ABSTRACT
Business ethics was still the new kid on the block in business academics and business schools not too long ago. It started as a field where scholars initially employed philosophical concepts and tools that analyzed economics, business and ethics. In addressing the issues of morality of capitalism, cognitive limitations and cultural ignorance, business ethics later evolved to include both normative and empirical inquiries in various models: the normative frameworks, the cognitive and psychological aspects of decision-making, the purpose of the firm and social responsibility and the moral obligations in an international context. What is paramount for a moral economic future, according to Wharton ethicist Thomas Donaldson, is realigning business and values; the conception of business ethics is a necessary component in the transformation of private attitudes and mores.
How does music contribute to business ethics? Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) was quoted as saying that “[m]usic is indeed the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life.”* If business ethics is about living a moral life that leads to responsible business, music is about forming characters, as recognized in both Eastern and Western philosophy, and evoking emotions. There has also been a growing recognition of the relationship between ethics and emotions, music and emotion, and ethics and music in interdisciplinary studies. That indicates that music may have a transformation role in business ethics.
