Publications

Eleanor O’Higgins, & Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Progressive Business as Social Business Innovation .’ The Journal of the Macau Ricci Institute , 2018, vol.1, no. 2 This paper presents a series of brief case studies of exemplary companies identified as progressive businesses, understood as ecologically sustainable, future-respecting and pro-social enterprises. These companies follow progressive business practices and embrace social innovation methods in their business models. They represent a range of industries including ethical and sustainable banking, artisan coffee production and distribution,… Read More »Progressive Business as Social Business Innovation

Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Franciscan Spirituality and Economics .’ Religions , 2018, vol.9, no. 10, pp. 288-294 St. Francis was hostile to money and material wealth. He was also against exploitation or misuse of natural creatures and promoted voluntary poverty, sharing, and universal brotherhood. This paper examines the implications of St. Francis’s views for economics. It is argued that St. Francis’s views imply the substantive notion of the term “economic” and favor material sufficiency instead of financial efficiency. Pope Francis’s encyclical… Read More »Franciscan Spirituality and Economics

Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Ecologically Conscious Leadership: Spiritual Convictions that Achieve Sustainability.’ Graziadio Business Review, 2017, vol.20, no. 3 The paper argues that spiritual convictions may help business leaders to develop ecological consciousness required for achieving sustainability in business functioning. This article presents cases of ecologically conscious business leadership from the USA, Europe, and India that produced unique sustainability innovations, and discusses the role of ecological consciousness in creating business organizations that serve the flourishing of life on Earth. Ecologically… Read More »Ecologically Conscious Leadership: Spiritual Convictions that Achieve Sustainability

Eleanor O’Higgins, & Laszlo Zsolnai ‘What is Progressive Business?’ , in Progressive Business Models: Creating Sustainable and Pro-social Enterprise, eds. Eleanor O’Higgins, and Laszlo Zsolnai, Palgrave-Macmillan, London, 2017. The paper offers an overview of the need for new more progressive business models than the mainstream which exists at present, identifying the current challenges facing business in Europe and beyond in its international ramifications. To remedy these challenges, the paper presents an alternative vision of progressive business functioning, whose… Read More »What is Progressive Business?

Eleanor O’Higgins, & Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Future of Business.’ , in Progressive Bsuiness Models: Creating Sustainable and Pro-social Enterprise, eds. Eleanor O’Higgins, and Laszlo Zsolnai, Palgrave-Macmillan, London, 2017. The papers argues that the future of business highly depends on its ability to renew its business models. The key problem is the nature, form and scale of business operations. The business models of today’s mainstream business do not fit in the reality of the biosphere. Business models vary but almost… Read More »Future of Business

Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Ecological Economics in the Anthropocene.’ Ecological Economics, 2017, vol. 139, pp. 158-159 This is a review of  the book “Ecological Economics for the Athropocene” (Peter G. Brown, Peter Timmerman (Eds.). Columbia University Press, New York, 2015). The book has developed a newand engaging vision and research program for ecological economics. Tones of work must still be done, but the ethical foundation the book proposes is robust. In fact, it is key to creating a more… Read More »Ecological Economics in the Anthropocene

Laszlo Zsolnai, & Katalin Illes ‘Spirituality-inspired Creativity in Business.’ International Journal of Social Economics, 2017, vol.44, no. 2, pp. 195-205 The paper investigates the relation of spirituality and creativity in business context. It  presents practical examples of spiritual-based creative business models in different faith traditions (Hinduism, Christianity and Anthroposophy).  The authors argue that spirituality and a deep sense of connectedness are essential to enhance creativity and care in business. Spirituality creates free space and openness to allow the… Read More »Spirituality-inspired Creativity in Business

Peter Kardos, Bernhard Leidner, Laszlo Zsolnai, & Emanuele Castano ‘The Effect of the Belief in Free Market Ideology on Redressing Corporate Injustice.’ European Journal of Social Psychology, 2016 Many people in the major Western economies (e.g., United States, UK, and Germany) subscribe to free market ideology (FMI),which claims that institutional oversight of the market is unnecessary for public reaction can force corporations to regulate their own behavior. The question then becomes how people’s belief in FMI affects… Read More »The Effect of the Belief in Free Market Ideology on Redressing Corporate Injustice

Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm and Live with Themselves by Albert Bandura.’ Business Ethics Quarterly, 2016 Bandura discovered a number of psycho-social mechanisms by which moral control can be selectively disengaged from detrimental conduct. These mechanisms of moral disengagement enable otherwise considerate people to commit transgressive acts without experiencing personal distress and guilt. People “fool themselves” in order to “fool others”. In his book Bandura extensively documents how moral disengagement mechanisms are at work… Read More »Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm and Live with Themselves by Albert Bandura

Madhumita Chatterji, & Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Questions and Themes in Ethics and Leadership.’ , in Ethical Leadership. Indian and European Spiritual Approaches., eds. Madhumita Chatterji, and Laszlo Zsolnai, Palgrave-Macmillan, 2016. The exchange of ideas between India and Europe about economics and politics dates back centuries. The most important figures in this regard include John Ruskin, Leo Tolstoy, Rabindranath Tagore and M.K. Gandhi. However, the modern India-Europe dialogue on the spiritual and ethical basis of management and leadership started in the late 20th century. The authors… Read More »Questions and Themes in Ethics and Leadership