IESE Insight
Catholic social teaching
Date: 08/2011
Author(s): Melé Carné, Domènec
Document type: Chapter
Areas: Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
Languages: English
Bibliographic citation: Melé Carné, Domènec, "Catholic social teaching". In: L. Bouckaert, L. Zsolnai. Handbook of Spirituality and Business. UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. pp 118 - 128

This chapter presents significant insights into Catholic teachings on spirituality and ethics for business, whose main reference is Jesus Christ. Catholic Social Teaching (CST) includes notions, values, principles, criteria and guidelines that support a Christian humanism for business and management. CST stresses the high dignity of each person and a vision of the business firm as a community of persons oriented to serving the common good. Human work should be central within a business firm. This leads to respect for workers' rights and to a work organization which fosters human development. Consumers' rights, stewardship of the natural environment and human ecology are also emphasized by these teachings.

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