The massive introduction of artificial intelligence has triggered significant societal concerns, ranging from “technological unemployment” and the dominance of algorithms in the work place and in everyday life, among others. While AI is made by humans and is, therefore, dependent on the latter for its purpose, the increasing capabilities of AI to carry out productive activities for humans can lead the latter to unwitting slavish existence. This has become evident, for example, in the area of social media use, where AI (...) programmers tie psychology and persuasion to the human social need for approval and validation in ways that few users can resist. We argue that AI should serve humans with humans as masters and not the other way around. Moreover, we propose that virtue ethics might play a role to solidify the human as master of AI and guard against the alternative of AI as the master. (shrink)

In line with its institutional commitments and in order to strengthen the relevance of its business education program in addressing the persistent social challenges facing the Philippines, Mission University revised its Master of Business Administration curriculum in 2012. A core change in the curriculum was the incorporation of action research training and the requirement for graduation of implementing and defending an action research project. The introduction of action research, which is based on critical realist philosophy of science, was intended to (...) enable the university’s MBA graduates to become reflexive and humanistic agents of change in their work contexts through the application of observation, critical reflection, collaborative analysis and action and scholarly skills. The implementation of the action research requirement is beginning to yield positive results based on the types of projects implemented by the students and their resulting sense of efficacy in the workplace. Challenges in implementation include the need to further hone student skills in pursuing more emancipatory projects and the need to further orient faculty in the critical realist philosophy underlying action research, as distinct from traditional positivism. (shrink)

The Philippines, a Southeast Asian archipelago, has a rich cultural history shaped by influences from Hindu empires, Spanish colonization, American governance, and brief Japanese occupation. The country operates under a democratic system based on the 1987 Constitution, with Filipino and English as its official languages. Despite economic growth since 1999, challenges such as poverty, corruption, and natural disasters persist. The business sector, historically focused on profit, has shown a gradual shift towards social responsibility, as reflected in evolving corporate governance practices (...) and ethical entrepreneurship. A significant body of literature now emphasizes the role of business in poverty alleviation, corporate governance, Catholic social thought, environmental sustainability, and humanistic management. Recent studies also highlight the influence of virtue ethics and Catholic teachings on corporate practices. The teaching of business ethics in the Philippines has increasingly focused on social responsibility, good governance, and aligning business practices with sustainability goals. Moving forward, major ethical issues for businesses include artificial intelligence, environmental sustainability, economic inequality, and the need for ethical leadership. Business ethics research and pedagogy have made significant strides, though further integration of local cultural perspectives and more effective education on persistent challenges is essential. (shrink)