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Mergers & Acquisitions For Dummies
by Bill R. SnowExplore M&As, in simple terms Mergers & Acquisitions For Dummies gives you useful techniques and real-world advice for making these business transactions a success, going beyond case studies to include international laws and regulations, environmental issues, and—most importantly—practical instructions you can really use. In plain English terms that anyone can understand, this book discusses the entire M&A process, including different types of transactions and structures, raising funds, partnering, identifying targets, business valuation, doing due diligence, closing the purchase agreement, and integrating new employees and new ways of doing business. If you’re getting involved in a merger with, or acquisition of, another company, read this book to gain a thorough understanding of what the heck is going on. Updated with deep dives into valuations, environmental issues, negotiating tips, and beyond. Walk through the merger and acquisition process in practical terms Learn the requirements and best practices you’ll need to follow Hire the people who will help you through any M&A scenario Conduct win-win negotiations and get the most out of M&AsMergers & Acquisitions For Dummies is a great choice for business owners and investors who need more information on the process and steps involved in successful M&A transactions.
Mergers & Acquisitions: Strategien, Abläufe und Begriffe im Unternehmenskauf (essentials)
by Clemens EngelhardtDas essential vermittelt den typischen Ablauf von M&A-Transaktionen aus K#65533;ufer- und Verk#65533;ufersicht. Neben der Darstellung der einzelnen Prozessschritte und praktischen Herausforderungen von der Due Diligence bis hin zu Signing und Closing erl#65533;utert der Autor auch die #65533;blichen Verhandlungsstrategien und Motive der Beteiligten eines Unternehmenskaufs. Rechtliche Aspekte der erforderlichen Dokumente (NDA, LOI, Due Diligence Report, Kaufvertrag) werden dabei ebenso beleuchtet wie organisatorische Themen, beispielsweise die Post-Merger-Integration. Der Leser erh#65533;lt zus#65533;tzlich hilfreiche gesellschaftsrechtliche und arbeitsrechtliche Einblicke. Das essential enth#65533;lt zahlreiche Musterformulierungen sowie eine ausf#65533;hrliche Checkliste zur Legal Due Diligence.
Mergers & Acquisitions: Strategien, Abläufe und Begriffe im Unternehmenskauf (essentials)
by Clemens EngelhardtDas essential vermittelt den typischen Ablauf von M&A-Transaktionen aus Käufer- und Verkäufersicht. Neben der Darstellung der einzelnen Prozessschritte und praktischen Herausforderungen von der Due Diligence bis hin zu Signing und Closing erläutert der Autor auch die üblichen Verhandlungsstrategien und Motive der Beteiligten eines Unternehmenskaufs. Rechtliche Aspekte der erforderlichen Dokumente (NDA, LOI, Due Diligence Report, Kaufvertrag) werden dabei ebenso beleuchtet wie organisatorische Themen, beispielsweise die Post-Merger-Integration. Der Leser erhält zusätzlich hilfreiche gesellschaftsrechtliche und arbeitsrechtliche Einblicke. Das essential enthält zahlreiche Musterformulierungen sowie eine ausführliche Checkliste zur Legal Due Diligence.
Mergers and Acquisitions from A to Z: Strategic And Practical Guidance For Small- And Middle-market Buyers And Sellers
by Thomas NelsonWalks you through every step of the process—from valuation to securities laws to closing and successful integration.When done correctly and cautiously, your company's next merger or acquisition should be an exciting, profitable time. But these complex transactions carry significant risk, no matter how simple or appealing they may look on the outside.Complete with expert advice, case studies, checklists, and sample documents, this fully updated edition of Mergers and Acquisitions from A to Z is your complete guide to help you be prepared and take steps to eliminate rivals, extend territory, and diversify offerings.It includes:The latest trends and regulatory developments.Best practices for structuring profitable deals.Effective ways to raise the capital needed to get deals done.Roles and risks for boards of directors in M&A.Guidelines for keeping deals on track and managing post-closing challenges.Valuable tools, checklists, and sample forms. It is absolutely vital for all involved in the deal to make sure they are guarding themselves against costly mistakes that have been the downfall for many leaders and organizations before them. The fourth edition of Mergers and Acquisitions from A to Z further explains how to conduct due diligence, calculate the purchase price, understand the roles and risks for boards, and more. Don't make another deal without this trusted resource and its strategic and legal guidance by your side.
