Introduction

In today’s increasingly complex and connected world, the ethical and social responsibilities of businesses can no longer be treated as peripheral concerns. From environmental sustainability to workplace fairness, from truth in advertising to global supply chain accountability, ethical lapses in business decision-making are now more visible and scrutinised than ever. Recent supply chain disruptions, climate-related issues, digital privacy breaches, and social justice movements are on the minds of consumers and other stakeholder groups. This textbook aims to provide a rigorous yet practical foundation for students preparing to lead responsibly in diverse and dynamic business environments.

The dual focus of this book reflects the distinct but overlapping domains of Business Ethics and Social Responsibility. Business ethics is concerned with the utility of decisions, moral principles, and reasoning that guide individual and organisational conduct in the commercial sphere. Social responsibility expands the lens, asking what obligations firms owe to stakeholders and society as a whole. Though often taught together, these are not interchangeable domains; rather, together, they form the ethical architecture of business professionalism.

The ethics field remains shaped mainly by European traditions; much of what underpins business ethics comes from influential voices such as Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Kant, and Bentham. Similarly, although to a lesser extent, influential business and leadership scholarship has been male-dominated and white. This is reflected in the textbook through the inclusion of Schein’s or Hofstede’s work, which continues to hold influence. It should be noted that their inclusion here reflects their usefulness, not an endorsement of cultural narrowness. Still, it is worth noting that the perspective remains limited. Two of the textbook authors are women, but all are white; thus, the material inevitably carries the imprint of that. Where possible, we broadened the lenses we use, guided by the Three Rs of justice (redistributive, recognitive, and representational), to maintain equity, or at least acknowledge the narrow lens of business scholarship, as we progress through the material. Wherever possible, examples and narratives have been selected to move beyond the standard frame, but rather than claiming balance where it does not yet exist, the aim is to avoid tokenism, acknowledge structural, academic, and business gaps.

Using this textbook, business students will engage with stakeholder analysis, ethical decision-making frameworks, and reflective exercises designed to develop practical judgment alongside theoretical understanding. Students are not passive observers in this learning process; they are emerging professionals whose values, decisions, and leadership choices will shape tomorrow’s businesses.

This textbook invites students not only to learn about ethics and responsibility, but to practice them; that is, to develop the habits of mind, judgment, and empathy required to lead with integrity in a world that needs it.