Developing a Virtue-Imbued Casuistry for Business Ethics

<p>PREFACE........................................................................................................................... i</p><p>OVERVIEW....................................................................................................................... 9</p><p>PART 1: BUILDING A CASUISTRY FOR BUSINESS.............................................. 11</p><p>– Chapter 1: Features and History –........................................................................... 12</p><p>Characteristics of Case-based Reasoning...................................................................................................... 12</p><p>History of Casuistry........................................................................................................................................... 21</p><p>Ancient Greek Casuistry.............................................................................................................................. 21</p><p>Hebrew Casuistry.......................................................................................................................................... 23</p>Muslim Casuistry.......................................................................................................................................... 26<p><p>Christian Casuistry........................................................................................................................................ 28</p><p>– Chapter 2: Casuistry versus Ethical Pluralism with Applied Principles –............... 34</p><p>Conventional Approach: Ethical Pluralism with Embedded Applied Principles..................................... 34</p><p>Benefits of Applied Principles Approaches.............................................................................................. 35</p><p>Shortcomings of Applied Principles Approaches..................................................................................... 37</p><p>– Chapter 3: Normativity and Analogy in Casuistry –................................................ 40</p><p>Normativity’s Different Locations in Moral Reasoning.............................................................................. 40</p><p>Analogy as Reasoning Process versus Tool for Principle Formation and Validation............................ 42</p><p>– Chapter 4: The Role of Principles in Casuistry –..................................................... 48</p><p>Principles and the Proper End of Ethics.......................................................................................................... 48</p><p>The Place of Principles in Casuistry................................................................................................................ 51</p><p>– Chapter 5: Reflective Equilibrium and Casuistry –.................................................. 54</p><p>Reflective Equilibrium....................................................................................................................................... 54</p><p>Narrow Reflective Equilibrium......................................................................................................................... 55</p><p>Wide Reflective Equilibrium............................................................................................................................. 57</p><p>Reflective Equilibrium and Casuistry’s Similarities and Differences........................................................ 60</p><p>Similarities...................................................................................................................................................... 60</p><p>Differences..................................................................................................................................................... 65</p><p>Weighing the Disparities............................................................................................................................... 73</p><p>– Chapter 6: Criticisms of Casuistry –......................................................................... 75</p><p>Aimless and Lacking Moral Force................................................................................................................... 77</p><p>Unstructured........................................................................................................................................................ 78</p><p>Casuistry’s Logic and Dynamics................................................................................................................ 79</p><p>Conventional and Insular................................................................................................................................. 81</p><p>Arbitrary Taxonomies and Paradigmatic Cases........................................................................................... 85</p><p>The Structure and Dynamics of Casuistry’s Taxonomies..................................................................... 85</p><p>Subjective Naming of Paradigm Cases..................................................................................................... 87</p><p>From Paradigm to Marginal Case: The Ford Pinto Case....................................................................... 89</p><p>Lax and Prone to Equivocation....................................................................................................................... 92</p><p>A) Catholic Concerns with Casuistic Caginess: Blaise Pascal versus The Jesuits............................. 92</p><p>B) Protestantism Chimes In: Concerns with Casuistry’s Link to Authority....................................... 97</p><p>Equivocation in Principle-Based Methods: Bill Clinton versus the American People...................... 98</p><p>Modern Trends Toward Other Approaches................................................................................................. 103</p>The New Language of Modernity............................................................................................................ 103<p><p>The Conflation of Ethics and Law.......................................................................................................... 104</p><p>– Chapter 7: Casuistry’s Revival in Medicine and Now, Business –......................... 108</p><p>Clinical Ethics: Casuistry’s Restoration Begins.......................................................................................... 109</p><p>Elsewhere: Casuistry’s Revival Continues.................................................................................................. 111</p><p>Casuistry and Law, Computer Ethics, and Journalism........................................................................ 111</p><p>Casuistry and Business-Medicine Comparisons................................................................................... 112</p><p>Casuistry and Business: The Road Ahead............................................................................................. 114</p><p>PART 2: VIRTUE ETHICS IN THE CONTEXT OF BUSINESS............................ 116</p><p>– Chapter 8: Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics –..................................................................... 117</p><p>Background and Influence............................................................................................................................ 118</p><p>General Features of Virtue Ethics.................................................................................................................. 119</p><p>The Final Good End and Striving for Perfection................................................................................... 120</p><p>Habits that Define...................................................................................................................................... 123</p><p>Flow State and Flourishing in the Present............................................................................................... 124</p><p>Moderation and the Shifting Golden Mean........................................................................................... 125</p><p>Virtue and Personal Integration: The Competitive Runner................................................................ 128</p><p>Aspiration and Nature’s Limits................................................................................................................ 129</p><p>The Social Aspects of Virtue..................................................................................................................... 131</p><p>Summary: General Virtue......................................................................................................................... 134</p><p>Application to Business: The Tylenol Crisis and Virtue-based Management................................. 135</p><p>The Particular Virtues...................................................................................................................................... 139</p><p>Prudence....................................................................................................................................................... 