ABSTRACT
Defining what a business leader understands by ethical values will always be the beginning of his or her human centered management. "Value" and "virtue" are extremely broad terms, whatever the setting – business organizations, government authorities, non-profit institutions or the military. Volkswagen not only has an ethics code, but the company is also a signatory of various voluntary commitments such as the Forum for Sustainable Development of German Business and the Wittenberg Center Code of Responsible Conduct for Business. Madsen and Shafritz, like many others, are critical of the impact of ethics codes on important business decisions. Businesses have to tackle the issue of corrupt institutions whenever they approach countries with low moral standards, as mirrored in the Corruption Perceptions Index. Corruption is the worst scenario of immorality in business. The chapter shows how that can shape a consensus on values, and American values.
