E-LOGOS 2010, 17(1):1-17 | DOI: 10.18267/j.e-logos.277

The meaning of life together and inter-relationship in business

Maciej Bazela
Fidelis International Institute for Business Ethics.

Keywords: corporate social and environmental responsibility, workers' empowerment, employability, work-life balance policies, social capital, ecoefficiency, bio-imitation, cradle-to-cradle economy.

The author argues that life together and inter-relationship are extremely important values in business, supposing we accept John Paul's II vision of business enterprise as "community of persons". Since firms are principally made of people and called to serve people, the ultimate purpose of business is nothing else but integral human development. Consequently, companies ought to act upon the ideals of life together and interrelationship by taking the road of social and environmental responsibility. The values of life together and (symbiotic) interrelationship turn into three major tasks for business: a) care for employees; b) care for local communities; c) care for the environment. Corporate exuberance seems indissoluble linked to welfare of local communities. This is why firms should have an interest in promoting symbiotic life together and mutually beneficial interrelationships with various stakeholders. The article aims to provide some examples of what care for employees, communities and the environment may mean in practice.

Prepublished online: March 4, 2010; Published: June 1, 2010  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Bazela, M. (2010). The meaning of life together and inter-relationship in business. E-LOGOS, 17(1), 1-17. doi: 10.18267/j.e-logos.277
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Aa.Vv., "The battle for brainpower. A survey of talent", The Economist 40 (7th-13th October 2006).
    2. Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate on integral human development in charity and truth (2009).
    3. Benioff M. - Soutwick K., Compassionate capitalism. How corporations can make doing good an integral part of doing well (New Jersey: Career Press, 2004).
    4. Chapman A.R. - Petersen R.L. - Smith-Moran B. (edd.), Consumption, population and sustainability. Perspectives from science and religion (Covelo: Island Press, 2000).
    5. Daly H.E., "Economics in a full world", Scientific American 9 (2005), 78-81. Go to original source...
    6. Daly H.E., Steady-state economics. The economics of biophysical equilibrium and moral growth (San Francisco: W.H. Freeman & Company, 1977).
    7. Daly H.E. - Townsend K.T. (edd.), Valuing the Earth. Economics, ecology and ethics (Cambridge-London: The MIT Press, 1996).
    8. European Commission, Directorate General for Employment and Social Affairs, Promoting a European framework for corporate social responsibility - Green Paper (Luxembourg, 2001).
    9. George P., "Making business moral", The First Things 186 (October 2008), 17-19.
    10. Hawken P. - Lovins A. - Lovins L.H., Natural capitalism. Creating the next industrial revolution (Boston-New York-London: Little, Brown & Company, 1999).
    11. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus (1991).
    12. McDonough W. - Braungart M., Cradle to cradle. Remaking the way me make things (New York: North Point Press, 2002).
    13. Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Corporate social responsibility in a global economy. Report no. 10 (2008-2009) to the Storting (Oslo, 2009).
    14. Solomon R.C., Ethics and excellence. Co-operation and integrity in business (New York - Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993).

    Return to the content