (if any) between corporate codes and ethical and
moral behaviour. Examples of codes stronger than those in 1994
are now evident.
Jennifer M McKay, University of South Australia,
International Business Lawyer 1994:22:11:507-514.
‘Can codes of ethics really produce consistent behaviours?’
Investigates the effectiveness of codes of ethics in influencing
the behaviour of employees. Core data come from the direct observations
of behaviours reported by 25 top managers and 545 employees from
eight large Australian enterprises. Two main conclusions: 1) there
is no discernible association between the ratings of the enterprises
and their particular strategies in ethics. 2) that the strongest
ethical culture affecting behaviour in the respondents comes from
an external, shared source.
• Brian Farrell, University of Technology Sydney
Journal of Managerial Psychology 2002:17:6:468-491.
‘Any complaints? A review of the framework of self-regulation
in the Australian advertising industry’
Compares the new code of ethics for advertising with its predecessor
and with an international standard. It examines the performance
of the code in terms of the number of complaints upheld by medium
and product type. It also documents the voluntary responses of
advertisers. The findings suggest a weakening in the standard
of advertising self-regulation in Australia, with fewer provisions
in the code, significantly fewer complaints upheld and no real
power of enforcement. It raises questions such as the vested interest
of advertisers in controlling the process and the roles of the
consumer association, the media and the advertising agencies in
guaranteeing self-regulation.
• Gail Kerr and Cheryl Moral, Queensland University of
Technology
Journal of Marketing Communications 2002:8:3:189-202.
‘Codifying Ethical Conduct for Australian Parliamentarians
1990–99’
Provides a preliminary analysis of the limited Australian codification
initiatives for elected public officials in state and federal
Parliaments over the 10 year period, with particular focus on
the New South Wales and Queensland legislatures. The paper shows
that Members of Parliament are reluctant to adopt codes of ethics
and forecasts that the focus on implementing codes alone, without
a range of supporting ethics initiatives, is likely to be of little
effect.
• Noel Preston, Queensland University of Technology
Australian Journal of Political Science 2001:36:1
‘Surface and deep approaches to business ethics’
A distinction made in the higher education literature between
surface and deep approaches to learning is adapted to provide
an insight into the reason for the difference between the rhetoric
concerning ethics and actual business practice. It is argued that
a surface approach to ethics, which is associated with self-interest,
will not promote ethical behaviour, while a deep approach, motivated
by the desire to act correctly, does have the potential to do
so. The difference between the rhetoric and business practice
suggests that most businesses either intentionally or unintentionally
adopt a surface approach to ethics.
• Jodie Fisher, University of New England
Leadership & Organization Development Journal 2003:24:1/2:96
A cross cultural comparison of codes of ethics: USA,
Canada and Australia
Sought codes from top 500 companies in Australia and compared
them with studies made in the US (1987) and Canada (1992). A 68
% response rate resulted in 83 codes being analysed in depth.
Provides information on what is contained in what turned out to
be broadly similar codes. Exceptions are that Australian companies
are less inclined to turn to external audit on internal wrongdoing,
adopt fines as sanctions less often but use senior managers as
role models more frequently
Greg Wood , Deakin University, Journal of Business Ethics
, June 2000, 25/4
The ethical management practices of Australian firms
Examined a sample of Australian firms (136) to identify whether
they had a code of ethics, a forum for discussion of ethics the
assessment of environmental impact , and whether any relationship
between size, industry, ownership etc, and ethical practices.
29 % of firms did have a code of ethics, with larger firms tending
to predominate. However, 37% of all firms had a forum to discuss
ethics
Jonathon Batten, Samantha Hettihewa and Robert Mellor University
of Western Sydney, Journal of Business Ethics, 1997,
16
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‘Whistleblowing and Organisational Strategy’
Integrates interviews with Australian whistleblowers and overseas
research to examine the vehemence of organisational responses
to whistleblowers. Argues that these irrational responses are
explained by theories of group conformity and effects of power,
especially when issues are ambiguous or subjective as they frequently
are in whistleblowing situations. Argues further that organisations
are varying networks of interpersonal relations and commitments,
and that we cannot think of an organisation as an ideal whole.
• Chris Provis, Jennifer McKay and John Tomaino University
of South Australia
The Journal of Contemporary Issues in Business and Government
4(1) 43-51 1998
Implementing Best Practice Whistleblowing Programs
The article reviews the 2003 Australian Standard AS 8004 - Whistleblowers
Protection Program for Entities. The author defines whistleblowing,
and argues the reasons behind an internal whistleblowing program.
