Can Ubuntu provide the ethical basis for King III?

Abstract

This report sets out to determine if ubuntu can provide a principle of right action for business ethics and thereby to establish if the King III Report is indeed based on the “moral duties that find expression in the concept of ubuntu” as is claimed by the writers of King III. The report examines various aspects of ubuntu and shows that ubuntu is a normative ethical theory, arriving at the principle of right action that: “An action is right insofar as it promotes cohesion and reciprocal value amongst people. An action is wrong insofar as it damages relationships and devalues any individual or group.” Finally, the report evaluates the King III Report on Corporate Governance 2009. It argues that there is some confusion in terminology. The report finally demonstrates that the ethical values and moral duties laid down in King III largely do find expression in the concept of ubuntu.