The Institute’s research projects in Organizational Ethics range from the development of foundational theories of business and organizational ethics, to practical applications of ethical principles in real-world organizational settings. We also have a long-standing expertise in assessing the level of ethical commitment within organizations, and we are constantly honing these tools to benefit from recent advances in the theory of business ethics. Among the more foundational topics, we are interested in the extent to which a realistic theory of business ethics can be developed out of our current understandings of governance, corporate law, and the economic theory of the firm. On the more practical side, we are working on specific issues, like conflict-of-interest, and on the general challenge of reconciling (or navigating among) several competing ethical discourses in business – from traditional languages of ethics and governance, to the newer emerging vocabularies of corporate citizenship, corporate social responsibility or sustainability.

See Wayne Norman’s recent work on the ethical challenges inherent in rewarding businesses for good corporate behavior: Recognizing Business Ethics.