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Peter Drucker reflects upon his two novels with indulgence, describing the first as “my seventieth birthday…present” (Drucker, 1987, p. 12). Upon reading these novels, aspiring novelists might well agree. For, whilst Drucker is proud to describe himself as “a professional writer” (Drucker, 1987, p. 9), and has been remarkably successful as a non-fiction writer, it does not seem unfair to speculate that were it not for his illustrious name, he might never have secured a publisher for these novels. There is very little in the way of a plot, the characters are unmemorable and the dialogue is boring. One might thus well ask why bother to review a novel of so little literary merit written nearly twenty years ago? Such a question is easily answered. Drucker wrote his 1984 novel The Temptation to do Good for a specific purpose. And that purpose is intimately connected with ethical issues in organizations.

Various realities, both political and economic were experienced by Drucker within Weimar Germany. Such realities were a result of those historical developments germane to the emergence of modern Germany. In particular it was “the triumph of industrial capitalism (which) changed the reality of German life” (Stern, 1992, p. 30). This “triumph” was however tempered by the crash of 1873 which led to Germans, prior to 1945, harbouring a “violent resentment against the new industrialism” (Stern, 1974, p. xxvii). In attempting to research those formative influences upon Drucker’s later managerial thought, which denies the relevance of business ethics, cognisance has to be given to this German history. The search for a so-called “third way” in Weimar Germany, and the later triumph of Nazism, were both developments which stemmed from this history.

A lot has been discussed about Peter Drucker, and there exists significant written content admiring or criticizing his work as a management writer. This paper aims to offer a holistic analysis of Peter Drucker’s written contributions to better understand his views of society, government and organizations of all kinds.

Many have written about Peter Drucker and his considerable impact on the practical and philosophical foundations of modern management. Yet, there has been no systematic scholarly evaluation of Drucker as a writer, although many have praised and criticized his written work on management. In this study, the authors offer an analysis of Peter Drucker’s written contributions to evaluate his central contributions, as well as how he communicated his ideas on society and management.

A comprehensive analysis of Drucker’s word usage and writing style throughout his writing career forms an evidence-based approach to better understand his viewpoints and objectively evaluate the criticisms surrounding his work.

This research contributes to a better understanding of Peter Drucker’s central contributions, concerns and sentiments, as it relates to not only business management but also to his views of society, government and organizations of all kinds. A reconsideration of Drucker as a writer presents possible implications for the practice of management.

Representing the soft and hard sides of management, ethics and quality are core aspects of an organization. Both are a philosophy as well as a process that seek to optimize behavior through clarifying the purpose and nature of work. This study examines Drucker′s treatment of these central components of management. Following a discussion of the methodology employed, each concept is analyzed. The implications of the findings are then explored.

Practical wisdom is central to the tremendous success of Peter Drucker as a management thinker. The paper aims to argue that the attractiveness of his writings is mainly due to the underlying Christian value system, which is the basis for the coherence of his thinking, and the reference system for his normative statements and practical wisdom.

The paper discerns the moral foundations of Peter Drucker's work by highlighting explicit value statements in his early writings, some even before he turned to management. Against this background, examples are provided of how he translates his values in practical wisdom into dealing with management challenges.

A major driving force of Drucker's entire work is seen as the secularization of his religious beliefs. His practical suggestions for modern corporations are deeply influenced by Christian faith. Up to now this has been largely unknown or ignored.

The paper rests on limited text analysis which should be extended in future research. If Drucker's success may be at least partially attributed to his moral tone, any effort to redeem management and to anchor it as a liberal art can deploy his work.

Dissecting the moral background of the most influential management thinker in the last century the paper reveals that Drucker's practical wisdom is the result of a deep connection between Christian values and knowledge. It clearly points to an integrated research perspective, and above all it calls for a rigorous inquiry into moral assumptions underlying any writing on management.

To provide students, professors, political leaders, members of non‐governmental sector and economists with a review of Drucker's major works on recent changes in politics, government, society and economy.

This article briefly illustrates and discusses Drucker's thoughts and analysis presented mainly in the books Post‐Capitalist Society, New Realities and Managing in a Time of Great Change. However, reference is also made to other books and articles written by Drucker, as well as papers and books produced by other authors on his works or on subjects discussed in his works.

This article provides Drucker's views on recent changes in politics, government, society and economy, which have brought about new realities and challenges and have fundamentally transformed politics, economy and the society. Thorough considerations of these challenges would not provide fixed solutions but rather support and would enable governments, organizations and society at large to anticipate these transformations. It is believed that Drucker has made sound analyses of which one ought to take notice.

This article provides a useful source of information on political and economic changes in this turbulent world and recommendations on how to anticipate these changes.

It is believed that this paper contains an original review of Drucker's politically oriented writings. The findings and recommendations in this article can be useful for scholars, students, politicians, economists, leaders of civil society organizations and businesses to better understand the transformations taking place in society and hence enable leaders to make better decisions.

The purpose of this article is to explore and evaluate Peter Drucker’s ideas on governmental reform, responsibilities, and management. Through an examination of his writings, as well as the work of a number of public administration scholars, Drucker’s views are analysed and assessed in the context of recent public management literature. The article situates Drucker as a de facto public choice theorist, given his advocacy of privatization and his minimalist position on government, in general. Although he is an internationally‐renowned management theorist, Drucker’s views on the public sector are found wanting on both the theoretical and practical levels. The article concludes that governmental reform is far more complex than Drucker seems to realize, and that it requires a healthy respect for democratic values and the public interest, as well as the principles and practices of modern management.

Drucker's views about ethics are supported by the philosophical foundations of Aristotle and Confucius with regard to the responsibilities and interdependencies that exist between individuals, organizations, and societies. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate Peter F. Drucker's work in the field of ethics as being applicable to the twenty‐first century and beyond.

The approach used to research the topic was qualitative and constructive in nature. Primary resources relied on published scholarly work from Peter F. Drucker and Aristotle, in connection with work from other scholarly sources.

The research demonstrates the continued viability of Peter F. Drucker's work in the field of ethics, as being applicable to the twenty‐first century and beyond.

The paper offers substantive underpinnings for the current study of ethics in the business disciplines, while at the same time suggesting that “plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose” (The more things change, the more they stay the same).

As a contribution to honor the life and works of Peter F. Drucker, the paper is original in that Drucker's work in the field of ethics is highlighted. The paper is supported by ancient philosophical underpinnings that offer a foundation for Drucker's work and allow his lessons to continue for generations to come.