Business Ethics

“The machine as an object of adoration is the modern form of Satan, and its worship is modern diabolism..…Whatever else may be mechanical, values are not, and this is something which no political philosopher must forget.” The well-known British philosopher Bertrand Russell protested against the widely held folly of the modern man in his work, ‘Impact of Science on Society’. The modern man lives with an idea of having gained supremacy over the environment. It is man’s folly that is made evident when this feeling of mastery over the environment makes him tread on a path that only results in misery and suffering. He lives in ignorance - isolated, confused and lost. The feeling of desolation and loneliness makes him inert and literally kills him. Man’s solace, then, is found only in himself, the path to liberation beginning within him. The search for the key to human progress and liberation is to be found in the eternal values that lay deep-rooted in man himself. Man needs to learn to unfold the goodness and divinity that is already within him. This leads us to a philosophy that is spiritualistic and unveils certain eternal values to mankind. These values emerge from the depths of the human spirit as man evolves. These values cannot be found in the physical environment or taught by the sciences. It is essential for man to realize his own spirit that is in consonance with the cosmic Spirit. The need to blend science and spirituality leads us to understand that natural resources and human resources are distinct from each other. Man has to be respected for his uniqueness and his holism. No industry can survive or progress without grasping this truth. It is the need to begin a process of soul-searching that takes us back to our roots. This volume is an attempt to show that Indian philosophy of life gives a holistic framework for a work ethic on the part of the employee and a value-system for a systemic organization culture for the employer. The chapters discuss the basic tenets of Indian philosophy that are relevant and related to the concept of management. The ethics of corporate entities can be traced back to the cultural foundation of India, and their foundations to the ethical principles enshrined in our scriptures and philosophical systems. Against this background, this volume seems to reflect on the idea that management ethics seems to be more like Indian philosophy in practice. The pragmatism of Indian philosophical tenets and teachings needs no justification. It has been observed that individuals with a deep-rooted grounding in our cultural and philosophical ethos live with a holistic approach to life and work. The spiritual orientation in every individual leads him naturally to the teleological moorings in the culture – be it with the purpose of evolving a work culture or creating his own weltanschaung. About the Author Dr. (Mrs.) Geetha Mohan , currently, the Principal of Usha Pravin Gandhi College of Management wears so many caps with her own typical flair and elan, that it is difficult to detail them all. All one can do is to mention some of them, and hope the reader will get a fairly good picture of the person she is. When the Indian Solidarity Council, New Delhi had presented Dr. Geetha with the ‘Bharat Vidya Shiromani Award’ and a ‘Certificate of Excellence’ for her outstanding achievements and remarkable role in the field of Education, on the 9th of June, 2011, it was agreed that it had been conferred on an extremely worthy individual. A post graduate in philosophy from the University of Mumbai, Dr. Geetha did her Ph.D. in Philosophy and her research was titled ‘Miracle Touch of Holistic Culture in Indian Industry’-a thesis which establishes the relevance of ancient Indian thought in a contemporary, industrialized and corporate world. She then went on to finish, successfully, and with a first class, the two-year Post-graduate Diploma in Business Administration, with a specialisation in Human Resources, effectively juggling a career as the Head of an institution, studies and assignments, home-work and house-work!

This book is much more than a text on Indian Ethos and Management, a subject prescribed for courses in Management studies. It highlights the lessons that Indian tradition has for managers of the present and the future. Shorn of all mysticism, the book explains the message that thinkers of all...