Institute for Business and Professional Ethics Mission Statement and Research
Founded in 1985, the Institute for Business & Professional Ethics (IBPE) was established as a joint effort of the Colleges of Liberal Arts & Sciences, and Commerce at DePaul University. The purpose of the IBPE is to encourage ethical deliberation in decision-makers by stirring the moral conscience, encouraging moral imagination, and developing models for moral decision-making. As part of that purpose, one of our objectives is to provide a forum for exploring and furthering ethical practices in business organizations in the Chicago area and at DePaul with programs for our students, faculty, and the business community.
Recent Book Publications
1. The Global Corporation. Sustainable, Effective and Ethical Practices: A Case Book. Ed. by Laura Hartman and Patricia Werhane
This text brings together case studies focusing on specific instances of corporate best practices. All too often, we showcase cases based on questionable or unethical corporate behavior. Instead, the editors bring together in this book examples of how some firms got it right. Certainly, there is no claim that the companies in these case are perfect; some of them may have histories that include questionable practices. But, these are companies that work to foster trust, both internally and in their relationships with customers, suppliers, shareholders, and the communities in which they operate.
The book is not, however, merely a descriptive iteration of effective corporate conduct. The editors conclude with an analysis of frameworks for corporate and managerial ethical decision-making - frameworks that help to establish models for best practices. These frameworks then can be generalized and applied to other corporate situations, and replicated by other companies in their search for excellence and the resulting avoidance of misconduct.
2. Alleviating Poverty through Profitable Partnerships: Globalization, Markets and Economic Well-Being Patricia Werhane, Scott Kelley, Laura P. Hartman and Dennis Moberg
In this book, the authors approach poverty alleviation from an atypical perspective. The evidence they present demonstrates that a mind set embracing initiatives developed by global corporations in response to the poverty challenge is significantly more effective that traditional approaches to the alleviation of poverty. Developing partnership with today-s global corporations is a gigantic first step towards eradicating poverty as we know it.
3. Business Ethics A Managerial Approach Andrew Wicks, R. Edward Freeman, Patricia Werhane, Kirsten Martin
What distinguishes this text from other business ethics books is that it works from a managerial point of view, it provides content in addition to cases, and it approaches the topic from the realm of business. This book is not written for philosophers who want to grapple with abstract ideas for their own intellectual curiosity, but rather, it is for future managers who will face tough practical decisions and need the tools to make such decisions.
4. Cutting-edge Issues in Business Ethics, Eds., Mollie Painter-Morland and Patricia Werhane
5.Women in Business Eds., Patricia Werhane, Margaret Posig, Lisa Gundry, Laurel Ofstein and Elizabeth Powell.