Mergers and Acquisitions: A Step-by-Step Legal and Practical Guide +Website
by Edwin L. Miller Jr. Lewis N. SegallThe legal, financial, and business primer to the M&A process Mergers and Acquisitions offers accessible step-by-step guidance through the M&A process to provide the legal and financial background required to navigate these deals successfully. From the initial engagement letter to the final acquisition agreement, this book delves into the mechanics of the process from beginning to end, favoring practical advice and actionable steps over theoretical concepts. Coverage includes deal structure, corporate structuring considerations, tax issues, public companies, leveraged buyouts, troubled businesses and more, with a uniquely solution-oriented approach to the M&A process. This updated second edition features new discussion on cross-border transactions and "pseudo" M&A deals, and the companion websites provides checklists and sample forms to facilitate organization and follow-through. Mergers and acquisitions are complex, and problems can present themselves at each stage of the process; even if the deal doesn't fall through, you may still come out with less than you bargained for. This book is a multi-disciplinary primer for anyone navigating an M&A, providing the legal, financial, and business advice that helps you swing the deal your way. Understand the legal mechanics of an M&A deal Navigate the process with step-by-step guidance Compare M&A structures, and the rationale behind each Solve common issues and avoid transactional missteps Do you know what action to take when you receive an engagement letter, confidentiality agreement, or letter of intent? Do you know when to get the banker involved, and how? Simply assuming the everything will work out well guarantees that it will—for the other side. Don't leave your M&A to chance; get the information and tools you need to get it done right. Mergers and Acquisitions guides you through the process step-by-step with expert insight and real-world advice.
Mergers and Acquisitions: The Critical Role of Stakeholders (Routledge Advances in Management and Business Studies #52)
by Virpi Havila Fredrik Nilsson Helén AndersonA merger or acquisition is usually a challenging endeavor with a single ultimate aim: to create value for the owner. However, stakeholder theory shows how such a narrow and one-sided focus is detrimental to value-creation in general – not only for other stakeholders within and outside the organization, but also for the owner. Especially in a merger or an acquisition, it is evident that there are many groups and individuals who have a stake in the success or failure of a business. So far, the overwhelming majority of research in the field of mergers and acquisitions has focused on the merging organizations, and so researchers have mainly studied internal stakeholder groups, such as employees and managers. This book shows how different stakeholders, internal and external, may play a critical role during a merger or an acquisition process. The book builds on empirical examples that illustrate how various stakeholders play active roles throughout the different phases, and, thus, ultimately affect the outcome and the value formation process of the merger or the acquisition. There is still much debate on how and when to best measure the outcome of a merger or an acquisition. With its comprehensive focus on stakeholders, this volume explores why some mergers and acquisitions fail while others succeed.
Mergers and Acquisitions: The Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Industries (Routledge Studies in International Business and the World Economy)
by Mark Thomas Janna L. RoseCovid-19 has brought so much uncertainty, but one certainty is that the vaccine race will generate winners and losers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. This will have a major impact on merger and acquisition activity. While the plethora of merger and acquisition deals are abundantly reported by the news media, there is a clear lack of in-depth analysis on the multiple rationales and various challenges in the life sciences industry. By offering contributions from a variety of experts in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, as well as experts on mergers and acquisitions, this edited collection will draw upon the knowledge of a variety of different actors within the fields of pharma and biotech. This book offers a timely exploration of the complexities of mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries while seeking to bridge the gap between theory and practice. It presents a critical analysis of the rationale for acquisitions and studies the challenges of ensuring a successful deal. In the light of the Covid-19 pandemic, it will also explore the impact this may have on the industry, which may further stimulate merger and acquisition activity. It will be of interest to researchers, academics, policymakers, and students in the fields of strategy, management, governance, and the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.
