Implementing Ethics Management as a New Strategic Tool in Business Organizations

Managing ethics in business organizations was initiated in the U.S. for three reasons, i.e. response to the expectation of business and society; logical historic outcome; or defensive action or response to a crisis. It has developed rapidly in the past decades. At present, business ethics is no longer a personal matter; however, it has become an essential part of the mission for many companies, and served as a strategic tool. Focusing on the U.S. experiences, this paper firstly reviews briefly on the development of this new management approach by outlining the impetuses behind and the related landmarks. Then, based on the analyses of different approaches, a framework of successful ethics programs is introduced. Finally, a case study of Xerox tries to illustrate the important of ethics management for corporate sustainable development.