Business ethics. The relevance of value-creating teachings in the contemporary business environment

The objective of the present study is the research of the main philosophical theories and ethical teachings that are able to frame a new business environment, dedicated to the creation of value, not only for shareholders, but also for stakeholders. Multinational companies have the opportunity to benefit from the values formulated by ancient ethical philosophy, moral doctrines of duty or the protestant ethics, for example: ”justice as the supreme virtue”, according to Aristotle; the sense of duty – “great and sublime name” and the Kantian categorical imperative; the continuous work and the rational control of the earnings, according to the protestant ethics school of thought. The considerable argument of the research is related to the fact that in the international post-crisis context these values have the mission to help the multinational companies to adopt new business strategies, in order to be ethically responsible and to have a sustainable behavior, characterized by long-term benefits, not only for the financial performance of the company, but also for the economic and social support of the communities.