AS 8004 has the objective of encouraging reporting of fraudulent
or dishonest activities in all types of organisations, and protecting
the whistleblower. It suggests an independent Whistleblower Protection
Officer and an Investigation Officer (acting independently). In
addition to dishonest and fraudulent activities, matters suggested
to be reported are corrupt, illegal, unethical, or unsafe work
practices, or activities in breach of Commonwealth or state legislation
or local by-laws.
Anne Trimmer, Partner, Minter Ellison, Sydney
Keeping Good Companies, Journal of Chartered Secretaries of
Australia, November 2003
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‘Doing Ethics: a universal technique in an accessibility
context’
Outlines a technique that can be used to help navigate through
difficult ethical decisions. Originally designed for information
technology undergraduate use, it is suitable for people of different
professions and ages. The technique depends upon asking questions,
in a specified order. The following questions have been found
effective: 1) what is going on, what are the facts; 2) what are
the issues; 3) who is affected; 4) hence, what are the ethical
issues and implications; 5) what can be done; and 6) which is
the best option and why. The optimum use of the technique has
been achieved in tutorial groups where questions can be solved
collaboratively.
• Christopher R Simpson, Liddy Nevile, Oliver Burmeister,
Swinburne University of Technology . Australian Journal of
Information Systems 2003:10: 2:127-133.
‘Using the defining issues test for evaluating computer
ethics teaching’
An undergraduate computer ethics teaching program using the Defining
Issues Test of moral judgment. A "before-and-after with a
control group" research design was used. For both the experimental
and control groups, a general increase in moral judgment development
was observed over the semester. The experimental group exhibited
a larger increase in moral judgment development than the control
group. However, it was found to be the result of an increase in
the moral development of the female students rather than the male
students. The implications for studies in an education context
are outlined.
• Lorraine J. Staehr, LaTrobe University
IEEE Transactions on Education 2003:46:2:229-235
‘Impact of an ethics programme in a life sciences curriculum’
Describes an ethics curriculum for bioscience students based on
structured discussions in small groups. Provides evidence that
minimal impact of six contact hours significantly improves students’
ability to recognise ethical problems. Describes methods of measuring
ethical sensitivity and moral reasoning skills
• Henriikka Clarkeburn, University of Sydney
Teaching in Higher Education 2002:7:1:65-9
‘Teaching Bioethics in Science: Does It Make a
Difference?’
An evaluation of a biotechnology course taught at an independent
girls' school. The course introduced students to ethical theories
and the decision-making process. Interviews and a survey were
used to study the impact of the course. Their decisions were compared
to a similar cohort who had not studied the course, and to three
specialists. It would appear that even though the students who
studied the biotechnology course (and their teacher) believed
that they were better able to identify and resolve bioethical
issues, their decisions did not differ from students who had not
studied the course. The significance of the study lies in the
value systems that underpin the ethical decision-making of teenage
girls.
• Dr Vaille Dawson, Edith Cowan University
Australian Science Teachers Journal 1999:45:1:59-64.
‘Ethical Attitudes of a Cohort of Future Professionals
– Implications for the Teaching of Ethics’
Business students were asked about their attitudes to the inclusion
of ethics in the curriculum and tested on their responses to ethical
dilemmas. Students‘conceptual clarity of ethics was also
assessed. Students responded positively to the inclusion of ethical
material in the classroom and recorded a high degree of confidence
in their understanding of ’ethics‘. Issues raised
by the responses are their implications for educational policy
and practice; e.g. students’ superficial understanding of
the depth of ethical problems needs to be considered when designing
ethics courses.
• Vivienne Brand and Roy I Brown, Flinders University
Teaching Business Ethics 1998:2:4: 389-410
‘Practice-focused ethics in Australia engineering
education’
Summarizes initiatives and approaches to teaching engineering
ethics and suggests ways to encourage both the study of ethics
and actual ethical practice. Outlines changes in engineering education
in Australia over past two decades, indicating some of the effects
of these changes on the culture of engineering and the ways in
which ethics issues are being conceptualized and taught. Describes
the restructuring of the UTS undergraduate program to focus on
engineering practice issues and discuss its implications for practice-focused
ethics in engineering education.
• Stephen Johnston, Helen McGregor, Elizabeth Taylor University
of Technology Sydney. European Journal of Engineering Education
2000:25: 4:315-324
'Ethics, geography and responsible citizenship'
An approach which couples the case method with a jurisprudential
inquiry model by which geography teachers might contribute effectively
to student learning of ethics. The approach requires students
to review a case involving an ethical dilemma, assess it against
relevant normative ethical theory and social standards, and make
a decision which they can defend coherently in public.
• Iain Hay, Flinders University
Journal of Geography in Higher Education 1998: 22:2:169-183.
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'Visible and Invisible Cultures of Parliamentary Ethics’,
A growing body of research has examined the ethical cultures
of liberal democratic legislatures via interviews of parliamentarians.
