Spirit, Religion and Business Ethics: A Crossroads?

Abstract

'Spirit, soul, and religion' are terms that are beginning to appear in the language of business. This development in language is part of a larger and worldwide trend which some have called 'a spirituality movement in the corporation' and others have labelled 'an internal revolution' among business people. The purpose of this paper is to explore these developments and to examine their implications for the advancement of the field of business ethics. The paper discusses the spirituality movement in business and defines several key terms. Evidence is provided to document the reality of the movement. Finally, the academic field of business ethics is examined in the light of these recent trends. A plea is made for focusing on questions of spirit and religion in the development of the field of business ethics.