Publications

In the international workshop “Virtues and Vices in Economics and Business” held at the Institute of Philosophy of Catholic University of Leuven in June 19-20, 2015 in Leuven, Belgium Laszlo Zsolnai presented a paper on Prudence in Management and Economic Wisdom. He started with the definition of wisdom developed by psychologist Robert J. Sternberg as „the application of successful intelligence and creativity toward the common good through a balancing of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and extrapersonal interests over the… Read More »Prudence in Management and Economic Wisdom

The paper “Spiritually-inspired Creativity in Business” by Katalin Illes and Laszlo Zsolnai was presented in the World Congress on “Spirituality and Creativity in Management: Challenges for the Future” held in April 23-25, 2015 in Barcelona, Catalonia. The paper argues that spiritually-inspired creative business models are needed to overcome the instrumental rationality and extreme materialistic orientation of today’s business management which produces large scale ecological, social and ethical „ills”. The authors believe that business management needs a spiritual… Read More »Spiritually-inspired Creativity in Business

Laszlo Zsolnai gave a keynote lecture on “Happiness and Liberation: Economics Beyond Self” at the International Happiness Day conference on March 20, 2015 at the University of Turin in Italy. (VIS_Conference_2015.pdf) He discussed the conception of happiness in Aristotle and Buddhism and emphasized the importance of spirituality in achieving lasting happiness. He also explored the ways of liberation in contemporary economic context. He suggested that liberation in economic life may involve different strategies. The most… Read More »Happiness and Liberation: Economics Beyond Self

The paper “Social Innovation and Social Development” by Knut Ims and Laszlo Zsolnai has been presented at the The Eight Transatlantic Business Ethics Conference (TABEC) held at the Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA on October 23-25, 2014. The authors criticized the business models of the Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) approach, arguing that the success of BoP businesses will finally be limited because they do not transcend the logic of mainstream, materialistic… Read More »Social Innovation and Social Development

Laszlo Zsolnai made a presentation on „Spirituality and Biodiversity Management” in the „Leaders in Biodiversity Conservation: Botanic Gardens in the 21st Century” conference at Concordia University in October 23-25, 2014 in Montreal, Canada. He argued that biodiversity is an intrinsic value and can be preserved if we go beyond the materialistic and instrumental mindset of economics by embracing spirituality and non-material values. Spirituality and Biodiversity Management

Laszlo Zsolnai was keynote speaker in the Creating Sustainable Organizations: Ethics, Economics and Well-Being conference at the Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba in September 25-26, 2014 in Winnipeg, Canada. One of his lecture was about „Trajectories of Transition toward Ecological Sustainability” while his other lecture was about „Economic Rationality versus Socio-Ecological Reason”. Creating Sustainable Organizations – The Importance of Wellbeing Creating Sustainable Organizations

Laszlo Zsolnai presented his paper „Human Reason in the Age of Economic Unreason” at the International Workshop on “Teleology and Reason in Economic and Social Affairs” at the Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford, June 30 – July 1, 2014. The paper analyses the rationality assumptions of mainstream economics and shows that they are empirically misleading and normatively inadequate. It argues that the world ruled by self-interest based rationality of economic actors leads to ’unreason’ from… Read More »Human Reason in the Age of Economic Unreason

Laszlo Zsolnai gave a faculty lecture on Trajectories of Transition toward Ecological Sustainability at ESC Rennes School of Business on April 24, 2014. He argued that competitiveness oriented business practices are incompatible with ecological sustainability and human well-being because they do not know ecological limits and ethical principles. Community-based economic activities aiming at sufficiency and frugality are more promising for creating a sustainable world. Trajectories of Transition toward Ecological Sustainability

Laszlo Zsolnai was lecturing at the “Should we get rid of CSR?” international seminar at the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management on February 18, 2014. He argued that the opportunistic use of ethics is counter-productive for business because It is perceived as cheating by the stakeholders who will react accordingly. Ethics brings material benefits for companies if and only if it is not used to produce material gains. If we want to get closer to… Read More »From CSR to Collaborative Enterprise

On November 27, 2013 Laszlo Zsolnai gave a faculty lecture at the Institute of Environmental Sciences of Corvinus University of Budapest on the perverse effects ofecessive executive compensation. He argued that one-dimensional economic incentives may destroy existential, social, and ecological values that influence the manager’s commitment to ensure responsible business conduct, and have negative spillover effects that may reduce the manager’s performance. How Economic Incentives Destroy Values