Mancuso's recent study of British parliamentarians raises the
issue that their judgments are a political and an ethical question.
Are MPs permitted or expected to go to any lengths to advance
the interests of their electorate? Or is there a point past which
serving one's constituency at the expense of the nation as a whole
becomes ethically dubious? She distinguishes four ethical types.
Such studies appear to have two shortcomings when applied to Australia.
First, they underestimate the centrality of political parties
in most parliamentarians' ethical perspectives. A fifth ethical
type, the Party Servant, is needed to remedy this deficiency.
Second, the studies risk overestimating the diversity of ethical
views in parliaments because of their methodological focus on
interview responses. Parliamentarians' individual responses form
invisible cultures of legislative ethics.
Rodney Smith, University of Sydney, Department of Government
Australian Journal of Political Science, 34(1), March 1999,
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‘Principals as Morally Accountable Leaders’
Moral (rather than "corporate") accountability in education
is essential; so is a human-centred leadership approach. Findings
from an Australian study that investigated elementary principals'
responsiveness to teachers' learning show how these leaders exercised
their moral, professional, and contractual accountability to support
a caring, learning ethic.
• Lisa Ehrich, Queensland University of Technology
International Journal of Educational Reform 2000:9:2:120-27
’Professional Ethics and Teacher Practice’
A listing of ethical problems faced by teachers in the classroom,
defining ethical issues widely. Notes that the Council of the
University of NSW requires all undergraduates to take at least
56 hours devoted to professional ethics and social responsibility
· Martin Bibby, University of NSW
Initial and Continuing Teacher Professional Development, Occasional
Papers. 1, 16. NSW Department of Education and Training/
Teacher Education Council Seminar Dec.1998.
‘Censorship in Contemporary Art Education’
Focus on the selection and censorship of artists and art works
for student study. The violent, sexually explicit, disgusting
and psychologically disturbing nature of many contemporary arts
works make them potentially offensive and confusing to young impressionable
minds. While wishing to be open-minded and to teach inclusive
curricula, art teachers are also aware of their accountability
in the community and their responsibility for the well-being of
their students. The study examines ways in which art teachers
achieve postmodernist plurality in their programs yet also respectfully
stay within the parameters of curriculum limits.
L. Emery, University of Melbourne
Journal of Art and Design Education 2002:21:1:5-14.
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What exactly is an exact copy? And why it matters when
trying to ban human reproductive cloning in Australia
Examines the current Australian regulatory response to human
reproductive cloning. A legislative prohibition on human cloning
must be both effective and clear enough to allow researchers to
know what practices are acceptable. This paper asks whether the
current Australian regime evinces these qualities and suggests
that Australia should follow the example set in the UK by the
enactment of the Human Reproductive Cloning Act 2001.
• Brian Gogarty, University of Tasmania
Journal of Medical Ethics 2003:29:2:84-90.
'Informed Consent Without Bureaucracy'
A comparison is drawn between informed consent in medicine and
consenting practices in other areas of human activity, and an
underlying conceptual unity is detected in all of consenting practices.
We insist on obtaining consent, in medicine and elsewhere, due
to the value we place on personal autonomy. The conceptual unity
of informed consent and consenting practices outside of medicine
is defended against a series of objections. On the basis of the
comparison with consenting practices in other areas of human activity,
it is argued that bureaucratic informed consent processes in medicine
are both unnecessary and unwarranted.
• Steve Clarke, Charles Sturt University
Journal of Clinical Neuroscience 2003:10:1:35-36.
‘Childhood tetanus in Australia: ethical issues
for a should-be-forgotten preventable disease’
Discusses a case study where a 2-year old child contracts tetanus
after a splinter due to parental refusal of a vaccination. The
case raises several ethical issues:
• Refusal of a parent to have a child vaccinated against
tetanus raised ethical issues for the treating clinicians.
• The clinicians believed their duty to the child was compromised,
but recognised that our society leaves the authority for such
decisions with the parents.
• As there was no reason to doubt the parent's care for
the child, the clinicians limited their response to providing
a strong recommendation in favour of vaccination.
• Other issues raised by this case include community protection,
and the costs to the community of treating a vaccine-preventable
disease.
• Annette Braunack-Mayer, University of Adelaide, Paul N
Goldwater, Richard G Power, Paul H Henning, Mike S Gold, Terence
G Donald, Jon N Jureidini and Christine F Finlay.
The Medical Journal of Australia 2003:178:4:175-177
‘Is genetic engineering wrong, per se?’
J.A. Burgess Department of Philosophy, University of Wollongong,
& Adrian Walsh Department of Philosophy, University of New
England,
The Journal of Value Inquiry 32 (3): 393-406, September
1998.
