Goals of this chapter

After studying this chapter you will be able to:

• understand what is meant by the term ‘culture’ in the context of business ethics;

• identify the limitations of some approaches to developing an ‘ethical organizational culture’;

• understand the notion of ‘freedom’ in Foucault's thought;

• analyse how ‘culture’ played a role in the Enron case.

Introduction

This chapter explores ‘culture’ in relation to ethics in business. What might this mean? Box 3.1 presents an extract from a corporate values statement, which distils the core cultural values of Nnore, a major corporation. The statement is typical in emphasizing openness, honesty, and sincerity and in aspiring to excellence in everything that Nnore does. The values statement is affirmed and elaborated in the company's sixty-four-page code of ethics.