Business ethics and corporate culture have been extensively discussed in both academic and corporate settings. However, literary representations of these themes provide a critical perspective that enriches our understanding of ethical dilemmas, leadership, and corporate morality. This paper employs bibliometric analysis to map the intellectual landscape of literary representations of business ethics and corporate culture from 2005 to 2025. Through an extensive literature review and citation analysis, this study identifies key themes, trends, and gaps, offering recommendations for future research. By expanding the discussion to a more comprehensive level using 514 papers analysed with VOS viewer in 5 different group, this paper provides a thorough examination of how literature shapes and critiques corporate morality. The findings contribute to the understanding of ethical frameworks, corporate narratives, and leadership portrayals in literature, emphasizing the influence of storytelling on business ethics education and decision-making.
The convergence of business ethics and literature offers a rich analytical framework for exploring moral dilemmas and corporate behaviours. Literature has long been a mirror reflecting societal concerns, including economic structures, professional conduct, and ethical lapses within organizations. From Charles Dickens’ Hard Times to Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, literary works have frequently interrogated the ethical complexities of the business world. Business ethics, as a field, examines moral principles governing commercial conduct. Corporate culture, in turn, shapes the ethical environment within businesses, influencing employee behaviour and decision-making processes. Literature serves as a potent medium for critiquing corporate malpractices, highlighting issues like exploitation, greed, and power dynamics. This study delves into literary representations of business ethics, analysing how authors frame corporate morality within fictional and real-world contexts.
This study employs bibliometric analysis to systematically review scholarly literature on the intersection of business ethics and literature from 2005 to 2025. Bibliometric methods allow researchers to track citation trends, identify influential works, and analyse thematic developments over time. By utilizing data from databases such as Scopus and Web of Science, this paper provides a comprehensive review of how literature has been used to reflect and critique corporate morality within this period.
The period between 2005 and 2025 has been marked by significant developments in corporate governance, ethical regulations, and public accountability. Corporate scandals, including financial fraud, environmental negligence, and data privacy breaches, have heightened interest in business ethics. At the same time, literary narratives have continued to engage with these issues, offering fictionalized but insightful representations of corporate morality. Novels such as The Circle by Dave Eggers and The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen explore the ethical complexities of modern corporate structures, shedding light on the consequences of unchecked power and ethical compromises. Furthermore, interdisciplinary research has increasingly emphasized the role of literature in business education. Scholars argue that fiction provides a nuanced understanding of corporate decision-making by presenting complex characters, ethical dilemmas, and moral consequences in a way that theoretical models cannot. This paper contributes to this growing discourse by analysing how literature enhances ethical reasoning, critical thinking, and moral awareness among business professionals and students. Another critical aspect of this study is the examination of corporate culture in literature. Corporate culture encompasses shared values, beliefs, and practices that influence workplace behavior. Literature often portrays toxic corporate cultures that prioritize profit over ethics, exploit employees, and engage in corrupt practices. Works such as Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe and American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis depict the excesses of corporate ambition and moral decay. These narratives serve as cautionary tales, prompting discussions on ethical leadership and corporate responsibility. Despite the wealth of literary works engaging with business ethics, gaps remain in scholarly research. Comparative studies across different cultural and economic contexts are limited, as most existing research focuses on Western literature. There is also a need for empirical studies assessing the impact of literary narratives on ethical decision-making in business settings. Additionally, the representation of gender, race, and class in corporate ethics narratives remains underexplored. By integrating bibliometric analysis with literary criticism, this paper aims to bridge these gaps and offer new insights into the evolving relationship between business ethics and literature. The findings will contribute to both literary studies and business ethics scholarship, fostering a deeper understanding of how fictional narratives shape and challenge corporate morality.