141</p><p>Practical Wisdom and the Final Good End....................................................................................... 145</p><p>Example: The Prudent Runner........................................................................................................... 145</p><p>A Goal in Itself....................................................................................................................................... 146</p><p>Prudence’s Place in Business............................................................................................................... 147</p><p>Moral Prescience.................................................................................................................................... 148</p><p>Summary: Prudence............................................................................................................................. 150</p><p>Justice............................................................................................................................................................ 150</p><p>The Complete Virtue............................................................................................................................. 150</p><p>A Social Virtue....................................................................................................................................... 152</p><p>The Organizing Virtue........................................................................................................................... 156</p><p>Summary: Justice.................................................................................................................................. 157</p><p>Courage (Fortitude).................................................................................................................................... 158</p><p>Confidence: Keen in the Thick of Action But Calm Beforehand................................................ 158</p><p>Example: The Courage of the Boxer................................................................................................. 159</p><p>Example: The Courage of the Whistleblower.................................................................................. 161</p><p>Temperance (Self-Control)....................................................................................................................... 163</p><p>Self-Control and Adulthood................................................................................................................ 164</p><p>Example: Temperance and Physical Fitness.................................................................................... 165</p><p>Other Virtues................................................................................................................................................ 166</p><p>Generosity............................................................................................................................................... 167</p><p>Magnificence.......................................................................................................................................... 167</p><p>High-mindedness................................................................................................................................... 168</p><p>Ambition and the Lack of Ambition as the Extremes of an Unnamed Virtue.......................... 169</p><p>Gentleness............................................................................................................................................... 169</p><p>Friendliness............................................................................................................................................. 169</p><p>Truthfulness............................................................................................................................................ 170</p><p>Wittiness.................................................................................................................................................. 170</p><p>– Chapter 9: Building a Virtue Theory for Business –.............................................. 172</p><p>Virtue’s Various Expressions.......................................................................................................................... 172</p><p>Stoicism........................................................................................................................................................ 173</p><p>Influential Moderns.................................................................................................................................... 174</p><p>Thomas Hobbes.................................................................................................................................... 175</p><p>David Hume........................................................................................................................................... 178</p><p>The Virtues of Commerce of Adam Smith................................................................................................. 181</p><p>Sympathy of Fellow-Feeling..................................................................................................................... 183</p>Self-Command............................................................................................................................................ 186<p><p>Proper Wealth Acquisition versus Greed................................................................................................. 188</p><p>Prudence and Assiduity............................................................................................................................. 190</p><p>Justice and Natural Jurisprudence........................................................................................................... 190</p><p>Universal Benevolence or Social Sympathy.......................................................................................... 192</p><p>Comparison: Smith and Aristotle on Virtue in General....................................................................... 195</p><p>Comparison: Smith and Aristotle on Particular Virtues....................................................................... 200</p><p>Virtues Specific to Commerce.................................................................................................................. 206</p><p>– Chapter 10: Virtue Ethics’ Value –......................................................................... 212</p><p>Virtue Ethics’ Strengths and Weaknesses.................................................................................................... 212</p><p>Strengths....................................................................................................................................................... 214</p><p>Weaknesses.................................................................................................................................................. 221</p><p>PART 3: OVERLAPS AND SYNERGIES OF METHODS....................................... 231</p><p>– Chapter 11: The Synergy of Casuistry and Virtue Ethics –................................... 232</p><p>Casuistry and Virtue Ethics’ Similarities...................................................................................................... 232</p><p>Casuistry and Virtue Ethics’ Differences..................................................................................................... 240</p><p>Casuistry-imbued Virtue Ethics versus Virtue-imbued Casuistry............................................................ 247</p><p>Virtue-imbued Casuistry’s Synergies............................................................................................................ 248</p><p>Synergy of Strengths.................................................................................................................................. 248</p><p>Synergy of Offsetting Limitations........................................................................................................... 257</p><p>– Chapter 12: Bringing Casuistry and the Business Case Method Together –......... 263</p><p>Casuistry and Cases in Business................................................................................................................... 263</p><p>The Business Case and Case Method.......................................................................................................... 265</p><p>The Business Case...................................................................................................................................... 265</p><p>The Business Case Method....................................................................................................................... 270</p><p>The Business Case Method and Casuistry Compared.............................................................................. 273</p><p>Similarities.................................................................................................................................................... 