Is business ethics a contradiction in terms? Absolutely not, says Robert Solomon. In fact, he maintains that sound ethics is a necessary precondition of any long-term business enterprise, and that excellence in business must exist on the foundation of values that most of us hold dear.

Drawing on twenty years of experience consulting with major corporations on ethics, Solomon clarifies the difficult ethical choices all people in business face. He uses an “Aristotelian” approach to remind readers that a corpora-tion-like an individual-is embedded in a community, and that corporate values such as fairness and honesty are meaningless until transformed into action. Without a base of shared values, trust and mutual benefits, today's national and international business world would fall apart. In keeping with his conviction that virtue and profit must thrive together, Solomon both examines the ways in which deficient values actually destroy businesses, and debunks the pervasive myths that encourage unethical business practices.

Complete with a working catalog of virtues designed to illustrate the impor-tance of integrity in any business situation, this compelling handbook contains a gold mine of wisdom for either the small business manager or the corporate executive struggling with ethical issues.

Robert C. Solomon is Quincy Lee Centennial and Distinguished Teaching Professor of Philosophy and Business at the University of Texas . He is also the author of Building Trust: In Business, Politics, Relationships, and Life, A Passion for Wisdom: A Very Brief History of Philosophy, and Ethics and Excellence (all available from OUP).