A Catechism for Business: Tough Ethical Questions & Insights from Catholic Teaching, Third Edition

edited by Andrew V. Abela and Joseph E. Capizzi
Catholic University of America Press, 2021
eISBN: 978-0-8132-3424-3, Paper: 978-0-8132-3423-6

ABOUT THIS BOOK
In the four years since the publication of the second edition of A Catechism for Business, Pope Francis' enormous contributions to spreading the good news of the gospel has led to his promulgation of two apostolic exhortations and now a new encyclical, Fratelli tutti, focusing on human fraternity and solidarity. The vibrant tradition of Catholic thinking on social issues is unparalleled in its capacity to help guide human beings towards individual and communal flourishing. The context of a world emerging from a pandemic and new challenges to Christian faith and practice beckon for a refreshed look at pressing questions. Editors Andrew Abela and Joseph Capizzi offer the updated third edition which will incorporate material from both of these apostolic exhortations and the new encyclical.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Introduction to the Third Edition
Introduction to the Second Edition
Introduction to the First Edition
1. Do we have a right to private property?
2. How should each person use his or her private property?
3. Does the state have a role in facilitating the universal destination of goods?
6. Does socialism fit with Catholic teaching?
7. Does capitalism fit with Catholic teaching?
8. What is the role of the state in the economy, and how should it perform this role?
9. What is the principle of subsidiarity, and what are its implications for the role of the State?
10. Is the State responsible for enforcing the principle of subsidiarity within the economy?
12. How do we overcome unjust economic structures?
13. Is reforming unjust economic structures sufficient to achieve economic justice?
14. Is the Church in favor of globalization?
15. Is there a spiritual significance to work?
16. Is Catholic teaching relevant to business management?
17. Will following Church teaching lead businesses to be less profitable?
18. What is the foundational principle of Catholic social doctrine?
20. How do we implement these principles when working with non-Catholics?
21. Does Catholic social teaching apply only at the level of principle, with the practical application always left to the laity?
23. Who bears responsibility for fulfilling the principles of Catholic social teaching?
24. What are the responsibilities of lay Catholics for fulfilling the principles of Catholic social teaching?
26. What specific responsibilities do lay people have within the economy?
28. What if we are forced (by law, or by company policy) to do something that is intrinsically evil (e.g., dispense contraceptive products)?
29. Does that mean that we can have absolutely no involvement with anything that has any evil aspect in business?
31. Is the main purpose of a business to make profit?
32. Is it morally acceptable to seek to maximize profit—in the sense of pursuing profit ahead of everything else?
33. Do we have a moral obligation to protect the capital that is entrusted to us as investment in our business?
35. How much of our own personal profits should we be willing to sacrifice in order to avoid or reduce layoffs during an economic downturn?
36. In deciding what capital investments to make, such as where to build a new manufacturing plant, should we take into account any other considerations beyond what is going to reap the most profit for the firm?
37. Are there any moral considerations when deciding whether to focus on shorter- or longer-term issues in finance?
39. What is a “just wage”?
40. An employee is not forced to take any particular job, so if he agrees to work for a specific wage, doesn’t that agreement make the wage just?
41. What factors should an employer consider to calculate just compensation for an employee?
42. Whose responsibility is it to see that a just wage is paid?
43. Is it moral to pay employees more than they could get elsewhere for the same work, for the sake of paying a living wage, if in doing so we would reduce the amount of profits that the firm would earn otherwise?
44. Should employers provide their firm’s employees with a share in the ownership of the company?
45. What compensation levels are appropriate for senior executives?
46. Should we take an employee’s personal circumstances into consideration when deciding his compensation (e.g., should a married man with a large family receive greater compensation than a single man, if both are doing exactly the same job)?
48. Is it morally acceptable to offer employees healthcare benefits that cover abortion or birth control?
50. Is it morally acceptable to extend spousal healthcare benefits to homosexual partners of our employees?
51. What general working conditions should be given to employees?
52. What obligations do we have to ensure the health and safety of our employees as they do their work, beyond the legal (e.g., U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970) requirements?
54. Beyond legal requirements, does an employer have an obligation to take into consideration a woman’s family life?
55. Do we have any obligation to make allowance for employees’ religious observances?
56. More specifically, do we have an obligation to allow employees Sundays off?
57. Should we make any special allowances for disabled employees?
