Ethics at the centre of global and local challenges: thoughts on the future of business ethics

To commemorate 40 years since the founding of the Journal of Business Ethics, the editors in chief of the journal have invitedthe editors to provide commentaries on the future of business ethics. This essay comprises a selection of commentariesaimed at creating dialogue around the theme Ethics at the centre of global and local challenges. For much of the history ofthe Journal of Business Ethics, ethics was seen within the academy as a peripheral aspect of business. However, in recentyears, the stakes have risen dramatically, with global and local worlds destabilized by financial crisis, climate change, inter-net technologies and artificial intelligence, and global health crises. The authors of these commentaries address these grandchallenges by placing business ethics at their centre. What if all grand challenges were framed as grand ethical challenges?Tanusree Jain, Arno Kourula and Suhaib Riaz posit that an ethical lens allows for a humble response, in which those withgreater capacity take greater responsibility but remain inclusive and cognizant of different voices and experiences. Focus-sing on business ethics in connection to the grand(est) challenge of environmental emergencies, Steffen Böhm introducesthe deceptively simple yet radical position that business is nature, and nature is business. His quick but profound side-stepfrom arguments against human–nature dualism to an ontological undoing of the business–nature dichotomy should have allbusiness ethics scholars rethinking their “business and society” assumptions. Also, singularly concerned with the climateemergency, Boudewijn de Bruin posits a scenario where, 40 years from now, our field will be evaluated by its ability to havehelped humanity emerge from this emergency. He contends that Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth) v. Royal Dutch Shellillustrates how human rights take centre stage in climate change litigation, and how business ethics enters the courtroom.From a consumer ethics perspective, Deirdre Shaw, Michal Carrington and Louise Hassan argue that ecologically sustain-able and socially just marketplace systems demand cultural change, a reconsideration of future interpretations of “consumersociety”, a challenge to the dominant “growth logic” and stimulation of alternative ways to address our consumption needs.Still concerned with global issues, but turning attention to social inequalities, Nelarine Cornelius links the capability approach(CA) to global and corporate governance, arguing that CA will continue to lie at the foundation of human development policy,and, increasingly, CSR and corporate governance. Continuing debate on the grand challenges associated with justice andequality, Laurence Romani identifies a significant shift in the centrality of business ethics in debates on managing (cultural)differences, positing that dialogue between diversity management and international management can ground future debatein business ethics. Finally, the essay concludes with a commentary by Charlotte Karam and Michelle Greenwood on the pos-sibilities of feminist-inspired theories, methods, and positionality for many spheres of business ethics, not least stakeholdertheory, to broaden and deepen its capacity for nuance, responsiveness, and transformation. In the words of our commentators,grand challenges must be addressed urgently, and the Journal of Business Ethics should be at the forefront of tackling them.