Mergers and Acquisitions: Volume III (The Library of Essays on Antitrust and Competition Law)
by Jonathan GallowayMergers and acquisitions occur for many legitimate reasons and should be encouraged as a matter of general policy, yet the resulting increase in the level of market concentration and market strength can lead to concerns that certain ’deals’ may irreparably damage the market structure and create anti-competitive effects. This volume explores the competition concerns arising out of mergers and acquisitions, the reasons for merger control and the fundamental options that face all jurisdictions intent on implementing an effective merger control regime. The volume acts as a guide through the development of merger control law, policy and scholarly thought and includes commentary on each of the key stages of any effective merger control regime. The articles consider the objectives of merger control and the broader political landscape within which mergers take place; the procedural issues in merger control, including jurisdictional matters and due process; the different substantive legal standards incorporated into merger control; the relevant theories of harm and the appropriate treatment of efficiencies; and the use of remedies in merger control. The chosen articles mainly, but not exclusively, focus on the US and EU, and several adopt a cross-disciplinary approach encompassing law, political science and economics.
Mergers in the Global Markets: A Comparative Approach to the Competition and National Security Laws among the US, EU, and China
by Felix I. LessamboInternational mergers and acquisitions play a vital role behind the growth of a company. This book explores the hurdles involved and how to navigate through the review processes set up by national regulatory agencies such as the US Committee on Foreign Investment (CFIUS), the EU Commission, and the Anti-Monopoly Bureau of State Administration of Market Regulation of China (AMB). This book is unique and showcases how to anticipate, develop, and implement successful strategies to support mergers and acquisitions activities, particularly of interest to finance and law students, researchers, and academics.
Mergers, Acquisitions and International Financial Regulation: Analysing Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (Routledge International Studies in Money and Banking)
by Daniele D'AlviaThis is a much-needed work in the financial literature, and it is the first book ever to analyse the use of Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) from a theoretical and practical perspective. By the end of 2020, more than 240 SPACs listed in the U.S. (on NASDAQ or the NYSE), raising a record $83 billion. The SPAC craze has been shaking the U.S. for months, mainly because of its simplicity: a bunch of investors decides to buy shares at a fixed price in a company that initially has no assets. In this way, a SPAC, also known as a "blank check company", is created as an empty shell with lots of money to spend on a corporate shopping spree. Could the trend be here to stay? Are SPACs the new legitimate path to traditional IPO? This book tackles those questions and more. The author provides a thorough analysis of SPACs including their legal framework and how they are used as a risk mitigation tool to structure transactions. The main objectives of the book are focused on finding a working definition for SPACs and theorising on their origins, definition, and evolution; identifying the objectives of financial regulation within the context of the recent financial crisis (2007-2010) and the one that is currently unfolding (Covid-19); and also describing practical examples of SPACs through a comparative study that, for the first time, outlines every major capital market on which SPACs are listed, in order to identify a possible international standard of regulation. The book is relevant to academics as well as policymakers, international financial regulators, corporate finance lawyers as well as to the financial industry tout court.
