Contemporary Consumer & Business Ethics
Milan 3-6 May, 2010
Dr Neil Connon
Contemporary Consumer & Business Ethics
Milan 3-6 May, 2010
Dr Neil Connon
How is ethics likely to develop in the future?
Session 5
Thursday 09.00 – 11.00
Lecture outline Consumers
Business
Government
Media
Pressure groups
Conclusions
Consumers More emphasis on education
Greater knowledge through wider access to media
Pressure from referent others
...more ethical?
Business Increasing pressure is being out on business to be (seen to be) ethical
Globalisation continues to have a major impact on these pressures internationally
Developing countries will struggle to balance the profit motive with more ethical practices
Government A green agenda is central to modern politics
A new US administration will have this as a far higher agenda that in the past and this will have an impact on the world stage and cause conflict
Politicians themselves will come under increasing scrutiny and be required to act more ethically
Media Will continue to reflect the needs/wants of its readers
Will pursue newsworthy business practices that are deemed unethical
Will name and shame organisations in pursuit of the truth (and profit!)
Consumer Organisations/ Pressure Group Will put pressure on all the other actors for change
May find their membership/donations enhanced given the increase in information and education on ethical issues
May find they wield increasing amounts of power as the issues they represent become more reflective of the changing political beliefs of the day
Conclusions
There is a clear link between the ‘actors’ – it is difficult to think of them in isolation when looking at a particular case study
In the pursuit of their own interests many of the ‘actors’ may be come more ethical
Different issues will develop at different speeds – therefore need to be looked at individually
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