Hans De Geer – författare

Business ethics is increasingly paid attention to in the public debate. The rapid changes in business conditions, due to changing institutions, changing markets and new means of communication in business, call for a renewal of the discussion of ethics and morality in business life. Among many other things, the questions of equality of race, religion and gender, of environmental conditions for sustainable industrial growth and the necessity to supply meaningful jobs for the young generation call for eth­ ical consideration as an integrated part of the decision-making processes in business and society. The number of corporations and firms and of public bodies, that have written ethical codes and other instituted means of enhancing corporate ethics, is increasing. Business schools all around the world include business ethics in their curriculum. In this development scholars from different academic fields have con­ tributions to make. The interest in business ethics is not restricted to ethi­ cists and economists. Also researchers from other areas, like sociology, of its history and theology, join in the efforts. As an academic discipline own, if it is to be regarded as such, business ethics is a remarkably crea­ tive arena for exchange of ideas from different comers of the learned world. It is now our task to develop this sometimes confusing blend into a useful resource for the further moralising debate.

Business ethics is increasingly paid attention to in the public debate. The rapid changes in business conditions, due to changing institutions, changing markets and new means of communication in business, call for a renewal of the discussion of ethics and morality in business life. Among many other things, the questions of equality of race, religion and gender, of environmental conditions for sustainable industrial growth and the necessity to supply meaningful jobs for the young generation call for eth­ ical consideration as an integrated part of the decision-making processes in business and society. The number of corporations and firms and of public bodies, that have written ethical codes and other instituted means of enhancing corporate ethics, is increasing. Business schools all around the world include business ethics in their curriculum. In this development scholars from different academic fields have con­ tributions to make. The interest in business ethics is not restricted to ethi­ cists and economists. Also researchers from other areas, like sociology, of its history and theology, join in the efforts. As an academic discipline own, if it is to be regarded as such, business ethics is a remarkably crea­ tive arena for exchange of ideas from different comers of the learned world. It is now our task to develop this sometimes confusing blend into a useful resource for the further moralising debate.

Historien om det statliga monopolbolaget Vin&Sprit tog sin början i ett ambitiöst nykterhetspolitiskt program på initiativ av nykterhetsivraren Ivan Bratt. Spritcentralen, som bolaget hette till en början, var under större delen av 1900-talet det enda bolag i Sverige som fick tillverka, importera och distribuera rusdrycker. Under senare delen av 1900-talet lyckades bolaget genomföra en enastående resa på en internationell marknad – med Absolut Vodka som motor.Denna historia – om alkoholbolaget som svenska staten sålde och franska Pernod Ricard köpte – är skriven av historikern Hans De Geer. Samma författare har även skildrat historien om en annan svensk monopolmarknad – i boken Statens spel. Båda böckerna har tillkommit i samarbete med Centrum för Näringslivshistoria, där De Geer under lång tid varit styrelseledamot och senior advisor.