What does Sartre have to do with cinnamon buns?

Dr. William Irwin is a Professor of Philosophy at King’s College.

Plenty!

William Irwin, Editor of The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series, recently wrote an article for The Conversation on “How existentialism can shield us from the free market’s dark side.”

Using existentialist themes of personal freedom and responsibility, Irwin makes the claim that government regulation and social agencies do not need to shield people from the darker lures of products like “diet-killing Cinnabons.”

Irwin’s article for The Conversation is based on his new book, The Free Market Existentialist: Capitalism without Consumerism in which he proposes a new philosophy that is a synthesis of existentialism, amoralism, and libertarianism.

Irwin begins an essential conversation for the 21^st century for students, scholars, and armchair philosophers alike with clear, accessible discussions of a range of topics across philosophy including atheism, evolutionary theory, and ethics

Humorous and poignant, Irwin’s article and book, are both must-reads!

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Click here for more on The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series.

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LGBTs in the workplace

Canadian Journal of Administrative Science

Call for Papers

Deadline: October 30, 2015

As the workforce becomes increasingly diverse, a lot of attention has been paid to the career issues of women and racial minorities. In contrast, comparatively little research has been conducted on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered (LGBT) people in the workplace. Maher and colleagues (2009) tracked empirical research in the LGBT domain and observed three distinct phases: Early work (1800s-1972) focused on homosexuality as a disease; the second phase (1972-1990) targeted negative attitudes towards homosexuality (e.g., combatting Homophobia, violence and discrimination against LGBTs); and the third phase (post-1990) focused on changing institutions to foster a positive climate in the workplace. Consistent with this, recent research in this domain has also shifted from employment discrimination, identity management, and career counselling for LGBT individuals (Chung, et al., 2009; DeJordy, 2008; Ragins, 2008) to countering heteronormativity in the workplace, the adoption of LGBT-friendly practices, and understanding the career choices of LGBT individuals (Chuang, et al., 2011; Ng et al., 2012; Ozturk & Rumens, 2014). The purpose of this special issue is to take LGBT scholarship to the next stage by gathering new knowledge and extending theory on LGBT individuals in the workplace.

We invite broad submissions for papers that focus on sexual orientation, gender identity and LGBT individuals within the work domain. Submissions can be conceptual or empirical (qualitative or quantitative), and review work is especially welcomed. In particular, we seek research that is thought provoking, fills a gap in the literature, or crosses boundaries particularly from critical and/or queer studies to management literature. Papers should appeal to management readers, add value through theory building, and provide implications for HRM practice for organizations and employers. We offer a list of topics below as a catalyst to encourage potentially impactful scholarship on LGBT issues in the workplace, but welcome other topics not specifically mentioned. We also use LGBT as a short hand for sexual minorities as a group, but papers can focus on one type of sexual orientation (e.g., transgendered employees) or sexual minorities collectively.

For suggestions on topics, more information on the Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, and additional resources, please click here.

Canadian Journal of Administrative Science

Virtual Collection – Ethics in a Changing World

As a study of human action, ethics is particularly attuned to changes in the world around us. Our lives are profoundly shaped by new technology, globalization, climate change, and changing social roles – raising ethical questions about the choices we make in response to these far-reaching developments.

In order to celebrate the publication of The International Encyclopedia of Ethics,  we have curated a virtual collection of over 50 journal articles and book chapters on global ethics with a special focus on Chinese researchers and academics.

Click here to read the introduction in English or translated into Chinese, then read the articles for free!

Interview: Accounting Ethics

We recently had a chance to chat with Ronald Duska who recently retired from The American College.  Ron is currently an adjunct at the American College, as well as an adjunct at St. Joseph’s University, and principal of Duska Business Ethics Consulting. Along with Brenda Shay Duska (Del Pizzo & Associates, USA) and Julie Anne Ragatz (The American College Center for Ethics in Financial Services, USA), Ron is author of Accounting Ethics, recently published in a second edition. The book deals with, among other things, the recent financial crises, the nature of corruption and greed, and the responsibility that accountants should feel for the general public. Given the financial meltdown of 2008, and the new challenges to GAAP from IFERS and Mark to Market accounting, a new edition, that went beyond the concerns created by the Enron and Arthur Anderson collapse and the passage of Sarbanes/Oxley, of the early years of the millennium, seemed essential.

Philosopher’s Eye: Why did you decide to write Accounting Ethics?

Ron Duska: It was in response to a request of the series editors, particularly Michael Hoffman who, knowing my interest in business ethics and the fact that my wife was a CPA, thought it might be a project of interest to me.

PE: What’s the central concern of the book, and why is it important?

RD: The central concern of the book is to analyse what the societal purpose of accounting is