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An Introduction to the Philosophy of Management
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An Introduction to the Philosophy of Management



April 2013 | 176 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
What and who is business for? What exactly is work and how can we distinguish it from other activity? Do businesses operate along different ethical lines from individuals?

This clear and accessible text introduces key philosophical concepts and ideas and applies them to fundamental issues in management and organizations. Written for business and management students with no previous knowledge of philosophy, this text will lead readers to question the basic assumptions widely made about business and management.

An Introduction to the Philosophy of Management is packed with case studies and examples which provoke thought and discussion. Coverage includes crucial topics such as business ethics, culture and leadership.

Key features:

- Boxed definitions of key concepts

- Real life case studies and examples

- Questions for Reflection

- Further reading

This text is essential reading for any business and management student wanting to think creatively.

 

 
INTRODUCTION
 
PART ONE: THE 'WHAT' OF MANAGEMENT
 
What Are Organisations?
 
Workers and Work
 
Leading in Organisations
 
PART TWO: THINKING AND KNOWING ABOUT MANAGEMENT
 
Questioning Our Knowledge about Management
 
Knowledge in Management - Some Answers
 
Contexts of Knowledge in Organisations
 
PART THREE: WHAT TO DO? MAKING DECISIONS AND ACTING ETHICALLY IN MANAGEMENT
 
Individual and Organisational Action
 
Theories of Business Ethics
 
Business and Society
 
CONCLUSION

'This innovative text offers a radically different approach to understanding the core management issues of today. I thoroughly recommend this book to all students of management'
A/Prof Mark Dibben
Head of the School of Management at the University of Tasmania, Australia


'Finally, a book that explores the important philosophical questions in management theory in a sophisticated and modern way. Griseri's book will help define an important field of management theory'
R. Edward Freeman
the Darden School, University of Virginia, USA


'This is a welcome, long overdue, groundbreaking textbook, at the intersection of modern organisational life with perennial philosophical debates on existence, knowledge, values, and human action....Anchored in solid logical foundations, this book invites us on a challenging journey from epistemologies of organising to meanings of work and principles of collective action, using the work of classical and modern thinkers - such as Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, Foucault'
Dr Cristina Neesham
Department of Management, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia


'This book is skillfully directed at invoking a wide audience to re-explore key issues such as: What is work or what can we 'know' about organisational life? The book is carefully built up by posing questions and offering deliberations from different angles - thereby activating our own processes of reflection'
Norma RA Romm
Research Professor, College of Education, University of South Africa, South Africa

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter 1


Paul Griseri

Paul Griseri has worked in management and business education for over twenty five years, and has taught philosophically related subjects to business students at all levels - from pre-undergraduate through to doctoral levels.  He has a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Kent, and Postgraduate Diplomas in Management and Human Resource Management. Paul has published several books applying philosophical ideas in business contexts, and is currently the Managing Editor of the journal Philosophy of Management. More About Author

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ISBN: 9781446246979
£36.99
ISBN: 9781446246962
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