58. Does the concept of subsidiarity have any relevance and practical implications for how much authority we delegate to junior staff?
59. How ought labor and management to conduct themselves in dealing with each other?
60. Do workers have a right to unionize?
61. What should be the role of labor unions?
62. Do workers have a right to strike?
64. Is it morally acceptable to lay off staff solely for the purposes of increasing profits and/or improving the company’s share price?
65. Is there anything wrong with laying off people and replacing them with technology, if this will improve product quality and profits?
66. Are there any moral limitations on what we can make and sell, or should we just let the market decide?
67. What criteria should we use to decide what kinds of products and services are morally acceptable?
68. Is it morally acceptable to be involved in the production or marketing of toys, video games, or movies that glorify violence or sexual promiscuity?
69. Is it morally acceptable to be involved in the production or marketing of tobacco products?
70. Is it morally acceptable to be involved in the gambling industry?
72. Is it morally acceptable to be involved in the abortion industry, either directly, or indirectly as a supplier?
74. Does Church teaching have relevance to advertising?
76. Is it morally acceptable in advertising to try to “create needs”: to appeal directly to consumers’ instincts?
77. Is it morally acceptable to use our advertising to attempt to make people feel inadequate if they don’t buy our product?
78. How can we use advertising in a morally acceptable way?
79. Is it morally acceptable to advertise children’s products directly to children?
80. Is it morally acceptable to use advertising to persuade teenagers that they will not be “cool” unless they use our product, particularly if this technique is proving to be very successful for our competitors?
81. Is it morally acceptable to use any kind of sexual imagery or innuendo in our advertising, particularly if we are in an industry (e.g., underwear, high fashion products, beer) where most or all of our competitors do so, and it seems to be required for
83. Is it morally acceptable to use members of the clergy or religious imagery to sell products?
85. Is it morally wrong to contribute to a culture of consumerism?
87. What is a just price, and do we have any moral obligation to offer goods at a just price?
88. May larger enterprises use their size to gain advantage over other businesses (e.g., through pricing practices)?
89. Is bluffing in negotiation morally acceptable, either to defend our position or to get a better deal?
91. May we sell any product or service to an organization that has intrinsically evil ends, e.g., printing services to an abortion clinic?
92. Is it wrong to target our products and services to certain groups of poorer or more vulnerable customers, where their relatively lower sophistication, lower education levels, and perhaps inability to get credit make them “captive,” and therefore more
94. Are there any moral obligations regarding a firm’s treatment of the environment, beyond following the law?
95. Is it morally acceptable to invest in technology that improves our treatment of the environment, if this is not required by law, does not improve our market position, and reduces the profits that would otherwise go to the firm’s owners?
97. Should food manufacturers have any concern about how animals are treated, beyond what is required by law (e.g., is breeding animals in close confinement acceptable)?
98. Is using animals for testing products morally acceptable?
100. May we subcontract our manufacturing to offshore manufacturers if there is some concern that they use child labor and/or maintain unsafe conditions for their workers?
101. What should we do if the only way to remain competitive is to subcontract our manufacturing offshore to contractors who are known to provide unsafe conditions for their workers?
102. To what extent should we focus our efforts on improving the lot of the workers we employ in developing countries, if this comes at the expense of our profits?
104. What considerations should we address when marketing consumer goods in developing countries?
105. Should healthcare workers refuse to participate in actions that are intentionally harmful to innocent life?
106. Is it morally permissible to be commercially involved with experiments on embryos or fetuses?
107. Is it morally permissible to be involved with (e.g., invest in) firms that are researching various methods of genetic manipulation to produce traits in children that are considered desirable?
108. Is it morally permissible to be involved with (e.g., invest in) firms that offer in vitro fertilization or artificial insemination?
111. What are the moral responsibilities of pharmaceutical companies and pharmacists?
112. Should we have any moral concerns about working in the media industry?
113. What are the responsibilities of those who work in the media?
114. In news media or advertisements may we present facts in such a way as to favor one view or product over another?
115. Are there any particular topics that we should be especially sensitive to when working in the media?
116. Are there any general themes that seem to occur throughout Church teaching about the responsibilities of Christians in business?
Index

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