Hard Like Water

Hard Like Water represents a uniquely Canadian, and international, perspective in a field largely dominated by US writers. The book is designed to show how ethical and social values are operative in business, both in North America and internationally. It is written in a simple easy-to-read style, and eschews technical jargon. The book is designed to help both students and business people to understand how ethics can help solve business problems. While critical of morally unacceptable business practices, Hard Like Water accepts that good business practices are ethically legitimate. To help show this a "core ethic" is introduced, that helps the student to link a few, familiar "core values": care for life; welfare; honest communication; and civil rights. These values are supplemented by five performance maxims: do not harm; solve the problem; enable informed choice; act, learn, improve; and seek the common good. These maxims are only guidelines - there is no rule book for good conduct, for performance is complex and dynamic. Hard Like Water shows the extent to which ethical values penetrate into business. To this end each chapter moves from old tales about amorel or unethical business practice to new tales about ethical values in business. "Old Tales" are illustrated by examples such as the fall of the Barings Bank, breast implants, the tobacco industry, the Westray mine, Shell Oil in Nigeria, etc. "New Tales" are illustrated by companies that integrate ethical and business values, firms such as Falconbridge, Hewlett-Packard, The Body Shop, and many more.