Behavioral Business Ethics as a Method for Normative Business Ethics

This paper aims at discussing the role of behavioral business ethics as a methodological approach that is valuable for the construction of a robust normative foundation for business ethics. In particular, we will focus on experiments Ðand, to a lesser extent, surveys, field research, and even the study of cognitive and neural mechanismsÐ as a research method suitable to improve our appraisal and knowledge of the prescriptive side of business ethics. We contend that there are two basic gains from the use of experimental methods in normative business ethics. First, we can improve the psychological realism of normative theory -this goes hand in hand with supporting the new paradigm of the organization, based on a more realistic view of human agency. Second, we can experimentally check some theoretical assumptions about moral reasoning, thus providing quasi-empirical support (or falsification) for particular normative theories.