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Communication in trade union government is important as both a value and principle of organisation. Studies of trade union democracy tend to show a marked neglect of the importance of communication in the democratic process of some unions. Research that has been conducted in this area is reviewed and an agenda for further research in trade union communication is identified through case study analysis.

The internationalisation of business and the process of globalisation raise many ethical issues about acceptable norms of conduct on the part of corporations. This article aims to evaluate whether there is progress in establishing standards for international business ethics.

The paper explores whether the case for a global standard of business conduct can be grounded and justified in rational argument.

As a moral minimum, corporate ethical codes need to rule out what the management believes to be clearly unacceptable behaviour. The distinction between thick and thin moral rules is particularly important in wrestling with the rights and wrongs of international business ethics. A good deal of room needs to exist for the local interpretation of these codes, but there are a number of situations where universal standards have to be enforced in the host country.

This paper summarises the progress made in establishing the field of international business ethics. And it identifies and discusses the evidence on the effectiveness of ethical codes in improving international business practice.

It is important to realise that the company is a public institution and not just a private arrangement created by contract; it cannot, therefore, be fully determined by economic factors alone, but, is, importantly, also partly determined by political and social factors. Sometimes these political and social factors can become more deterministic in shaping its destiny than the economic factors. This tends to be the case when the legitimacy of business institutions is called into question. In these circumstances, the normal economic determinants of business practice can be superseded by political events and the environment of business practice can change radically. The purpose of this study is to propose a theory, which can help to explain this change in the company form, that is its legal code of governance. An evolutionary theory is briefly outlined and supported by historical evidence. The possibility of a coming business legitimacy crisis is then speculated upon in the conclusion.

The purpose of this paper is to use virtue ethics to explore the dilemmas arising for shipowners facing the piracy threat off the coast of Somalia.

The ethical issues arising for the shipowners in the face of the piracy threat off the coast of Somalia are explored using a virtue theory perspective. In particular, the ethical issues facing shipowners in routing vessels through the danger zones, as well as the dilemmas that can arise when a ship has been boarded by pirates, such as whether or not the shipowners should pay the pirates' ransom demands.

Although individual shipowners can take some matters into their own hands by various initiatives and security measures, the conclusion is that the scourge of piracy can only be reduced by international co‐operation between shipowners and nation states.

Piracy on the high seas is an old problem that has begun to resurface and become more frequent and widespread in recent years. Several important ethical dilemmas for shipowners are discussed. Should shipowners put absolute priority on protecting the lives of the crew by keeping the ship and its cargo away from the zone of attack? What measures should be implemented to inform and protect the crew, the ship and its cargo? And, if the ship is attacked by pirates and captured, what should shipowners then do, should they resist or should they pay a ransom?

Shares reflections and experiences on teaching a business ethics course to students of business over the past three years in the hope that wider debate about this aspect of management learning will establish its place in the business education curriculum. Considers the problems of teaching ethics in an occupation where there is no commonly accepted code of ethics. Discusses design, aims and objectives of a business ethics course and describes and reflects on aspects of the process and content of the course with a view to improving its practice in the future.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the new alcohol debate and put it into historical perspective, before outlining the meaning and nature of the new temperance challenge.

A moral perspective on the patterns of alcohol consumption from the point of view of character virtue is offered in order to address this deep‐seated cultural problem.

Facts and figures on the nature and extent of Britain's alcohol problem are used to illustrate the strength of present day concerns.

The acquisition of temperance in today's society is very difficult in the face of affluence and a consumer culture, which encourages impulsiveness and infantilisation especially when it comes to drinking alcohol. The particular problems of the UK are exacerbated by cultural factors and patterns of family structure, which also undermine the acquiring of the virtue of temperance.

Today's drink problem is a problem of character that has to be tackled by all the institutions of civil society, the family, religious groups, and communities. The drinks industry in its widest sense can also play its part in developing a culture of temperance.

The contention of the paper is that unless the cultivation of some notion of temperance is reverted as a shared virtue of character, today's alcohol problem will not successfully be tackled.

The purpose of this comparative study is to explore how large German and British companies publicly define corporate social responsibility (CSR), as well as why and how the respective notion of CSR was developed.

The study is based on a qualitative content analysis of the CSR web sites of 40 British and German companies, and on a series of interviews with senior managers.

The main findings are that CSR is now presented as a comprehensive business strategy, arising mainly from performance considerations and stakeholder pressure. Companies focus on how they interact with stakeholders and how business activities impact on society. Most CSR policies addressed community, employee and customer issues. Increasingly, “quality of life” topics are emphasised. CSR policies varied with turnover, industry sector and nationality. In developing their notions of CSR, firms emphasized the primacy of reactive pragmatism and experience. Corporate culture also emerged as an influence, with institutionalised CSR functions and communications departments driving initiatives. The study concludes that business and CSR strategy appear to be on a convergent path, making business and CSR integration across the company the norm in future.

Owing to the study's exploratory character, the samples are not representative for the British and German economies.

The study suggests that especially German companies could benefit more from demonstrating a broad, business‐driven understanding of CSR.

Contributing to a deeper understanding of notions, rationales and influences, the study provides both science and practice with a more solid foundation for discussing and implementing CSR. It also broadens the perspective by looking at Germany and the UK.

Criticizes Handy’s depiction of the portfolio career and the end of job security because he is overly dismissive of the contribution job security can and does make to the moral order of society. Develops a counter argument and evidence showing that business organizations are complex, morally significant institutions in addition to being instruments designed to fulfil an economic function. Concludes that the company should be institutionalized as a shared community of purpose which enables us to recognize its contribution as one of the important vehicles for the development of virtue and the good life. Notes that business educators and business leaders need to take employment security seriously and build this conception into their professional ideology and practice.

Defines whistle blowing before considering the dilemma faced by the whistleblower. Outlines the typical responses to the whistle blower and provides case examples from the aerospace and defence industries. Questions why companies respond as they do and asks if there are malicious whistle blowers. Covers the legal protection afforded to them and provides recommendations for both the manager and the whistle blower. Concludes that whilst the industry has improved, there leaves much work to be done in the future.