Do Managerial Economics Textbooks Cover Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility?

The topic of ethics has increased in importance in the business school curriculum in recent years. Addressing topics related to ethics is required for accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB, 2008: 11). Highly publicised ethical scandals at corporations such as Enron, Arthur Anderson, and Tyco International, along with public alarm in response to accounts of environmental degradation, child labour abuses, and financial inequities, have heightened awareness of ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in all business contexts. Although many colleges and universities have stand-alone graduate and undergraduate level business ethics and CSR courses, business and economics faculty are increasingly encouraged to address topics of ethics and CSR in courses throughout the business curriculum (Baetz and Sharp, 2004; Bracken and Urbancic, 1999; Hoaas and Wilcox, 1995.) For professors faced with this challenge, it is helpful if course textbooks cover these topics.This review addresses whether current managerial economics textbooks include discussion of ethics and CSR. Integrating business ethics and CSR into managerial economics courses is important for several reasons.The relationship between economics and ethics i