ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces a range of ethics theories and highlights some implications for HRM practice. First, it is suggested that ethical absolutist notions such as the common good, human rights and duty offer useful, if ambivalent, lenses through which ethically charged HRM issues might be evaluated. Then, some ethical merits of challenging conventional morality, upholding individual autonomy and encouraging proximity are considered under the heading of ethical relativism. It is suggested that all these absolutist and relativist themes provide a certain amount of ethical legitimation for participative workplace decision-making. However, a far more explicit endorsement of participation is offered by discourse ethics, which is elaborated in the third section under the heading of intersubjectivist theory. Lastly, the insights of discourse ethics are used as a basis for evaluating the ethically legitimating potential of various forms of employee voice.
