22nd Internation Symposium on Ethics, Business and Society
The Role of Ethics in Turbulent Times:
Rationality and Virtues in Decision-Making
The world is in a bit of turmoil. After being paralyzed by the pandemic, the world has entered a vertiginous spin zone where everything seems to be shaky: armed conflicts in Europe, a runaway economy, problems in the supply of raw materials, social tensions, and the radicalization of political positions are some of the phenomena that agitate the waters of this sea in which we sail. And all this is in addition to the more structural problems we have been working on for years, summarized in the sustainable development goals that we aim to achieve by 2030.
Business activity can be influenced by this volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world. The company is essential in shaping society and cannot remain on the sidelines of all these circumstances. In some cases, businesses will have been partly responsible for the emergence of these phenomena; but they must undoubtedly be part of the solution. Businesses must be proactive in their decision-making to succeed in this VUCA world.
Some managers will opt for opportunistic decisions, looking at the short term, surfing through difficulties. Others will adopt a more strategic stance with a longer-term vision, seeking a haven from the bad weather.
In the 22nd International Symposium on Ethics, Business and Society, we would like to question how ethics helps to make better decisions in a complex, changing, and complicated world such as the one especially faced by companies in these times.
