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Business Practice, Ethics and the Philosophy of Morals in the Rome of Marcus Tullius Cicero

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  • Michael Small

Abstract

Moral behaviour, and more recently wisdom and prudence, are emerging as areas of interest in the study of business ethics and management. The purpose of this article is to illustrate that Cicero—lawyer, politician, orator and prolific writer, and one of the earliest experts in the field recognised the significance of moral behaviour in his society. Cicero wrote ‘Moral Duties’ (De Officiis) about 44 BC. He addressed the four cardinal virtues wisdom, justice, courage and temperance, illustrating how practical wisdom, theoretical/conceptual wisdom and justice were viewed in Rome of the first century BC. ‘Moral Duties’ is a letter admonishing his son, Marcus. It refers to personal behaviour, business practice and analyses terms such as good faith and criminal fraud. In addition, it contains material which would be suitable for tutorials/seminars and discussions, particularly in the areas of critical thinking in business ethics and general management. A study of De Officiis in respect to present day management and business practice could give a wider perspective to business ethics and management students. If concepts such as moral virtue, moral propriety and moral goodness, many of which seem to be ignored in business situations today, are to be embedded in business leaders of the future, it is reasonable to expect that these qualities will be analysed and discussed by business students today. Further, a study of Cicero’s six-step approach, when preparing an address/speech, could be useful and productive for practitioners and students in this area. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Small, 2013. "Business Practice, Ethics and the Philosophy of Morals in the Rome of Marcus Tullius Cicero," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 115(2), pages 341-350, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:115:y:2013:i:2:p:341-350
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-012-1401-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alex Michalos, 2008. "Ancient Observations on Business Ethics: Middle East Meets West," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 79(1), pages 9-19, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Claudius Bachmann & André Habisch & Claus Dierksmeier, 2018. "Practical Wisdom: Management’s No Longer Forgotten Virtue," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(1), pages 147-165, November.
    2. Gisele de Campos Ribeiro & Carole Donada & Caroline Mothe & Gwenaëlle Nogatchewsky, 2019. "The Respective Effects of Virtues and Inter-Organizational Management Control Systems on Relationship Quality and Performance: Virtues Win," Post-Print hal-01700970, HAL.
    3. Carole Donada & Caroline Mothe & Gwenaëlle Nogatchewsky & Gisele Campos Ribeiro, 2019. "The Respective Effects of Virtues and Inter-organizational Management Control Systems on Relationship Quality and Performance: Virtues Win," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 154(1), pages 211-228, January.

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