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Social Categories and Business Ethics

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  • Messick, David M.

Abstract

In this article, I want to draw attention to one strand of the complex web of processes that are involved when people group others, including themselves, into social categories. I will focus on the tendency to treat members of one’s own group more favorably than nonmembers, a tendency that has been called ingroup favoritism. The structure of the article has three parts. First I will offer an evolutionary argument as to why ingroup favoritism, or something very much like it, is required by theories of the evolution of altruism. I will then review some of the basic social psychological research findings dealing with social categorization generally, and ingroup favoritism specifically. Finally, I will examine two problems in business ethics from the point of view of ingroup favoritism to suggest ways in which social psychological principles and findings may be mobilized to help solve problems of racial or gender discrimination in business contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Messick, David M., 1998. "Social Categories and Business Ethics," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 8(S1), pages 149-172, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:buetqu:v:8:y:1998:i:s1:p:149-172_12
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    Cited by:

    1. Lívia Markoczy & Sunny Li Sun & Jigao Zhu, 2020. "Few Women on Boards: What’s Identity Got to Do With It?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 165(2), pages 311-327, August.
    2. Edwin Hartman, 2009. "Principles and Hypernorms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 88(4), pages 707-716, October.
    3. Thomas Begley & Naresh Khatri & Eric Tsang, 2010. "Networks and cronyism: A social exchange analysis," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 27(2), pages 281-297, June.
    4. Rosanna Garcia & Daniel W. Baack, 2023. "The Invisible Racialized Minority Entrepreneur: Using White Solipsism to Explain the White Space," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 188(3), pages 397-418, December.
    5. Domènec Melé, 2012. "The Firm as a “Community of Persons”: A Pillar of Humanistic Business Ethos," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 106(1), pages 89-101, March.

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