Philosophy of Business

By David Oyler

From Day One: This workshop is ostensibly about business ethics. It actually is broader than that. It deals with topics in the philosophy of business, focusing on business practices and setting the context for a discussion of business ethics on the last day. Each day will consist of a short presentation to initiate discussion with the core of the discussion’s meaning centering on authenticity and its role in institutions, primarily business. The first day starts with a discussion concerning process and situation in business and how a critical realist understanding of these takes us beyond systems theory and its impacts in process re-engineering to the ground of business process. It is this ground that is overlooked in the re-engineering and downsizing that can smash through a workforce like a sledgehammer or that is enhanced in the authentic concern for service, product, productivity and profits. The second day will focus on the formal and informal organizations of business and the role of dialectic in understanding business. The third day we will discuss management. The fourth day we will discuss the authentic organization and ethics. Throughout the four days, the role of technology, especially computers, will be discussed. A practical and strategic model for understanding the role and development of computer systems in business will be discussed.

Day		Name
One	Process and Situation: Beyond Systems and Re-engineering	PDF	Word
Two	Dialectic and Busness	PDF	Word
Three	Management - Fostering Authenticity in Business	PDF	Word
Four	Authenticity and Business	PDF	Word

Genesis

These essays were written as handouts to participants in the Boston College Lonergan Conference Business Ethics afternoon workshop which I chaired many times during the 1990’s.

Business and I

When I was younger I never thought I would work in business, much less get a business degree. Though I technically was in technologies most of my career with the exception of doing general project management across the corporation for American Express, I was able to interact with all levels of management and participate in meetings at all levels. It was fascinating to understand the various forms of decision making and analysis that occurred at different levels and contributed greatly to my understanding of history which is driven by high level decision making in most instances. I also was a witness to and participant in the introduction of PCs and client server computing to the corporation. Project management was driven early on by technologies and I had to struggle with the business to get resources for project teams and keep them on track though they had “real jobs” which were their primary responsibility. It was a luxury to me when corporations moved to team organizations focused on projects. I also did graphical user interface design and lived on the bleeding edge persuading my technology partners that this needed to replace clunky, inefficient text-based systems. Now they are prevalent though the internet has reintroduced poor design decreasing usability. I learned early on that business does not have to be about greed. It can be win-win for all participants. It also funds the world. It is our collective responsibility to cooperate for the greater good and this includes making business and the economy contributors to a better life for all.

Philosophy of Business

By David Oyler

Background

Genesis

Business and I