Merkin and Flannery on the Arbitration Act 1996 (Lloyd's Arbitration Law Library)
by Robert Merkin Louis FlanneryThis book is an essential resource for anybody involved in arbitration. It is an updated section-by-section commentary on the Arbitration Act 1996, split into a separate set of notes for each section, and subdivided into the relevant issues within that section. It contains elements of international comparative law, citing authorities from many other common law and civil law jurisdictions. Beyond the development of law since the last edition, this sixth edition contains new practical features to aid the reader. Each section now has a new contents table, with each separate topic set out clearly and in a logical order, which acts as reminder for the reader. Further, each separate topic now has a specific individual reference, and the topics are grouped in a more systematic and logical way within each section, to improve readability. The book is primarily aimed at practitioners of arbitration both in the UK and abroad, including solicitors, barristers, arbitrators and judges who are involved in the practice of arbitration (whether domestic or international). It is also aimed at UK and international students of international arbitration, especially in relation to the sections with comparative legal analysis and comprehensive discussions on the interaction between the Arbitration Act 1996 and institutional arbitration rules.
Merrills' International Dispute Settlement
by Eric De Brabandere John MerrillsThe fully revised seventh edition of this successful textbook explains the legal and diplomatic methods and organisations used to solve international disputes, how they work and when they are used. It looks at diplomatic (negotiation, mediation, inquiry and conciliation) and legal methods (arbitration, judicial settlement). It uses many, up-to-date examples of each method in practice to place the theory of how the law works in real-life situations, demonstrating the strengths and weaknesses of different methods when they are used. Fully updated throughout, the seventh edition includes a new introduction explaining the common principles of settlement and a chapter on investor–state arbitration, as well as recommended further readings at the end of each chapter. It is an essential resource for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate courses on international dispute settlement.
Message in a Bottle: The Making of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
by Janet GoldenA generation has passed since a physician first noticed that women who drank heavily while pregnant gave birth to underweight infants with disturbing tell-tale characteristics. Women whose own mothers enjoyed martinis while pregnant now lost sleep over a bowl of rum raisin ice cream. In Message in a Bottle, Janet Golden charts the course of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) through the courts, media, medical establishment, and public imagination. Long considered harmless during pregnancy (doctors even administered it intravenously during labor), alcohol, when consumed by pregnant women, increasingly appeared to be a potent teratogen and a pressing public health concern. Some clinicians recommended that women simply moderate alcohol consumption; others, however, claimed that there was no demonstrably safe level for a developing fetus, and called for complete abstinence. Even as the diagnosis gained acceptance and labels appeared on alcoholic beverages warning pregnant women of the danger, FAS began to be de-medicalized in some settings. More and more, FAS emerged in court cases as a viable defense for people charged with serious, even capital, crimes and their claims were rejected. Golden argues that the reaction to FAS was shaped by the struggle over women's relatively new abortion rights and the escalating media frenzy over "crack" babies. It was increasingly used as evidence of the moral decay found within marginalized communities--from inner-city neighborhoods to Indian reservations. With each reframing, FAS became a currency traded by politicians and political commentators, lawyers, public health professionals, and advocates for underrepresented minorities, each pursuing separate aims.
Messages from Frank's Landing: A Story of Salmon, Treaties, and the Indian Way
by Charles WilkinsonIn 1974 Federal Judge George H. Boldt issued one of the most sweeping rulings in the history of the Pacific Northwest, affirming the treaty rights of Northwest tribal fishermen and allocating to them 50 percent of the harvestable catch of salmon and steelhead. Among the Indians testifying in Judge Boldt’s courtroom were Nisqually tribal leader Billy Frank, Jr., and his 95-year-old father, whose six acres along the Nisqually River, known as Frank’s Landing, had been targeted for years by state game wardens in the so-called Fish Wars. <p><p>By the 1960s the Landing had become a focal point for the assertion of tribal treaty rights in the Northwest. It also lay at the moral center of the tribal sovereignty movement nationally. The confrontations at the Landing hit the news and caught the conscience of many. Like the schoolhouse steps at Little Rock or the bridge at Selma, Frank’s Landing came to signify a threshold for change, and Billy Frank, Jr., became a leading architect of consensus, a role he continues today as one of the most colorful and accomplished figures in the modern history of the Pacific Northwest. <p><p>In Messages from Frank’s Landing, Charles Wilkinson explores the broad historical, legal, and social context of Indian fishing rights in the Pacific Northwest, providing a dramatic account of the people and issues involved. He draws on his own decades of experience as a lawyer working with Indian people, and focuses throughout on Billy Frank and the river flowing past Frank’s Landing. In all aspects of Frank’s life as an activist, from legal settlements negotiated over salmon habitats destroyed by hydroelectric plants, to successful negotiations with the U.S. Army for environmental protection of tribal lands, Wilkinson points up the significance of the traditional Indian world view - the powerful and direct legacy of Frank’s father, conveyed through generations of Indian people who have crafted a practical working philosophy and a way of life. <p><p>Drawing on many hours spent talking and laughing with Billy Frank while canoeing the Nisqually watershed, Wilkinson conveys words of respect and responsibility for the earth we inhabit and for the diverse communities the world encompasses. These are the messages from Frank’s Landing. Wilkinson brings welcome clarity to complex legal issues, deepening our insight into a turbulent period in the political and environmental history of the Northwest.