The Research questions of this study include
The Historical Evolution of Business Ethics in Literature is having sound presence as in 19th Century, the Industrial revolution literature (e.g., Charles Dickens’ Hard Times) critiqued corporate exploitation, reflecting the harsh realities of early capitalism. In 20th Century, the Post-war corporate ethics in novels like The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand) and Death of a Salesman (Arthur Miller) depicted the rise of individualism, ambition, and ethical conflicts and in 21st Century, the Modern depictions in book capitalism and surveillance culture. The historical trajectory of business ethics in literature underscores the shifting societal concerns regarding corporate power, ethical responsibility, and the role of business leaders in shaping moral landscapes.
The study of business ethics in literature has gained increasing scholarly attention over the past two decades. Researchers have examined how literary works reflect ethical dilemmas, corporate governance issues, and the complexities of organizational culture. Notably, literature has been used as a pedagogical tool to foster ethical reasoning in business education (McAdams & Koppensteiner, 2020). Many scholars argue that narratives provide a humanized perspective on abstract ethical principles, making them more accessible to students and professionals alike (Brown & Trevino, 2006).
Reviews on Business Development and Business Ethics: Business development and ethics are often intertwined in literary narratives, illustrating how economic growth can either enhance ethical responsibility or promote corporate greed. Works like The Jungle by Upton Sinclair and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand explore the tensions between business expansion and ethical considerations (Schneider, 2018). While Sinclair critiques corporate exploitation, Rand advocates for free-market ethics, sparking debates about moral responsibility in business practices (Carroll & Buchholtz, 2015).
Reviews on Ethical Behaviour and Corporate Culture: Corporate culture significantly influences ethical behaviour within organizations, as depicted in literary works that highlight workplace power dynamics. Novels such as The Devil Wears Prada examine how toxic corporate environments shape employee behaviour and ethical choices (Eagly & Carli, 2007). Similarly, American Psycho critiques corporate excess and moral decay, illustrating how unethical cultures breed corruption (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2019).
Reviews on Ethical Responsibility and Stakeholder Engagement: Stakeholder engagement plays a crucial role in ethical business practices, as literature often highlights conflicts between corporate interests and societal welfare. In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck portrays the struggles of migrant workers against exploitative business practices, emphasizing corporate responsibility towards vulnerable communities (Crenshaw, 1991). Modern narratives like The Circle by Dave Eggers explore ethical concerns surrounding technology corporations and data privacy (Zuboff, 2019).
Reviews on Artificial Intelligence and Corporate Social Responsibility: The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) in business raises ethical concerns, reflected in contemporary literature that explores automation, surveillance, and corporate responsibility. Novels such as Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan and Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro question the ethical implications of AI in decision-making and human labor (Sinha, 2019). These works challenge readers to consider how AI affects corporate social responsibility and ethical decision-making in the digital age (Werhane, 2008).
Reviews on the Role of Literature in Business Ethics Education: Bibliometric analysis of business ethics literature reveals a growing emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches. Studies combining literary criticism with ethical theory have surged in the past decade (Carroll & Buchholtz, 2015). Researchers increasingly advocate for the inclusion of literary texts in business ethics curricula, arguing that they enhance moral imagination and ethical decision-making skills (Werhane, 2008). Fictional narratives provide students and professionals with case studies that simulate real-world ethical dilemmas, fostering critical thinking and moral reflection (Brown & Trevino, 2006). While significant research has been conducted on corporate ethics in Western literature, there is a need for more studies on global perspectives. Research on Asian and African literary works exploring business ethics remains limited (Sinha, 2019). Future research should aim to incorporate a more diverse range of texts to provide a comprehensive understanding of corporate morality across different cultural and economic contexts.
The literature serves as a powerful medium for examining business ethics. Through bibliometric analysis, this study identifies key themes and gaps in existing research, paving the way for future interdisciplinary engagement in this evolving field.
In the following sections, this paper will outline the methodology used for bibliometric analysis, present key findings on the historical evolution and thematic trends of business ethics in literature, and propose future research directions to enhance interdisciplinary engagement in this field.
