ECONOMICS AND ETHICS

BUSINESS ETHICs: A QUESTION OF MORALITY

Since Hans Küng initiated the Global Ethic project in 1990, he concerned himself with the problem of economics and ethics – more precisely, ethically responsible business as a prerequisite for sustainable prosperity, global justice and social peace. The question of a global business ethic, that is – the necessity for responsible thinking and acting on the part of the business community worldwide, has therefore been at the core of the Global Ethic Foundation from the very beginning. The scientific basis for this is Hans Küng’s reflections in “Global Ethic for World Politics and the World Economy” (1997) and “Decent Business. Why Economics Needs Morality” (2010) as well as the “Manifesto: Global Business Ethic.” The latter having been created in 2010 under the auspices of the Global Ethic Foundation.

Das Bild zeigt die Vorderseite eines Buches mit der Aufschrift „Hans Küng, Weltethos für Weltpolitik und Weltwirtschaft“ des Piper Verlags.

Since Hans Küng initiated the Global Ethic project in 1990, he concerned himself with the problem of economics and ethics – more precisely, ethically responsible business as a prerequisite for sustainable prosperity, global justice and social peace. The question of a global business ethic, that is – the necessity for responsible thinking and acting on the part of the business community worldwide, has therefore been at the core of the Global Ethic Foundation from the very beginning. The scientific basis for this is Hans Küng’s reflections in “A Global Ethic for Global Politics and Economics” (1997) and “Decent Business. Why Economics Needs Morality” (2010, only available in german) as well as the “Manifesto: Global Business Ethic.” The latter having been created in 2010 under the auspices of the Global Ethic Foundation.

In was in this context that initial considerations arose to institutionally anchor work on this topic and develop it further from a practical standpoint. The original ideas were endorsed and concretized on the initiative of the entrepreneur Karl Schlecht. This led to the Global Ethic Institute finally being founded in 2011 as an institute affiliated to the University of Tübingen. The Global Ethic Institute was opened in 2012. It is supported by the Global Ethic Foundation and funded by the Karl Schlecht Foundation.
Das Bild zeigt mehrere Menschen mit Namensschildern an einem Tisch mit Papieren ins Gespräch vertieft beim Humanistic Management Network am Weltethos-Institut.
Das Bild zeigt den Gründungsdirektor des Weltethos Insitut Prof. Claus Dierksmeier und seinen Nachfolger Prof. Ulrich Hemel, die sich lachend die Hand schütteln.

With a broad-based portfolio of activities, the focus of the Global Ethic Institute’s work is on research, teaching and practical transfer for business and society. The founding director was Prof. Dr. Claus Dierksmeier and it is currently headed by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hemel. The work of the institute is accompanied by an advisory board with representatives from the Global Ethic Foundation, the University of Tübingen and the Karl Schlecht Foundation.

Website of the Global Ethic Institute