Human Flourishing and the Firm

'Bernacchio and Couch offer a compelling neo-Aristotelian framework for business, challenging conventional views of the firm and market efficiency. They argue that human flourishing, not mere profit or Pareto efficiency, should be the ultimate aim. This requires embedding the virtues and practical wisdom in organizational strategy and fostering stakeholder deliberation. This work 'cracks the code' on how to connect virtue ethics to strategy and corporate governance.' Alejo José Sison Galsim, University Professor, Universidad de Navarra 'This excellent book offers a distinctive account of business ethics based on the novel concept of 'eudaimonic efficiency'. In so doing, it demonstrates the value of an Aristotelian perspective for understanding the ethics of the marketplace.' Matthew Sinnicks, University of Southampton 'This is a book I have long been waiting for: to make a robust argument in defense of neo-Aristotelian virtue ethics not only in the context of the firm but, more broadly, in the context of the market economy, by placing virtue at the heart of human agency. Bernacchio and Couch do not narrowly address business ethics per se, but they richly suggest ways in which ne-Aristotelian approaches helps us reconceive the firm, strategy and the market economy at large, in ways that place human flourishing at the center. This is no small accomplishment, and it is exactly what we need: to make ethical thinking integral to business and, critically, to theoretical reflection about business. The book is an intellectual feast for the philosophically inclined management and organizational scholars. Invariably illuminating, it engages with several rival perspectives, offering conceptually integrative, robust and original arguments. This is a major contribution.' Haridimos Tsoukas, University of Cyprus & University of Warwick