Messy Eating: Conversations on Animals as Food
by Samantha King R. Scott Carey Isabel Macquarrie Elaine M. Power Victoria N. MilliousLiterature on the ethics and politics of food and that on human–animal relationships have infrequently converged. Representing an initial step toward bridging this divide, Messy Eating features interviews with thirteen prominent and emerging scholars about the connections between their academic work and their approach to consuming animals as food. The collection explores how authors working across a range of perspectives—postcolonial, Indigenous, black, queer, trans, feminist, disability, poststructuralist, posthumanist, and multispecies—weave their theoretical and political orientations with daily, intimate, and visceral practices of food consumption, preparation, and ingestion. Each chapter introduces a scholar for whom the tangled, contradictory character of human–animal relations raises difficult questions about what they eat. Representing a departure from canonical animal rights literature, most authors featured in the collection do not make their food politics or identities explicit in their published work. While some interviewees practice vegetarianism or veganism, and almost all decry the role of industrialized animal agriculture in the environmental crisis, the contributors tend to reject a priori ethical codes and politics grounded in purity, surety, or simplicity. Remarkably free of proscriptions, but attentive to the Eurocentric tendencies of posthumanist animal studies, Messy Eating reveals how dietary habits are unpredictable and dynamic, shaped but not determined by life histories, educational trajectories, disciplinary homes, activist experiences, and intimate relationships. These accessible and engaging conversations offer rare and often surprising insights into pressing social issues through a focus on the mundane—and messy— interactions that constitute the professional, the political, and the personal. Contributors: Neel Ahuja, Billy-Ray Belcourt, Matthew Calarco, Lauren Corman, Naisargi Dave, Maneesha Deckha, María Elena García, Sharon Holland, Kelly Struthers Montford, H. Peter Steeves, Kim TallBear, Sunaura Taylor, Harlan Weaver, Kari Weil, Cary Wolfe
Mestizo International Law
by Arnulf Becker LorcaThe development of international law is conventionally understood as a history in which the main characters (states and international lawyers) and events (wars and peace conferences) are European. Arnulf Becker Lorca demonstrates how non-Western states and lawyers appropriated nineteenth-century classical thinking in order to defend new and better rules governing non-Western states' international relations. By internalizing the standard of civilization, for example, they argued for the abrogation of unequal treaties. These appropriations contributed to the globalization of international law. With the rise of modern legal thinking and a stronger international community governed by law, peripheral lawyers seized the opportunity and used the new discourse and institutions such as the League of Nations to dissolve the standard of civilization and codify non-intervention and self-determination. These stories suggest that the history of our contemporary international legal order is not purely European; instead they suggest a history of a mestizo international law.
