Ethics in accounting and ethical education have seen an increase in interest in the last decade. However, despite the renewed interest some important shortcomings persist. Generally, rules, principles, values and virtues are presented in a fragmented fashion. In addition, only a few authors consider the role of the accountants character in presenting relevant and truthful information in financial reporting and the importance of practical reasoning in accounting. This article holds that rules, values and virtues are interconnected. This provides a sound (...) approach to ethics in accounting, in which character and practical reasoning are crucial. Consequently, ethical education in accounting has to simultaneously include the knowledge of proper rules and principles and their correct application; values (understood as moral goods) and virtues, whose acquisition, in the view of the author, should be encouraged. (shrink)

Abstract:This article argues that the important organizational values to study are organizational moral values. It identifies five moral values (honest communication, respect for property, respect for life, respect for religion, and justice), which allow parallel constructs at individual and organizational levels of analysis. It also identifies dimensions used in differentiating organizations’ moral values. These are the act, actor, person affected, intention, and expected result. Finally, the article addresses measurement issues associated with organizational moral values, proposing that content analysis is the (...) appropriate measurement technique to be used for an organization-level conception of moral values. (shrink)

This study re-examined the impact of personal and organizational values congruency on positive work outcomes and investigated the extent to which this relationship is affected by demographic variables. Data collection paralleled an earlier study (Posner and Schmidt, Journal of Business Ethics 12,1993, 341) and validated those findings, lending additional credibility to the continuing importance of this phenomenon. Both personal values congruence and organizational values clarity were significantly related to commitment, satisfaction, motivation, anxiety, work stress, and ethics using a cross-sectional sample (...) of 711 managen from across the United States. Gender, educational level, and functional area did not impact these relationships, although years of experience (expressed by age, managerial experience, and hierarchical level) did make a difference. (shrink)

Today, values hold a prominent place both in business ethics and in organization theory. However, there persists considerable confusion about what these values are and what role they play in these theories and, therefore, how they can be developed both within the individual and within the organization. Therefore, this paper seeks to define a conception of values based on a theory of human action that can provide a basis for an organization theory, and to propose a series of ideas about (...) how personal and organizational values can be fostered. (shrink)

The two most critical issues for business today, according to CEO's Barrett has worked with, are: "How to tap the deepest levels of creativity and the highest levels of productivity of our employees." In a world where competition has become global, successful companies are learning to build competitive advantage through their human capital. In the 21st Century, even that will not be enough. Success will also hinge on whether, in the eyes of the employees and society-at-large, the organization is a (...) trusted member of the community and a good global citizen. Developing a values-driven approach to business is quickly becoming essential for financial success. Who you are and what you stand for are becoming just as important as what you sell. "More than simply a majestic vision, Richard Barrett's book brilliantly describes the ways and means for business leaders to create the compassionate and viable future we urgently need on our beautiful planet." -Godric E.S. Bader, F.R.S.A., Life President, Scott Bader Commonwealth Ltd. "If every corporate executive bought this book and assigned it for in-house management development courses, the world would become a better place." -Hazel Henderson, author, Building a Win-Win World and Creating Alternative Futures "As we approach the new Millennium the world seeks clear thinkers with visionary concepts to help unravel the challenges before us. Richard Barrett's inspiring new book Liberating the Corporate Soul weaves a rich tapestry balancing heart and soul with a practical down-to-earth corporate vision for the future." -Craig and Patricia Neal, Co-Founders, Heartland Institute "Liberating the Corporate Soul presents a convincing rationale for making ethical and socially responsible behavior the best foundation for building and maintaining a high performance, globally successful business." -Robert W. MacGregor, President, Minnesota Center for Corporate Responsibility "Liberating the Corporate Soul gives a powerful set of tools for organizational transformation. I highly recommend it." -Ann Svendsen, Consultant and author of The Stakeholder Strategy: Profiting from Collaborative Business Relationships "Practical advice to tap the source of creativity and innovation which every business seeks." -Ron Nahser, President and CEO of The Nahser Agency/Advertising, Chicago "The bold, practical blueprint we need for moving business to the next evolutionary level. Sweeping, brilliant a sense of the grandeur of the new paradigm of business." -Martin Rutte, President Livelihood, co-author Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work "Liberating the Corporate Soul is a must read for leaders who want to shape a government built on values, innovation, and greater efficiency." -Jody Zall Kusek, Director of Strategic Planning and Performance Management, U.S. Department of the Interior "Liberating the Corporate Soul achieves the impossible: it integrates the intangibles of ethics, vision, and consciousness into a tangible measurement system." -Marcello Palazzi, Bsc, Msc, MBA, Co-Founder and Chair, Progressio Foundation, The Netherlands "Liberating the Corporate Soul provides a paradigm shifting look at how business leaders can harness the creative potential of their staff and their organizations. The author concisely develops and explains several tools that will enable managers to create an organizational foundation that will foster alignment, accountability and strategic focus." -Tad McKeon, MBA, CPA, CQM, 1997 Senior Examiner, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, co-author, Transforming Home Care: Quality, Cost and Data Management "This book has captured the true challenge of business today: nurturing values-based organizations to which employees and other stakeholders commit. It is also an excellent guide to achieving this goal which is proving to be the most important success factor of our times." -Margareta Barchan, CEO and President, CELEMI, Sweden "This book breaks new ground in helping business leaders take responsibility for the whole. It encourages us to build a better world through business." -George E. McCown, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, McCown, De Leeuw & Co., Chairman, World Business Academy "If you want to install in your company a climate of trust, harmony, creativity and vision... If you accept to be honest about your own values and ethics... Jump on this book, it is one of the best I know, linking a new vision with concrete and effective tools helping you to revitalize and reenchant your enterprise." -Marc Luyckx, Forward Studies Unit European Commission, Brussels · This book is a process blueprint for building a visionary organization with a values-driven approach · Based on tested models and tools developed internationally on how work, values and leadership will change in the 21st century · Originated from work within the World Bank where the author was Values Coordinator and Founder of the World Bank Spiritual Unfoldment Society and a member of the Institutional Change and strategy Dept. at the World Bank. (shrink)