Call for papers: Journal of Business Ethics

The Encyclical-Letter Caritas in veritate: Ethical Challenges for Business

 

The Journal of Business Ethics announces the Call for Papers for a special issue on Business Ethics and the Encyclical-Letter Caritas in veritate.

 

Purpose of this Special Issue

The Encyclical-Letter Caritas in veritate (Love in Truth), published in 2009, is an important document of the social teaching of the Roman Catholic Church addressed not only to Catholics  but also to “all people of good will”. It concerns topics such as globalization and the current economic and cultural crisis, the purpose of business, the meaning of business ethics, the role of technology, problems related to development and poverty, the earth’s state of ecological health,  lack of responsibility toward stakeholders, virtues in managing business, and so forth in light of several principles of the Catholic social tradition such as the centrality of the human person as the subject primarily responsible for development, the common good, solidarity, subsidiarity, and the common destination of goods.

 

The Journal of Business Ethics devoted a special issue (Vo.12, 1993) to the previous social Encyclical-Letter Centesimus annus, published in 1991. Now, in line with this initiative, it seems worthy to promote another special issue on Caritas in veritate through this Call for Papers.

The aim of this Call is to engage the content of this Encyclical and the larger Catholic social tradition with the topics and challenges facing business ethics. Among topics and challenges presented in the Encyclical that are worth mentioning are the following: Problems we have now are not only new in comparison to those 40 years ago, “but also, and above all, of decisive impact upon the present and future good of humanity” (#21). In this line, it calls for innovative ways of thinking. It suggests going into a deeper reflection on the meaning of the economy and its goals (#32), developing “new efforts of holistic understanding and a new humanistic synthesis” (#21), and a profoundly new way of understanding business enterprise (#40), along with “a profound and far-sighted revision of the current model of development” (#32) and “a deeper critical evaluation of the category of relation” (#53).

The Encyclical emphasizes that “the economic sphere is neither ethically neutral, nor inherently inhuman and opposed to society. It is part and parcel of human activity and precisely because it is human, it must be structured and governed in an ethical manner.” (#36) Consequently, “justice must be applied to every phase of economic activity, because this is always concerned with man and his needs” (#37). It is not sufficient to pay attention to the “how” questions, but also the “why” questions underlying human activity (#70).

The Encyclical stresses that the economy needs ethics in order to function correctly, but encourages a foundation of business ethics which is people-centred, and advises that the adjective “ethical” can be abused (# 43). It added that “in commercial relationships the principle of gratuitousness and the logic of gift as an expression of fraternity can and must find their place within normal economic activity” (#36).

The document encourages us to consider different types of businesses, especially those capable of viewing profit as a means for achieving the goal of a more humane market and society. These must also be pursued in those countries that are excluded or marginalized from the influential circles of the global economy (#47).

Specific topics

Specific topics may include, but are not limited to:

 

· Towards a new way of understanding of business and proposals for a new humanistic synthesis.

· The logic of gift, reciprocity and fraternity in business: problems and prospects.

· An understanding of business in relation to the common good.

· Corporate Social Responsibility, Business Ethics and Corporate Sustainability in light of Caritas in veritate, and in dialogue with other approaches.

· Integrating justice in every phase of economic activity.

· Responsibilities of the cosmopolitan manager and business in a global world.

· From Caritas in veritate to business practice.

· Virtue ethics in dialogue with Caritas in veritate. 

· Human rights in business

· Business facing problems of developing and developed countries

· Christian values in business ethics

· Fraternity and globalization

· Foundations of business ethics

 

Guest-editors:

 

Domènec Melé

Professor and Chair of Business Ethics

IESE Business School

University of Navarra

Av. Pearson, 21

08034 Barcelona, Spain

Ph +34 932534200

email: [email protected]

web: www.iese.edu

 

Michael Naughton

Moss Chair in Catholic Social Thought

Director, John A. Ryan Institute for Catholic Social Thought

University of St. Thomas

2115 Summit Ave, 55S

St. Paul, MN 55105, USA

Ph: + 1 651-962-5712

email: [email protected]

 

Submission

• The deadline for submissions is February 1, 2011.
• The special issue is jointly edited by Professor Domènec Melé ([email protected]) and Professor Michael J. Naughton ([email protected]). Please, send the papers to one of them before the deadline.
• The papers should include a cover page with author details, an abstract (about 250 words) and the full paper prepared for a blind review. As a rule of thumb the papers should not exceed 7.500-9.000 words.