Meta-theory of Law
by Mathieu CarpentierThis book is devoted to the theory of legal theory, also referred to as the "meta-theory of law".The aim of this emerging discipline is to determine the objectives, aims and methods of legal theory, and to establish the conditions of possibility as well as the validity criteria for theoretical discourse on law. The contributions in this book provide an overview of these aspects through different perspectives and approaches.The very purpose of legal theory has been disputed and the subject area is currently subject to increasing cross-fertilization between different, and sometimes diverging, traditions. Meta-theory of Law assesses these emerging trends by questioning two basic objects of legal theory, the "nature" and the "science" of law.
Metaethical Issues in Contemporary Legal Philosophy: A Constitutivist Approach (Routledge Research in Legal Philosophy)
by Stefano Bertea and Jorge Silva SampaioThis volume explores the importance of constitutivism for legal studies. Constitutivism is the view that the normative force, or authority, of practical reasons is grounded in principles, capacities, aims, or functions that are essential to, and thus constitutive of, agency. While the implications that the constitutivist approach has on the fundamental metaethical disputes and central ethical debates have been extensively explored, the literature on the relations between constitutivism and law remains scarce, unsystematic, and sporadic. This collection brings together world-renowned practical philosophers and legal theorists to fill a noticeable gap in the literature. The authors systematically and innovatively address key dimensions of the relationships between constitutivism and the theoretical study of law, as well as programmatically offering novel insights into the conceptual connections between constitutivist claims, fundamental legal concepts and practices, legal issues, and, ultimately, the law as a distinctive concept. The book will be of interest to academics and researchers working in the areas of Legal Philosophy, Legal Theory, Jurisprudence, Moral Philosophy and Metaethics.
Metaethics: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy)
by Mark van RoojenMetaethics: A Contemporary Introduction provides a solid foundation in metaethics for advanced undergraduates by introducing a series of puzzles that most metaethical theories address. These puzzles involve moral disagreement, reference, moral epistemology, metaphysics, and moral psychology. From there, author Mark van Roojen discusses the many positions in metaethics that people will take in reaction to these puzzles. Van Roojen asks several essential questions of his readers, namely: What is metaethics? Why study it? How does one discuss metaethics, given its inherently controversial nature? Each chapter closes with questions, both for reading comprehension and further discussion, and annotated suggestions for further reading.
Metals and Society
by Nicholas Arndt Clément GaninoIn the second edition Steve Kesler (University of Michigan) has been added as an author to rewrite some chapters. The motivation for this revised edition is to more intensively address economic issues that surround the exploitation of mineral resources. This emphasis gives the book a unique character. With these sections Metals and Society deals with issues that pervade much of current science reporting - the rate of exploitation of natural resources, the question of when or if these resources will be exhausted, the pollution and social disturbance that accompanies mining, the compromises and challenges that arise from the explosion of demand from China, India and other rapidly developing countries, and the moral issues that surround mining of metals in lesser developed countries for consumption in the "first-world" countries. With its dual character, the book will be useful as an introductory text for students in the earth sciences and a reference volume for students, teachers and researchers of geography, economics and the social sciences.
Metamorphosis: How to Transform Punishment in America
by Robert A FergusonIn the past few years, the need for prison reform in America has reached the level of a consensus. We agree that many prison terms are too long, especially for nonviolent drug offenders; that long-term isolation is a bad idea; and that basic psychiatric and medical care in prisons is woefully inadequate. Some people believe that contracting out prison services to for-profit companies is a recipe for mistreatment. Robert Ferguson argues that these reforms barely scratch the surface of what is wrong with American prisons: an atmosphere of malice and humiliation that subjects prisoners and guards alike to constant degradation. Bolstered by insights from hundreds of letters written by prisoners, Ferguson makes the case for an entirely new concept of prisons and their purpose: an “inner architectonics of reform” that will provide better education for all involved in prisons, more imaginative and careful use of technology, more sophisticated surveillance systems, and better accountability.
