The paradox of Business Ethics, Quality and Leadership: the path to business sustainability

Abstract

Quality is undoubtedly a critical aspect of management practice and is infused into the „psyche‟ of many companies. This paper unpacks a number of important questions and the main purpose of this study is to advance our understanding of the importance of ethics in the workplace as part of a quality ethos. How can the basic theories of ethics in the workplace and moral conduct better inform business practices so that a desired triple bottom line is a naturally achievable and desirable objective? How do quality initiatives and a greater consciousness of quality as an all important aspect of operation impact positively on a business and ultimately sustainability? How do virtue and morality assist in making a business „virtuous‟ and relate to quality management and quality service provision and infuse these aspects to become part of a quality paradigm?