Ethical issues in organizational practices: individuals, organizations and partnerships

This thesis examines issues regarding ethics in organizational practices. It explores ethics-related inquiries from the influences of an individual’s moral character and conduct, to an organization’s pursuit of a higher value system, and to organizations’ social and ethical practices in the broader context of cross-sector collaborations. The thesis comprises four research papers, with topics ranging from ethics and value-based motivations, issues surrounding ethical governance, to the evolving process of organizational value systems. It asks specific questions such as what are the motivating factors that drive ethical practice, how to effectively govern organizational conduct, and how organizations across spheres can best mobilize their efforts in aligning with evolving social and ethical values. In examining current practices as well as their implied philosophies, the thesis seeks to contribute to the field of business ethics, both in its theoretical engagement with the theory of ‘virtue ethics’, and by gaining insight into the various factors that help foster individuals’ as well as organizations’ ethical and moral development. Overall, the thesis highlights the need for a greater ethical dimension in organizational practices, whether it is individually oriented commitment, or an organization’s collective goals of value creation, both in the mix of motivations that drive ethical practice and in developing ethics-based governance mechanisms, towards an overarching pursuit of a higher value system with greater moral and ethical aspirations