Metaphors for Change: Partnerships, Tools and Civic Action for Sustainability
by David Gee Penny Allen Christophe BonazziHow can we get from where we are to where we want to be? Metaphors for Change attempts to answer this question and provide a roadmap for sustainability by bringing together the thoughts of a unique collection of leading change agents from business, government and academia. Environmental questions have previously been dealt with metaphorically, by catastrophism or manicheism (zero growth; Malthusianism, Deep Ecology; "man is the enemy"; less is more). These metaphors have had limited impact because they have failed to connect with the mainstream of cultural, political, and business ideas. This book examines a number of new metaphors – and related partnerships, tools and action – which appear to have greater possibilities for the world in which we now live. The editors argue that Metaphors for Change can deliver to the public and to decision-makers new perceptions ("structured knowledge") that can help interpret the past and the present, and help us forge the future. The wider the gap between the "now" and the "necessary", the stronger the bridging perceptions have to be in order to break through barriers of fear and conservatism. Some of the concepts considered are: sustainable development; the polluter pays principle; the precautionary principle; eco-efficiency; eco-effectiveness; life-cycle assessment; design for the environment; eco-services; dematerialization; industrial symbiosis; industrial ecology; and zero emissions. There are of course other useful metaphors on the horizon, some of them included in this book. Including key contributions from the ground-breaking conferences ECO 97 and ECO 99, along with other specially commissioned and reprinted pieces, Metaphors for Change provides a treasure chest of new ideas, innovations and action. Accessible and forward-thinking, it will prove indispensable both as a student learning tool and as a panoramic overview of the sustainability metaphors key thinkers believe we should be putting into practice.
Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals
by Iris MurdochThe decline of religion and ever increasing influence of science pose acute ethical issues for us all. Can we reject the literal truth of the Gospels yet still retain a Christian morality? Can we defend any 'moral values' against the constant encroachments of technology? Indeed, are we in danger of losing most of the qualities which make us truly human? Here, drawing on a novelist's insight into art, literature and abnormal psychology, Iris Murdoch conducts an ongoing debate with major writers, thinkers and theologians--from Augustine to Wittgenstein, Shakespeare to Sartre, Plato to Derrida--to provide fresh and compelling answers to these crucial questions.
Metaphysics of Morality
by Christopher B. KulpThis is a book on metaethics—in particular, an inquiry into the metaphysical foundations of morality. After carefully exploring the metaphysical commitments, or lack thereof, of the leading versions of moral anti-realism, Kulp develops a new and in-depth theory of moral realism. Starting with the firm recognition of the importance of our common sense belief that we possess a great deal of moral knowledge—that, for example, some acts are objectively right and some objectively wrong—the book goes on to examine the metaphysical grounds of various skeptical responses to this perspective. In great part, the book is devoted to developing a version of realist metaethics: specifically, developing in detail realist theories of moral truth, moral facts, and moral properties.Concluding with the rejection of prominent contemporary forms of moral anti-realism, Kulp presents a rigorous non-naturalistic theory of moral realism, and a vindication of the basic commitments of commonsense moral thought.
Metaphysics of Trust: On Freedom and Calculation in Social Cooperation (Issues in Business Ethics #61)
by Michaël SuurendonkThis book provides the foundations of trust amidst radical uncertainty. Specifically, it addresses the question of under what condition it is possible to trust relative strangers. As the first logical investigation of its kind, the book breaks with many preconceived ideas we have about trust and the scientific method that leads to its clarification. It builds on the insight that, contrary to widespread belief, it is not risk but freedom that is most fundamental for explaining trust. In fact, trust is the giving of freedom, out of freedom, and one’s consciousness of the potential risks involved merely disturbs one’s ability to trust. The book makes the twofold normative claim that any legitimate scientific preoccupation with trust must necessarily include the concept of freedom in its account, and that theories of trust that run against the logical prerequisites of freedom are a-priori falsified. It presents a theoretical proposal that makes sure that trust, instead of being constructed as a passive and functional “illusion” of natural love, is understood as the necessary product of an active reason that is oriented towards developing human autonomy.