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Capitalism and its Regulation: A Dialogue on Business and Ethics

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Abstract

This dialogue engages with the ethics of politics of capitalism, and enacts a debate between two participants who have divergent views on these matters. Beginning with a discussion concerning definitions of capitalism, it moves on to cover issues concerning our different understandings of the costs and benefits of global capitalist systems. This then leads into a debate about the nature and purposes of regulation, in terms of whether regulation is intended to make competition work better for consumers, or to prevent negative outcomes for citizens. The conclusion speculates about the usefulness or otherwise of this Socratic method of dialogue.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Professor of Organisation and Culture, Management Centre, University of Leicester, Ken Edwards’ Building, Leicester, LE1 7RH, U.K.

    Martin Parker

  2. Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Department of Management, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, U.K.

    Gordon Pearson

Authors
  1. Martin Parker
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  2. Gordon Pearson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Martin Parker.

Additional information

Martin Parker is Professor of Organisation and Culture at the University of Leicester Management Centre, having previously held positions at Staffordshire and Keele Universities. His research and writing is concerned with the ethics, politics and culture of organisation. Together with Campbell Jones and Rene ten Bos, he has just finished a textbook titled For Business Ethics which will be published by Routledge in 2005.

Gordon Pearson is Honorary Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Management, Keele University, having previously spent some fifteen years in academia teaching and writing mainly on strategy. Prior to that he spent thirty years in industrial general and strategic management.

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Parker, M., Pearson, G. Capitalism and its Regulation: A Dialogue on Business and Ethics. J Bus Ethics 60, 91–101 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-005-5919-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-005-5919-x

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