Papers

Laszlo Zsolnai ‘The Responsibility of Scientists.’ Magyar Tudomány, 2001, vol.182, no. 3, pp. 425-427 This Hungarian essay discusses the prospective (future oriented) responsibility of scientists related to the various stakeholders affected by the application of their scientific results. It uses negative examples from business and management sciences including the agency theory and shareholder value maximization theory. It suggests the scientists should avoid focusing on wrongly defined problems and should take ethical criteria seriously. The Responsibility of Scientists

Laszlo Zsolnai and Mike Thompson ‘The Call for Responsible Research in Business and Management.’ , in Responsible Research for Better Business, ed. Laszlo Zsolnai and Mike Thompson, Palgrave, London, 2020. Theories greatly influence business and management practices. In his seminal work the late London Business School professor Sumantra Ghoshal (2005) warned that bad management theories are destroying good management practices. Similarly, good management theories may help to bring forth new and better business practices. The Call for Responsible… Read More »The Call for Responsible Research in Business and Management

Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Identifying and Solving the Right Problem by Using Multidimensional Systems Thinking.’ , in Responsible Research for Better BusinessLaszlo Zsolnai, Palgrave, London, 2020. It is a serious failure of business and management researchers when they solve the wrong problem precisely. This means that their problem formulation is inadequate which may lead to disastrous consequences for the well-being of the stakeholders. To avoid substantive failures in problem solving business and management scholars should reconsider the basic assumptions of… Read More »Identifying and Solving the Right Problem by Using Multidimensional Systems Thinking

Paul Shrivastava, Laszlo Zsolnai, David Wasieleski, Mark Stafford-Smith, Thomas Walker, Olaf Weber, Cary Krosinsky, & David Oram ‘Finance and Management for the Anthropocene.’ Organization & Environment, 2019, vol.32, no. 1, pp. 26-40 The Anthropocene era is characterized by a pronounced negative impact of human and social activities on natural ecosystems. To the extent finance, economics and management underlie human social activities, we need to reassess these fields and their role in achieving global sustainability. This article briefly presents… Read More »Finance and Management for the Anthropocene

Laszlo Zsolnai, & Bernadette Flanagan ‘Spirituality in society and the professions.’ , in The Routledge International Handbook of Spirituality in Society and the Professions., eds. Laszlo Zsolnai, and Bernadette Flanagan, Routledge, London and New York, 2019. Increasingly it is being recognized that spirituality is an aspect in almost every sphere and aspect of social life, especially in the context of crises and vulnerabilities. It appears in humanity’s dealing with nature, home and community, healing, economics and business, knowledge,… Read More »Spirituality in society and the professions

Luk Bouckaert, & Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Spirituality in economics and business.’ , in The Routledge International Handbook of Spirituality in Society and the Professions, eds. Laszlo Zsolnai, and Bernadette Flanagan, Routledge, London and New York, 2019. Economics and business need a more spiritual foundation to solve their ethical, social and ecological problems. Spirituality as an inner experience of deep interconnectedness with all living beings opens a space of distance from the pressures of the market and the routines of… Read More »Spirituality in economics and business

Bernadette Flanagan, & Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Inter-spirituality and the renewal of social practices.’ , in The Routledge International Handbook of Spirituality in Society and the Professions, eds. Laszlo Zsolnai, and Bernadette Flanagan, Routledge, London and New York, 2019. This concluding essay seeks to highlight some important insights in a small selection of essays in this Routledge International Handbook of Spirituality and Society, for the purpose of outlining the horizons which will draw the study of spirituality forward into the future.… Read More »Inter-spirituality and the renewal of social practices

Peter Pruzan, & Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Spiritual Transformation in Management.’ Journal of Management, Spirituality and Religion, 2019, vol.16, no. 2, pp. 221-230 The paper covers Peter Pruzan’s personal and professional journey described as “From Optimization to Transformation – My Path to the Wellspring of Rationality, Morality and Spirituality”.  This journey also took Professor Pruzan from USA to Denmark and India. Spiritual Transformation in Management

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