Paper's abstract

Alain Anquetil, Behavior in a company : social dilemmas and ethical climates
One cannot deal with the ethics of behavior in a company without scrutinizing the practical effects of the social dilemmas its members are faced with. In this context of interactive structures, professionals wishing to act in a ethical way may be obliged to violate moral rules, for example in a situation of bribery. When the social dilemma cannot be eliminated, such a violation could, under certain circumstances, be allowed. On the other hand, despite the constraints they impose onto agents, some social dilemmas may contribute to the development of ethical climates inside organizations. They may even provide a solution for the most difficult social dilemmas that companies encounter. However, one can doubt it may be substituted to legal and political solutions.

Key Words : immoral acts, social dilemma, prisonner's dilemma, business ethics
tome 55, 2012 : p. 189-206