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Rating: 
Summary: A classic in business ethics
Review: "Ties That Bind" is must reading for anyone interested in business ethics. It addresses one of today's most pressing questions: how do we define the ethical in a world with many different cultures, value systems, and beliefs? Donaldson and Dunfee, two Wharton School professors, avoid the pitfalls of ethical relativism by identifying shared values, or "hypernorms," which they incorporate into a broader framework that also respects cultural differences. This book is the most ambitious, thoughtful effort to date on this pressing subject. I've taught business ethics to MBA students at a number of top business schools around the world, and have consulted with executives at many Fortune 500 companies. Both students and executives find Donaldson and Dunfee's social contract approach to be the best model for ethical decision-making in international business contexts. The book will be extremely useful and interesting to thoughtful scholars, executives, and students. It is already becoming a classic in the field of business ethics.
Rating:
Summary: A classic in business ethics
Review: "Ties That Bind" is must reading for anyone interested in business ethics. It addresses one of today's most pressing questions: how do we define the ethical in a world with many different cultures, value systems, and beliefs? Donaldson and Dunfee, two Wharton School professors, avoid the pitfalls of ethical relativism by identifying shared values, or "hypernorms," which they incorporate into a broader framework that also respects cultural differences. This book is the most ambitious, thoughtful effort to date on this pressing subject. I've taught business ethics to MBA students at a number of top business schools around the world, and have consulted with executives at many Fortune 500 companies. Both students and executives find Donaldson and Dunfee's social contract approach to be the best model for ethical decision-making in international business contexts. The book will be extremely useful and interesting to thoughtful scholars, executives, and students. It is already becoming a classic in the field of business ethics.
Rating: 
Summary: Shared ethics in a globalized world
Review: By whose standards should business be judged? Do corporations have any obligation to protect the human rights of those affected by their decisions? Large global companies increasingly find themselves facing ethical dilemmas in their dealings across multiple cultures while in the spotlight of the media and under the scrutiny of a wide variety of interest groups.The two authors are distinguished professors in law and ethics. The resulting book is a detailed, even ponderous study of the philosophical and ethical considerations that need to inform decision making in these circumstances. The results are intended for practical application and are illustrated by a variety of case studies, but the argument is presented in formidably academic terms and is not easy to read. The core of the model is a hierarchy in which there are: • 'hypernorms' or universals that must be observed whatever the culture; • norms or precepts that, although not universals, are consistent between all significant interests or stakeholders who may be affected by a decision; and • 'moral free space' - factors which are not in conflict with any of the higher norms and where, after consideration of the various interests and stakeholders, decisions may vary according to company philosophy, culture of the host country and so on.
Rating:
Summary: Review of Ties That Bind
Review: Tom Donaldson and Tom Dunfee are two of the leading business ethicists in the world. Both at the Wharton School of Business, Donaldson and Dunfee have developed a unique normative framework for assessing moral issues in business. They borrow from two kinds of contracts: the social contract tradition articulated by philophsers such as Hobbes, Rousseau, and Rawls and extant social contracts, which are the real contracts developed by institutions in real communities. Donaldson and Dunfee wish to respect the particularity of individual cultures and therefore accord significant moral weight to extant local norms. If those norms allow for individuals to consent to the norms, they are authentic. They are not morally obligatory, however, unless they also pass a second test. This second test requires that the local norms not conflict with "hypernorms" which are cross-culturally demonstrated moral principles that accord with formal philosophy. If norms pass this test as well, then they are also legitimate. Donaldson and Dunfee develop a comprehensive set of criteria to determine whether or not a hypernorm exists and they also make numerous applications of their theory to actual business issues. In doing so, they also create "rules of thumb" or priority rules, to assist in determining what norms should apply when. The book also contains a very interesting discussion on the morality of bribery. Donaldson and Dunfee argue that bribery typically violates local norms as well as hypernorms. This case stands as an interesting test of their theory. This is one of the best books on business ethics available. For those inclined toward the persuasiveness of the social contract tradition, this is a must-read book. Even for those who are skeptical about that tradition, as am I, this book is an illuminating, challenging, and accessible book. Tim Fort Bank One Corporation Assistant Professor of Business Administration University of Michigan Business School Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Rating:
Summary: Review of Ties That Bind
Review: Tom Donaldson and Tom Dunfee are two of the leading business ethicists in the world. Both at the Wharton School of Business, Donaldson and Dunfee have developed a unique normative framework for assessing moral issues in business. They borrow from two kinds of contracts: the social contract tradition articulated by philophsers such as Hobbes, Rousseau, and Rawls and extant social contracts, which are the real contracts developed by institutions in real communities. Donaldson and Dunfee wish to respect the particularity of individual cultures and therefore accord significant moral weight to extant local norms. If those norms allow for individuals to consent to the norms, they are authentic. They are not morally obligatory, however, unless they also pass a second test. This second test requires that the local norms not conflict with "hypernorms" which are cross-culturally demonstrated moral principles that accord with formal philosophy. If norms pass this test as well, then they are also legitimate. Donaldson and Dunfee develop a comprehensive set of criteria to determine whether or not a hypernorm exists and they also make numerous applications of their theory to actual business issues. In doing so, they also create "rules of thumb" or priority rules, to assist in determining what norms should apply when. The book also contains a very interesting discussion on the morality of bribery. Donaldson and Dunfee argue that bribery typically violates local norms as well as hypernorms. This case stands as an interesting test of their theory. This is one of the best books on business ethics available. For those inclined toward the persuasiveness of the social contract tradition, this is a must-read book. Even for those who are skeptical about that tradition, as am I, this book is an illuminating, challenging, and accessible book. Tim Fort Bank One Corporation Assistant Professor of Business Administration University of Michigan Business School Ann Arbor, MI 48109
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