Ethics and Consultancy: European Perspectives

The present volume in a series of books produced from European Business Eth­ ics Network (EBEN) conferences in Europe, is a compilation of plenary speeches and papers presented at the 1993 EBEN conference in Oslo, Norway. The theme of this year's conference was "The Use of Consultancy: Ethical Demands and Require­ ments" and there was a special focus on Eastern Europe. Of over 40 papers present­ ed at the conference from 165 participants representing 23 countries, we present here 20 selected by the editors as providing an overview of the latest thinking from both academicians and practitioners on the subject of ethics in consulting. Due to strict constraints on space in this volume, several valuable papers presented at the conference must be published elsewhere. We have also tried to maintain the unique flavor of the papers by authors whose mother tongue is not English. The consulting profession is booming in Europe, both in the West and in the for­ mer Communist Bloc countries. However, it has not previously been subjected to rigorous scrutiny from the ethical point of view. The conference planning commit­ tee thus sought to put the spotlight on the spreading phenomenon of buying and selling consultancy services within the European Union, within Europe and with the new Eastern Europe. The conference addressed several ethical challenges facing either the buyers or providers of consultancy services in both the private and public sectors.

I Ethics and Consulting.- 1 Reflections on the Suspension of Ethics: Managers and Consultants as Manipulators.- 2 The Use of Consultancy - Ethical Demands and Requirements.- 3 Ethics and Interventions in Business: Moral Issues in Consulting and Economic Systems Design.- 4 Consultancy in the EU Arena.- 5 Ethical Issues in Consultancy.- II General Issues.- 6 Management Consultants - The Danish Experience.- 7 Nepotism, Politics and Ethics in the Purchase of Organizational Consultancy Services - Two European Cases.- 8 Occasional Ethical Consultancy.- 9 “Advise Us What To Do; Decide For Us” The Impact of Hidden Agendas in the Consultancy Process.- III Special Areas.- 10 Government Agencies and Consultancy - A Norwegian Perspective.- 11 Ethical Issues in Executive Search Consultancy.- 12 Organizational Ethics Consulting in the Health Care Environment: A Look at a US Children’s Medical Center.- 13 Consultants’ Roles and Responsibilities: Lessons From Public Relations in Germany.- IV Actual Ethical Issues of Consulting Services in Post-Communist Countries.- 14 Actual Ethical Issues of Consulting Services in Post-Communist Countries.- 15 Case Studies on Consultancy Issues in the Age of Economic Transition in Hungary.- 16 Situational Ethics in Consulting: The Case of Slovenia.- V Concluding Issues.- 17 The Dilemmas of Business Ethics Courses.- 18 Business Ethics versus Ethics in Business?.- 19 Philosophers as Consultants.- 20 The Consultant-Client Relationship: Personal Autonomy and Development Through Dialogue.