In these papers, we show that a model of rationality which separates and combines economic values with ethical values helps to understand better how business actors think, take decisions, and communicate in the face of ethical dilemmas.
In “Economic Rationality and Ethical Behavior” (published in Business Ethics: A European Review in 2002), I argue that economic values and ethical values cannot be reduced one to the other and should be analyzed separately before the decision to act is taken. An open but non arbitrary form of rationality is proposed that helps to uncover the dynamics of possible behaviors.
In “Processes and Consequences in Business Ethical Dilemmas: the Oil Industry and Climate Change” (published in the Journal of Business Ethics in 2002) and in “The Oil Industry and Climate Change: Strategies and Ethical Dilemmas” (published in Climate Policy in 2002), the approach is developped with Sybille van den Hove (Median & UAB) and Henri-Claude de Bettignies (INSEAD) to study business strategies in the face of climate change regulation.
In “Internet e-ethics in Confrontation with an Activists’ Agenda: Yahoo! on Trial” (published in the Journal of Business Ethics in 2002), the approach is applied with Mark Hunter (INSEAD) and Henri-Claude de Bettignies to study the conflict between economic values and cultural values for a large internet company.
