Abstract
Business ethics is a relatively new topic of academic discussion in Latin America. Corruption and impunity came to be serious moral diseases in the region, probably as a result of a long period of dictatorship in most countries. Low ethical standards in the politics have had deep impact on individuals, organizations and economic systems. Excessive consumption, materialism and selfishness, in contrast with real poverty, have been responsible for a sloppiness in attitudes and principles in many Latin American countries. Even though the majority of the population belongs to the Roman Catholic Church, the lack of education has led people to a dichotomy: faith and business practices are often very distant from each other. Several isolated efforts have been done in order to enhance business ethics through education, publications and professional activities. The relationship business-academia has proved to be an excellent initiative for this objective, mainly in Mexico, Brazil and Peru.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
De la Pena, R. Valores y desarrollo: 1995, Riqueza, educacion y etica. Presentation for the Studies Committee on Ethics and the Creation of Wealth (ITESM, Monterrey, Mexico).
Garza de la Cabada, R.: 1995, Que significan riqueza y etica? Presentation for the Studies Committee on Ethics and the Creation of Wealth (ITESM, Monterrey, Mexico).
Roblesgil, Maza: 1995, J. G. Valores intangibles Presentation for the Studies Committee on Ethics and the Creation of Wealth (ITESM, Monterrey, Mexico).
Preziosa, M. M.: 1993, ‘Nuevas habilidades para nuevas realidades’, Revista Idea (Ene./Feb.).
Teixeira, N. G.: 1991, A Etica no Mundo da Empresa (Pioneira, Sao Paulo).
Zambrano, H.: 1995, Etica en la creacion de la riqueza: introduccion. Presentation for the Studies Committee on Ethics and the Creation of Wealth (ITESM, Monterrey, Mexico).
1996 BALAS Proceedings: ‘Creating Competitive and Cooperative Advantage in Latin America: Combining Theory and Practice for Success’, Track on Management, Ethics and Culture, 307–466.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Arruda, M.C. Business Ethics in Latin America. Journal of Business Ethics 16, 1597–1603 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005823317019
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005823317019