In this book, we present issues related to professional and business ethics . This is achieved through discussions of real-world cases and through discussions of relevant narrative films. There are three main reasons for this approach: philosophical (ethics), artistic (creativity), and pragmatic (business). The reasons are outlined in the following paragraphs.
It is unquestionable that humanity faces numerous societal challenges (overpopulation, inequality in wealth distribution, globalization, technological developments, political upheavals, and wars), and numerous environmental problems (climate change , pollution, replenishment of natural resources). While ethical conduct, in general, was always valued, the importance of ethical considerations in professional and business settings in current times is especially pronounced due to the far-reaching consequences resulting from globalization and from connectivity based on technological advances. Faced with uncertain future, it is mandatory to consider ethical issues and to strive toward just, fair, and more ethical relationships, including personal, societal, and professional relations. The fast rate of technological change has a profound impact on the job structure, creating new ways of conducting business and new ways of social interactions. The unstoppable march of technology is a double edge sword, creating new jobs, but also discarding many current jobs as obsolete in the future, and using industrial robots or intelligent machines (Fingar 2015).
This book considers ethical issues arising in professional and in business settings, and the role of individuals making decisions and coping with moral dilemmas. The companies today cannot look only at the bottom line profitāthe sustainability, environmental protection, and social implications, have to be taken into account. Some companies qualify for the title āB Corporationā (the benefit corporation ) with a mission statement including a pledge for improving our habitat. Businesses today need to consider the problems facing various stakeholders and society as a whole, including depleted natural resources, increased gap in wealth distribution, unprecedented development of technology, current and anticipated drastic changes in the job structure, and changes in the nature of humanity.
While companies proclaim ethical codes of conduct and there are many companies qualified as benefit corporations, there are still numerous examples of blatant unethical behavior including financial machinations and accounting fraud , greediness, violations of human rights, harassment, and various forms of discriminations. This is the reason for mandating a prominent role of ethics in our professional and business education. Ideally, the education of future professionals and business people should balance professional skills development with nourishment of virtues and ethics, resulting with better preparation for uncertain future careers and with better equipment for a meaningful, fulfilling professional life. Hence, the goal of this book is to contribute to the ethical education, including the development of moral virtues and skills, and social and environmental responsibility, in a new generation of business students.
In our time, the narrative film seems to be the most prevalent artistic and entertainment form. While there are people that never went to an opera, or a ballet show, or visited a gallery, it is hardly conceivable to imagine someone never seeing a movie. Film is the newcomer among the art forms, called the Seventh Art form, in addition to architecture, dance, music, painting, poetry, and sculpture.1
Narratives presented in films allow spectators to evaluate behavior in simulated environment. Even if I am not in a situation as presented in a film, I can imagine myself in a given position and can think about my possible response. My experience can be enriched by envisioning myself as a professional, or as a CEO of a company, or as any business person with power and responsibilities. Such virtual experience can help in getting to know myself better and in evaluating my moral convictions. In fact, inclusion of simulated environment as part of educational training is a pragmatic approach toward preparation for challenging jobs. This is certainly used when educating pilots and astronauts, before sending them into space. In engineering and in architectural design students engage in modeling to get needed experience for tackling real projects. Similarly, business students preparing for managerial careers bringing various ethical challenges related to business practices, leadership, entrepreneurship, teamwork, and bringing various personal challenges in juggling professional and private lives, can benefit from engagement in filmic narratives. There are a number of books on teaching business ethics supported by case studies, usually in multiple editions, for example, Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases (Ferrell et al. 2015), Business Ethics (Shaw 2014), or Business & Professional Ethics for Directors, Executives & Accountants (Brooks and Dunn 2014). The present book also discusses relevant real business cases, however, the main approach is to engage in discussions on relevant narrative films presenting either fictional or biographical stories. This approach is taken in order to enrich studentās experience through visual and dramatic elements, exploring fictional scenarios or dramatically enhanced real cases. We live in a world saturated with images, often faced with virtual environments, hence using narrative film for engaging in ethical questions seems a worthwhile approach.
With respect to the challenge of using filmic art in provoking empathy, our goal is to provoke discussions on ethically challenging films: do they contribute to personal development and to changed perspective toward oneās personal fulfillment and well-being? Aristotleās analysis of pity, fear, and catharsis as related to tragic spectacles, can be adapted to our contemporary experience of film and the feeling of empathy while identifying with the character on the screen. According to Aristotle, a good tragic spectacle (as a form of art) induces emotions of pity and fear that lead to catharsis or purification of such emotions, contributing to oneās virtuous development. Since virtues āā¦arise in us neither by nature nor contrary to nature; but our nature can receive them and perfect them by habituation,ā2 it is important to develop proper habits regarding virtuous dispositions. Aristotleās analysis suggests that such habits could be obtained via emotional outlets when watching tragic spectacles. Adapted to our contemporary situation, we can ask whether identification with a filmic character can contribute to oneās virtuous development.
Another reason for engagement with narrative film is the possible benefit from its artistic value. Of course, documentary films can serve as excellent source for enriching discussions regarding real business situations. For example, Inside Job (Charles H. Ferguson , 2010) is a documentary presenting Wall Street corruption leading to the economic crisis of 2008, and it received the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. A narrative film based on real characters involved in 2008 financial crisis and on the book The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine (Lewis 2015) is The Big Short (Adam McKay , 2015). The film was nominated for multiple Academy Awards, winning the Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. While both films are very effective, and while the documentary uses various cinematic elements (to be discussed in a subsequent chapter), the narrative film allows for a bigger repertoire of cinematic elements and presents characters as...