The study of business ethics: a case for Dr. Seuss

Dr Seuss's children's story The Lorax is introduced as a novel method to teach management ethics within management education. The use of narrative literature for organisational study is examined. It is suggested that narrative literature can provide non-traditional cases for organisational studies. The 'case' is analysed using an ethical decision-making framework. As part of this analysis a number of theoretically based ethical issues are discussed. These illustrate the range and depth of ethical issues that can be raised by such a simple narrative. It is concluded that although The Lorax is not a novel, it contains many of the features of narrative fiction which make it very apt for management education. Arguments for the legitimisation of the use of narrative fiction in conjunction with traditional cases for management education are presented. In conclusion, recommendations for the use of narrative fiction in the classroom are made.