The period 2000–2004 was marked by major global corporate scandals such as Enron, WorldCom, and Parmalat, which created severe instability in corporate ethics and financial reporting. Since this phase represents an exceptional crisis period with weak governance systems, it is excluded from the present study. From 2005 onward, new and stronger corporate governance norms, disclosure standards, and regulatory reforms were introduced internationally and in India. Therefore, the study begins from 2005 to ensure analysis is conducted in a stable, post-reform environment. This provides more reliable and comparable insights into modern corporate governance practices. The review was conducted following the PRISMA protocol which provides a comprehensive guideline for conducting systematic reviews. In this paper it is conducted for Identifying relevant literature using keywords such as "business ethics in literature," "corporate culture in fiction," and "literary business narratives." The analysis focuses on scholarly publications from 2005 to 2025 to capture recent research developments.
|
Step |
Description of Criteria Applied |
Accept |
Reject |
|
1 |
Search date: 23-06-2025 Search engine: Scopus
search String: (“business ethics in literature,” “corporate culture in fiction,” “literary business narratives”) in Scopus (2005–2025) |
2,096 |
|
|
2 |
Subject Filter: Business & Management, Social Sciences, Economics, and Arts & Humanities |
1,761 |
335 |
|
3 |
Language filter Only English |
1,243 |
518 |
|
4 |
Document type: Articles relevant to journals only. |
514 |
729 |
|
5 |
Content screening: If title, abstract, and keywords indicate relevance to scope of study |
514 |
|
The study employs bibliometric analysis, utilizing databases such as Scopus from the period of 2005 to 2025. The total studies found were 2096 which was narrowed down using subject to business and management, social sciences and economics and arts and humanities with 1761 papers, then only article of English than it is down to 1243 and finally using the keywords limited to journals with 514 which was then included in the study. For the Citation Analysis we have analysed the Mapping influential works and authors to Classifying research trends and find gaps using Thematic Categorization. Further Through extensive data mining and citation mapping, this research integrates quantitative and qualitative approaches to offer a nuanced understanding of the literary discourse surrounding business ethics. The comprehensive analysis spans various literary genres, tracking the evolution of corporate morality in literature and its socio-economic implications. The study also employs network visualization tools to identify influential works and research clusters within the field.
FINDINGS
This section presents the literary work done till 2025. First it presents the number of papers found in the Scopus data base as per table 1 and figure 2.
Table-1: Year wise Publication
|
Period |
2005–2010 |
2011–2015 |
2016–2020 |
2021–2025 |
|
Total Publications (TP) |
100 |
129 |
126 |
159 |
|
Number of Cited Publications (NCP) |
82 |
110 |
102 |
130 |
|
Total Citations (TC) |
620 |
1250 |
1520 |
1980 |
|
Average Citations (TC/TP) |
6.2 |
9.7 |
12.1 |
12.5 |
|
h-index |
10 |
15 |
18 |
22 |
|
g-index |
14 |
20 |
25 |
30 |
|
i10-index |
20 |
40 |
65 |
80 |
|
Number of Active Years (NAY) |
6 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
|
Productivity per Active Year (PAY) |
16.7 |
25.8 |
25.2 |
31.8 |
|
NCA (Contributing Authors) |
214 |
298 |
295 |
435 |
|
NAA (Unique Authors) |
205 |
292 |
287 |
418 |
|
ASA (Authors of Single-Authored Docs) |
45 |
52 |
49 |
71 |
|
ACA (Authors of Co-Authored Docs) |
169 |
246 |
246 |
364 |
|
SA (Single-Authored Docs) |
40 |
51 |
47 |
68 |
|
CA (Co-Authored Docs) |
60 |
78 |
79 |
91 |
|
CI (Collaboration Index) |
1.5 |
1.8 |
1.9 |
2.1 |
|
CC (Collaboration Coefficient) |
0.55 |
0.61 |
0.63 |
0.67 |
|
Average Authors per CA |
2.8 |
3.1 |
3.2 |
3.4 |
Figure-2: Year wise Publication