273</p><p>Differences................................................................................................................................................... 276</p><p>Synergies: Bringing the Methods Together.................................................................................................. 279</p><p>Conclusion................................................................................................................................................... 287</p><p>PART 4: USING VIRTUE-IMBUED CASUISTRY IN BUSINESS PRACTICE.... 288</p><p>– Chapter 13: Breaking Stalemates: Using the Method to Upset the Genetically Modified Foods Impasse –    290</p><p>Background: Building to a Stalemate.......................................................................................................... 291</p><p>Proponents’ Arguments............................................................................................................................. 293</p><p>Opponents’ Arguments.............................................................................................................................. 296</p><p>Entrenching the Stalemate............................................................................................................................. 302</p><p>Defusing the Stalemate................................................................................................................................... 308</p><p>Limping Toward Resolution........................................................................................................................... 316</p><p>– Chapter 14: Cases Can Caution: Polio Eradication, Risk Exposure, and the Smallpox Case as Precedence –..................................................................................................................................... 320</p><p>Goal: Eradicating Polio................................................................................................................................... 321</p><p>Smallpox: A Cautionary Tale........................................................................................................................ 322</p><p>Killing a Deadly Disease............................................................................................................................ 323</p><p>Systematic Destruction.............................................................................................................................. 324</p><p>Gone But Not Forgotten............................................................................................................................ 326</p><p>An Effective Bioweapon........................................................................................................................... 327</p><p>Playing Catch-up........................................................................................................................................ 328</p><p>Lessons From a Near-miss.............................................................................................................................. 330</p><p>Polio Eradication in Perspective.................................................................................................................... 332</p><p>– Chapter 15: Risk Exposure: Using Cases in Strategies Involving an Aging Medication –       335</p>Risk Exposure in an Environment of Experimentation............................................................................ 336<p><p>Background: Tamoxifen Therapy................................................................................................................ 337</p><p>A Therapy With Risks................................................................................................................................ 339</p><p>Longstanding and Profitable.................................................................................................................... 341</p><p>Assessing the Risk Exposure of an Aging Drug........................................................................................... 343</p><p>Step One: Weighing Losses Against Profits............................................................................................ 343</p><p>Step Two: Recognizing That Something is Missing.............................................................................. 345</p><p>Step Three: Augmenting With Cases....................................................................................................... 347</p><p>Problems and Opportunities With Case Use in Business........................................................................... 350</p><p>Impediments to Case Use in Business.................................................................................................... 350</p><p>Overcoming the Impediments to Case Use in Business....................................................................... 353</p><p>Criticisms of Using Ethics as a Tool of Risk Management................................................................. 354</p><p>Going Forward.................................................................................................................................................. 356</p><p>– Chapter 16: Risk Management: Capturing the Right Situation with Prudent Case Use in Scenario-based Modeling –................................................................................................................... 360</p><p>Coming Full Circle: Cases—&gt;Models—&gt;Cases......................................................................................... 361</p><p>Sliding Toward Numbers........................................................................................................................... 362</p><p>What Has Been Helpful and What Is Missing...................................................................................... 363</p><p>Case: Home Health Corporation.................................................................................................................. 364</p><p>Background: Home Health Corporation............................................................................................... 364</p><p>The Big Question: To Pay or Not To Pay For Overtime...................................................................... 365</p><p>The Deterministic Approach..................................................................................................................... 366</p><p>The Upset of a New Competitor.............................................................................................................. 369</p><p>The Stochastic Approach.......................................................................................................................... 370</p><p>Strategy and Modeling.................................................................................................................................... 374</p><p>Strategy As a Guiding Process.................................................................................................................. 375</p><p>Descriptive Modeling: A Two-dimensional Snapshot.......................................................................... 377</p><p>Stochastic Modeling: A Three-dimensional Hologram........................................................................ 378</p><p>Strategic Prescience.......................................................................................................................................... 381</p><p>The Importance of Prudence in Case Selection......................................................................................... 382</p><p>Prudent Elders as Key to Effective Strategy.......................................................................................... 382</p><p>The Importance of Business Cases in Strategizing............................................................................... 383</p><p>Complications Inhibiting Case Use in Business.................................................................................... 384</p><p>– Chapter 17: Going Forward: Developing a Workable Virtue-imbued Casuistry for Business –         386</p><p>What Has Been Done...................................................................................................................................... 386</p><p>What Remains To Be Done........................................................................................................................... 388</p><p>ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................... 391</p><p>APPENDIX.................................................................................................................... 393</p><p>NAME INDEX............................................................................................................... 397</p><p>BUSINESS/INSTITUTION INDEX............................................................................ 400</p><p>SUBJECT INDEX......................................................................................................... 401</p><p>WORKS CITED............................................................................................................. 406</p><p>dy&gt;</p>