Abstract
Comparing Europe and the United States has a long tradition, at least since Alexis de Tocqueville published De la Démocratie en Amérique in 1835 (volume one) and 1840 (volume two). In this chapter, we will review the contributions of other scholars, while also presenting the personal knowledge of the author. In this review, several factors relating to business ethics will be considered including cultural environment, business activities, public authority, civil society and the academy. We will conclude by discussing how interdependence of the above-mentioned factors, as well as the cultural and political legacies in Europe and America can give a reasonable explanation of the differences.
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Notes
- 1.
In accordance with the last Eurobarometer, exactly 46% agree and 48% disagree on the question: Is the place of religion in our society too important? (Eurobarometer 66. Public Opinion of the European Union (First results, December 2006): http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb/eb66/eb66_highlights_en.pdf, accessed on December 28, 2006.
- 2.
http://www.csr.gov.uk/pdf/dti_csr_final.pdf, acceded on December 27, 2006.
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Melé, D. (2022). Business Ethics: Europe Versus America. In: Flynn, G. (eds) Leadership and Business Ethics. Issues in Business Ethics, vol 60. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-2111-8_3
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