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Acting More Generously than the Law Requires: The Issue of Employee Layoffs in halakhah

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Abstract

In this paper, the issue of plant closings is analyzed from the perspective of halakhah (the Written Law of Judaism). Two levels of analysis in halakhah must be differentiated: the legal (enforced by courts) and the moral (not enforced by law, but rather framed in terms of duty to God). There is no legal mandate to keep an unprofitable plant open, but there are a number of moral imprecations (particularly "acting more generously than the law requires") that might influence an employer's decision making. Using analogical reasoning to infer moral and/or legal obligations may be a fruitful means for businesspeople to analyze business situations in terms of ethical implications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh, 5820 Elwood Street #1, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, U.S.A. E-mail

    Harry J. Van Buren III

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  1. Harry J. Van Buren III
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Van Buren, H.J. Acting More Generously than the Law Requires: The Issue of Employee Layoffs in halakhah. Journal of Business Ethics 19, 335–343 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005976531062

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005976531062

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