In the economical changing and political disturbing times we are living a question concerns us all: Is this the society I want to live in? What are the opportunities I have to pursue in my socio-cultural environment? Which echoes the ancient Greek ethical questions: What is the best city to live in? What do I want to do with my live?In this book the author goes back to the primary reality of our lives: human action. From the analysis of the anthropological elements of human action -culture, society, individual action- the book will help the reader to understand the construction of our economic reality and how to approach the perennial ethical question: How can I develop excellence in my life?

Praxiology deals with working and doing from the point of view of effectiveness. It has three components: analysis of concepts involving purposive actions; critique of modes of action from the viewpoint of efficiency; and normative advisory aspects in recommendations for increasing human efficiency. This fifth volume of the Praxiology series is devoted to Human Action in Business: Praxiological and Ethical Dimensions. The adjective praxiological here means not only related to praxiology as human theory, but also assessed against the dimensions of effectiveness and efficiency. Adding also the ethical dimension, one defines the universe of the discourse about conduct characteristic of business, the economy, and management. Topics in business and management philosophy and theory are discussed by eminent contributors from different corners of the world: P. Ulrich (Switzerland); M. Bohata (Czech Republic); S. K. Chakreborty (India); J. Donaldson, H.E. Sternberg, and P. Graham (U.K.); H. van Lujik and H. Hummels (The Netherlands); O. Loukola (Finland); Y. Pesqueux and I. Tovey (France); T.A. Mathias (India); W. W. Gasparski, A. Lewicka-Strzalecka and J. Sojka (Poland); M. Tamari (Israel); R. E. Freeman, R. G. Kennedy, S. Natale, J. A. Matel, N. Bowie, D. McCann, L. V. Ryan, P. Werhane, and K. Goodpaster (United States). Selected speeches by Pope John Paul II addressed to managers, businessmen, and general audiences involved in the economy are also included in this volume. In Volume 5, invited specialists examine the praxiological and ethical aspects of human action under the rubric of the "Triple E": Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Ethics. The volume opens with contributions reflecting on the praxiological and ethical foundations for business followed by sections discussing human action from the perspectives of religious beliefs and cultural diversity. Another section illustrates the application of these principles to business. The concluding chapters examine praxiology and ethics as the moral agenda for professional education. The volume is a must read for economists, businesspeople, social scientists, and policymakers.

In Ethics and Economic Progress, Nobel Prize-winning economist James M. Buchanan argues that ethical or moral constraints on human behavior exert important economic effects. He considers the question, Why are we better off by our own reckoning, when we work harder, save more, and deal honestly in markets and in politics? This nontechnical book opens up the entire economics-ethics nexus for examination. Part 1 examines behaviors and standards that can be subsumed under the term "Puritan ethics." The work ethic and the saving ethic may not be fashionable today, but Buchanan asserts that many modern attitudes and habits relate to the decline in productivity growth in the economy. If we acknowledge that moral values are important to our economic well-being, it follows that we must all "pay the preacher, " on strictly economic grounds. Part II extends the argument, examining the implications for ethical norms that describe the behavior of taxpayers or public program users and the economics of the work ethic as it applies to nonlabor resources. The last chapter, perhaps the most controversial, suggests that Adam Smith's distinction between productive and nonproductive labor, which has been almost universally dismissed by economists, may indeed have economic relevance. Chapters 1, 2, and 3 were presented in 1991 as the first lectures in the W R. Howell, Sr., Second Century Lecture Series at the University of Oklahoma.

The book is reclaiming economics as a moral science. It argues that ethics is a relevant and inseparable aspect of all levels of economic activity, from individual and organizational to societal and global. Taking ethical considerations into account is needed in explaining and predicting the behavior of economic agents as well as in evaluating and designing economic policies and mechanisms. The unique feature of the book is that it not only analyzes ethics and economics on an abstract level, but puts behavioral, institutional and systemic issues together for a robust and human view of economic functioning. It sees economic “facts” as interwoven with human intentionality and ethical content, a domain where utility calculations and moral considerations co-determine the behavior of economic agents and the outcomes of their activities. The book employs the personalist approach that sees human persons – endowed with free will and conscience – as the basic agents of economic life and defines human flourishing as the final end of economic activities. The book demonstrates that economics can gain a lot in meaning and also in analytical power by reuniting itself with ethics.

Economics and ethics are both valuable tools for analyzing the behavior and actions of human beings and institutions. Adam Smith, the father of modern economics, considered them two sides of the same coin, but since economics was formalized and mathematicised in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the fields have largely followed separate paths. The Oxford Handbook of Ethics and Economics provides a timely and thorough survey of the various ways ethics can, does, and should inform economic theory and practice. The first part of the book, Foundations, explores how the most prominent schools of moral philosophy relate to economics; asks how morals relevant to economic behavior may have evolved; and explains how various approaches to economics incorporate ethics into their work. The second part, Applications, looks at the ethics of commerce, finance, and markets; uncovers the moral dilemmas involved with making decisions regarding social welfare, risk, and harm to others; and explores how ethics is relevant to major topics within economics, such as health care and the environment. With esteemed contributors from economics and philosophy, The Oxford Handbook of Ethics and Economics is a resource for scholars in both disciplines and those in related fields. It highlights the close relationship between ethics and economics in the past while and lays a foundation for further integration going forward.