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Feminist Ethics as Moral Grounding for Stakeholder Theory 1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2015

Brian K. Burton  and
Craig P. Dunn
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Abstract

Stakeholder theory, as a method of management based on morals and behavior, must be grounded by a theory of ethics. However, traditional ethics of justice and rights cannot completely ground the theory. Following and expanding on the work of Wicks, Gilbert, and Freeman (1994), we believe that feminist ethics, invoking principles of caring, provides the missing element that allows moral theory to ground the stakeholder approach to management. Examples are given to support the suggested general principle for making business decisions under feminist moral theory.

Type
Articles
Information
Business Ethics Quarterly , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , April 1996 , pp. 133 - 147
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Business Ethics 1996

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