Abstract
The Talmud, the compilation of Jewish oral law, is over 1500 years old and includes extensive discussions of business ethics. This paper presents four levels of ethical behavior in business gleaned from the words of the Talmud. At the lowest level, an individual is just barely inside the law; the highest level is “the way of the pious”. The author has attempted to relate the ethics in ancient business situations to business practices today.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Hershey H. Friedman is Professor of Marketing at Fordham University. In 1983 he received the Community Appreciation Award. Most of his publications have appeared in Journal of Advertising Research, Journal of Marketing and Public Policy, Journal of Applied Psychology, Decision Sciences, Akron Business and Economic Review, Journal of Statistical Computation and Simulation, Journal of Communication, and the Journal of Social Psychology.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Friedman, H.H. Ethical behavior in business: A hierarchical approach from the talmud. J Bus Ethics 4, 117–129 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00383564
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00383564