Personalmanagement als Problemfeld der Unternehmensethik.

The subject of business ethics receiving increased attention in society. A new moral dimension is gaining importance which seems to have had little clear meaning for doing business in the past. Business ethics deals with the behaviour and responsibilities of business organisations, and their effects on the internal and external stakeholders. In particular, the subject of an ethical Human Resource Management is often missing in the discussion on corporate social responsibility. On the contrary, HR Management (with its functions personal selection, appraisal, development, compensation and reduction of work force) has increasingly been seen from an economic perspective, thus aggravating ethical conflicts within the organisation. This paper argues from a perspective of discourse ethics in favour of a 'republican' concept of business ethics. Its procedural approach allows the representation of all involved parties without determining the specific content and outcome of the dialogue.