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‘Ethics dilemmas faced by senior public sector
managers: towards an explanatory model’
Ongoing research at Queensland University of Technology, Faculty
of Education
The study sought the views of six senior public servants no longer
working within the public sector about ethical dilemmas that they
had encountered. A key outcome of the study was the development
of a model which conceptualises the complex forces at play as
leaders resolve such dilemmas. The project considered four approaches:
consequentialism, non-consequentialism, virtue ethics and institutional
ethics. The research group then moved onto defining a public sector
ethical decision-making model, consisting of five main parts.
First is the critical incident that triggers the ethical dilemma.
Second are the forces that illuminate the critical incident from
its own particular viewpoint. Third component is the decision-maker,
the fourth is the choice itself and finally the implications the
chosen action is likely to create for the individual and the community.
The research will apply this framework to other fields, different
levels of public servants and identifying different types of ethical
dilemmas.
• Dr Neil Cranston, Dr Lisa Ehrich, Dr Megan Kimber, Queensland
University of Technology. Contact participants or the coordinator
for a copy of the paper.
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Western Australian Managers Tell Their Stories: Ethical
Challenges in International Business Operations
Investigates the ethical challenges facing managers in Western
Australia in international business. These issues fell broadly
under product quality, altering invoices, bribery and corruption,
trade blocks, information and product rights, theft, cognitive
dissonance, violation, and racism. The research shows a degree
of congruence between managers' experiences. It also establishes
the main ethical dilemmas encountered, how the managers reacted
and the actions taken .
• Margaret McNeil, Management and Marketing Consultants,
Fernleigh NSW
• Kerry Pedigo, Notre Dame University
Journal of Business Ethics 2001:30:4:305-317
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The psychology of morality
The abstract of a paper by Drs Miles Bore& Don Munro, and
Assoc Profs Ian Kerridge & David Powis of Sydney, Newcastle
and Suva universities, currently being finalised for publication,
that examines the results of empirical research on the values
of 12,500 participants regarding their individual v’s social
group commitments. Concludes with “a single simple observation
appears to underlie the findings and the psychology of morality:
we have evolved as individuals in groups”
For abstract only contact the
coordinator
‘Honesty in negotiation’
In 1968 Albert Carr wrote an article in the Harvard Business
Review ‘ Is business bluffing ethical?’, an article
that raised a difficult ethical issue and stirred several writers
into examining Carr’s concerns. Chris Provis of the University
of South Australia analyses the differing viewpoints, concluding
that insistence on open exposure is too strong a requirement;
that if we are to avoid deception, a middle course is needed –
a course of indirect communication that declines direct response
but hints that we will open up if the other shows a willingness.
It is a creative process, without specific rules, for fulfilling
the ethical requirements placed on us,
Chris Provis, University of South Australia. Business Ethics:
A European Review, Vol. 9/1 Jan 2000
‘Why we need a Practical Ethics of Team work’
This article challenges the belief that teamwork is a natural
form of work organisation that satisfies universal human needs
such as social affiliation and self actualisation
The paper uses an approach inspired by Michael Foucault’s
concept of Care of Self, the paper proposes a practical ethics
of teamwork that allows us to appreciate its moral ambiguities.
Graham Sewell, Department of Management, University of Melbourne
International Journal of Human Resource Management. Forthcoming.
'Adjusting the focus: levels of influence and ethical decision-making
in journalism’
Any serious analysis of journalism ethics needs to take into
account the corporate context in which journalists operate, and
under which most ethical decisions are made. This paper argues
that one promising path to deeper understanding of this context
lies with the notion of levels of influence. Using this notion,
the paper suggests a number of ways in which newsrooms can be
managed so as to develop and foster ethical awareness and sensitivity
on the part of those who work in them. The paper also suggests
a number of potential avenues of influence for inducing those
who control newsrooms to facilitate such development, as well
as measures for equipping individual journalists to perform an
appropriate part in the process.
Ian Richards, Postgraduate Journalism Program .University of South
Australia
Australian Journalism Review 24 (2) 9-20 (2002)
‘The Body Shop wind farm––an analysis of accountability
and ethics’
Environmental accounting is a developing discipline faced with
a number of teething
problems. Adding to these are a range of ethical dilemmas, illustrated
by The Body Shop’s decision to invest in a wind farm. As
competition increases
in the electricity generating industry, environmental accountants
have to address
conventional commercial considerations, problems relating to the
ecosphere, as well
as associated ethical issues. The paper analyses the issues from
an ecological, social, and ethical dimension. The ethical analysis
can be approached from the perspective of Pareto optimality, utilitarianism,
Rawlsian analysis or a mixture of all, and the again from a Kantian
viewpoint
Roger L. Burritt And Glen Lehman,..ANU & University of South
Australia
British Accounting Review, Vol.27,No.3, 1995
Contact The Coordinator
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