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Business Ethics and Internal Social Criticism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2015

Scott Sonenshein
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Abstract:

The purpose of this paper is to present an understanding of business ethics based on a theory of internal social criticism. Internal social criticism focuses on how members of a business organization debate the meanings of their shared traditions for the purpose of locating and correcting hypocrisy. Organizations have thick moral cultures that allow them to be self-governing moral communities. By considering organizations as interpretive moral communities, I challenge the conventional notion that moral criticism is based primarily on exogenous moral principles delivered by outside critics. I describe an interpretive process of business ethics and develop a theoretical model of internal social criticism. I also propose that organizational identification serves as a mechanism for inducing ethical behavior. I conclude by calling for more research that understands the development and use of existing moral principles inside of organizations.

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Business Ethics Quarterly , Volume 15 , Issue 3 , July 2005 , pp. 475 - 498
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Copyright © Society for Business Ethics 2005

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