Moral Leadership in Business ─ Towards a Business Culture of Integrity

This brief explores the concept of moral leadership in organizations. Specifically, it examines ways in which companies can strengthen their reputation in the market and increase performance by taking leading positions in the realm of business ethics. It presents research from top scholars of Eastern Europe contemplating the future of our global information and knowledge society. How will the economic power nexuses of the world shift in the foreseeable future? Are we becoming so interconnected and at the same time divided that social capital (together with business integrity and customer feedback) may matter more than money and resources? How will education and creativity bridge the shrinking gap between producers and consumers? Such questions and many more are tackled by this brief.

In the current global economy, we have never before been more tightly-knit and never before has it been easier to distribute goods as well as ideologies. However, in the global marketplace we are only as good as our word, or our reputation, proves to be. Integrity studies by Transparency International show a correlation between corruption and national threat and lists corruption among the most harmful factors to impact local and regional economies. Therefore, successful businesses cannot afford to simply remain materially successful; they have to consider their community impact and become moral leaders before they can be world leaders in their respective field.

Featuring innovative tools, recommendations, case studies and checklists, this brief will be of interest to students, academics, scholars, practitioners and policymakers alike in the fields of leadership, corporate governance, business ethics and corporate social responsibility.

Dr. Sebastian A. Vaduva is the current Dean of the Griffiths School of Management at the Emanuel University in Oradea, Romania, as well as a management scholar with numerous active ties, academic and entrepreneurial, in both Europe and the United States. He has developed various seminars on leadership and effective management on both micro- and macro-economic levels and is behind several programs intended to boost Romanian economy by drawing in international investors and business partners.

Dr. Victor T. Alistar is the CEO of Transparency International Romania, with a PhD in Law and Administration from the SNSPA (National School for Political and Administrative Studies) in Bucharest, Romania, where he also teaches. He has extensive experience in media communications and coordinating NGO projects, having also served as a ministerial delegate advising the Romanian Prime-Minister on governmental strategies, transparency and liaising with the civil society.

Dr. Andrew R. Thomas has conducted business in 120 countries on seven continents. A New York Times bestselling author, his books include Aviation Security Management: A Three-Volume Set, Air Rage: Crisis in the Skies and Aviation Insecurity: The New Challenges of Air Travel. He is founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Transportation Security. Often featured on Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, ABC, and other media outlets, he lectures on supply chain security issues around the world.

Dr. Calin D. Lupitu is a comparative literature and cultural studies scholar educated in Germany and the UK, with extensive practical training also as a translator and linguist. He teaches language and communication seminars at the Emanuel University of Oradea, where he is also enrolled in the Master’s program in Entrepreneurial Management (MBA).