ABSTRACT
This chapter brings together the seemingly divergent topics of business, law, ethics and music. It articulates a way for business, as aided by the structures of law and ethics, to be an instrument of peace, and further proposes that music can constructively enhance the power, range and tone of that instrument. In advancing these arguments, the chapter follows a transitivity of concepts: that is, businesses that adhere to legal and ethical principles can foster peace; music and other cultural artifacts can foster ethical and legal business behavior; therefore, music and culture can foster social harmony and lay the foundations of peace. This ordering, and its underlying logic, forms the chapter’s normative core. To support it, four moves are made. First, the longstanding literature demonstrating the connection between business and peace is synthesized and linked to an emerging one suggesting that cultural artifacts – music, film, sports, the arts – can play a role in peacemaking. Second, the internal workings of businesses are explored to reveal their peacebuilding capabilities, which are shown both theoretically and empirically along a three-part, trust-focused law and ethics continuum. Third, the notion of Good Trust, the most valued kind of trust in business, is considered in the context of music. Here, the symbiotic relationship between Good Trust and music is demonstrated, indicating that music can foster a level of trust that creates peace. Fourth, objections to music’s role in business and peace are considered and overcome. As the first to sketch the terrain of this new landscape, the chapter offers a compelling articulation of a novel area of academic inquiry and calls for future research at the intersection of business, law, ethics, music and other cultural foundations of peace.
