Dresp, Birgitta, Laboratoire des sciences de l'ingénieur, de l'informatique et de l'imagerie (ICube), Institut National des Sciences Appliquées - Strasbourg (INSA Strasbourg), Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École Nationale du Génie de l'Eau et de l'Environnement de Strasbourg (ENGEES)-Réseau nanophotonique et optique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Matériaux et nanosciences d'Alsace (FMNGE), Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Dresp, Birgitta, École Nationale du Génie de l'Eau et de l'Environnement de Strasbourg (ENGEES)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées - Strasbourg (INSA Strasbourg), Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (Inria)-Les Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg (HUS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Matériaux et Nanosciences Grand-Est (MNGE), Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Réseau nanophotonique et optique, and Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Part B2: The scientific proposal (max. 15 pages) Section a. State-of-the-art and objectives: Studies based on qualitative and quantitative analyses of communication in medium size and large enterprises (Huang, 2004) have led to consider the advantages of socially responsible, cooperative, symmetrical, in short, ethical, communication for public relations, marketing and the economic development of smaller and larger organizations. Apart from being politically correct, ethical communication may, indeed, prove a sound management strategy, because it may allow securing long-term benefits that are more valuable to an organization than short-term profits obtained through more or less devious communication strategies. Individual and collective social responsibility defines one of the ground conditions of ethical communication in the corporate world (see Reinsch, 1990, for a review). The fundamental role of individual responsibility in society is sometimes referred to in terms of ''individual moral agency'' as in Reid's (1843) essays on the active powers of the human mind, or ''personal agency'' as in Bandura's (2001) social cognitive theory. Communicating ethically with our nearest neighbors and partners ensures that ethical core values are adhered to by all stakeholders in this process. Ethical communication is, indeed, the conditio sine qua non that gives a government, a business, or a small group such as a family the chance to overcome in times of crisis, and to prosper under the best possible conditions. The theoretical concepts on which this project relies stem from the philosophical foundations of social contract theory, speech act theory, and the model of a communication contract for the global society. This includes Reid's essays on moral agency in communication (1843) and Austin's felicity conditions (1962) of successful communication. In management ethics, Donaldson and Dunfee's (1994, 1995, 1999) integrative social contract theory has substantially contributed to this conceptual framework, with a new look on contractarian thinking in ethical management and modern economics. The term ''integrative'' places the emphasis on the general, all-encompassing nature of the social contract, as a fundamental commitment with binding obligations. This implies adhering to ethical core values and respecting a certain limited number of rules of due process. Ethical core values Social contract theory recognizes a general, collective need for adhering to ethical core values. Such core values are, in principle, collectively acknowledged though not always explicitly formulated. They are the reflection of philosophical, political and economic norms which can be considered universal in the sense that they are detached from specific cults, religions or beliefs. Ethical core values are beneficial to society in general, and to any individual who is part of it in particular. Ethical core values are non-negotiable. They are the foundations of ethical standards in society and of an organization's commitment to corporate responsibility. Core values explicitly listed in modern codes of business ethics almost invariably include: responsibility, integrity, honesty, respect, trust, openness, fairness, and transparency. Translating ethical core values into action requires 1) an explicit system of ethical ground rules and 2) principles of due process which ensure that these ground rules are respected. Communication between individuals is the simplest and most fundamental medium when it comes to translating ethical core values into action. According to speech act theory (Austin, 1962; Reid, 1843; Searle, 1969), saying something, an utterance in itself if you wish, is an act, a so-called illocutionary act, with implications and with consequences. Like the hand that brings down the hammer, to close a deal at an auction or to kill, the spoken word can have impacts with similar, more or less dramatic, consequences. The philosopher Thomas Reid, one of the founders of the School of Common Sense Philosophy, was among the first to explicitly state the nature of particular speech acts which involve individual moral responsibility (moral agency). In his essays on the active powers of the human mind, Reid points out that a speaker enters into a social contract, which he is expected to respect, whenever a speech act consists of asking, testifying, commanding, or making a promise. Reid's philosophy clarifies why the notion of a communication contract argued for here in this essay follows directly from that of a social contract. Society and any group or organization that is part of it can, indeed, be defined as a community of communicating individuals who agree to adhere to an implicit communication contract. Through this communication contract, individuals gain their full right to express themselves. By giving up unlimited freedom of expression or speech and by accepting to respect the needs, freedom and rights of expression or speech of others, they put a clear limit not to their freedom of expression, but to the potentially destructive effects of speech acts that would otherwise consist of saying anything to anyone at any time. In the modern global society with all its complexity, the growing trans-national embedding and interdependence of life quality, environmental safety, economic development, and sustainability has increased our need for individual social responsibility in almost any domain, from family life to businesses and governance.