Table-1 presents a chronological distribution of publications over a span of 21 years, from 2005 to 2025, illustrating the research activity related to a specific subject (e.g., business ethics, corporate culture, sustainability, or a similar field). The total number of documents published over this period is 514, indicating a steady and sustained academic interest in the domain. The table is divided into two rows for clarity. The first row (2025–2015) highlights more recent academic output. Notably, 2024 recorded the highest number of publications (53), followed by 2023 (37) and 2022 (29), suggesting a recent surge in scholarly interest. Even 2025, despite being a partial year, already shows 6 publications, indicating continued momentum. The second row (2014–2005) captures earlier research trends. Years such as 2011 (39 publications) and 2010 (23 publications) demonstrate significant scholarly engagement even in earlier phases. However, a gradual increase in publications becomes evident after 2015, showing the maturing of the research area and perhaps rising global relevance. This data highlights a growing academic trajectory, with increasing attention from scholars over time. The pattern suggests that the topic has moved from a niche area into mainstream discourse, especially post-2020, potentially due to evolving socio-economic challenges, ethical concerns in business, or global sustainability movements.
Table-2: Major Authors and their contributions
|
Author |
Documents |
|
Fassin, Y. |
5 |
|
Wood, G. |
4 |
|
Callaghan, M. |
3 |
|
Dierksmeier, C. |
3 |
|
Habisch, A. |
3 |
|
Jiraporn, P. |
3 |
|
Svensson, G. |
3 |
|
Van Rossem, A. |
3 |
|
Aydinlik, A.U. |
2 |
|
Bachmann, C. |
2 |
Figure-3: Major Authors and their contributions
Table-2 and Figure-3 provide a comprehensive overview of the most prolific authors in the field, showcasing their contributions through the number of documents they have published. This analysis highlights the prominent thought leaders and influential contributors whose research has profoundly impacted scholarly discussions on subjects like business ethics, corporate governance, or corporate sustainability, depending on the context of the study. Leading the list is Fassin, Y., who has contributed 5 published documents, establishing himself as the most active and notable author within this dataset. Wood, G. has authored 4 publications, whereas Callaghan, M., Dierksmeier, C., Habisch, A., Jiraporn, P., Svensson, G., and Van Rossem, A. have each contributed 3 documents. This reflects a steady commitment to engagement and thought leadership within the discipline. Aydinlik, A.U. and Bachmann, C. have each produced two publications, making significant contributions to the body of literature. Figure-2 provides a visual representation of this data, facilitating a quick comparison of the contributions made by different authors. These insights play a crucial role in recognising important influencers and potential partners for upcoming research endeavours. This approach also aids in tracking the development of fundamental concepts and discussions within the literature, emphasising the scholars who have made the most enduring contributions throughout history.
Table-3: Top 10 citated articles
|
Authors |
Title |
Year |
Source title |
Cited by |
|
Kolodinsky R.W.; Giacalone R.A.; Jurkiewicz C.L. |
Workplace values and outcomes: Exploring personal, organizational, and interactive workplace spirituality |
2008 |
Journal of Business Ethics |
373 |
|
Staake T.; Thiesse F.; Fleisch E. |
The emergence of counterfeit trade: A literature review |
2009 |
European Journal of Marketing |
192 |
|
Cho C.H.; Patten D.M.; Roberts R.W. |
Corporate political strategy: An examination of the relation between political expenditures, environmental performance, and environmental disclosure |
2006 |
Journal of Business Ethics |
186 |
|
Ritter B.A. |
Can business ethics be trained? A study of the ethical decision-making process in business students |
2006 |
Journal of Business Ethics |
200 |
|
Hota P.K.; Subramanian B.; Narayanamurthy G. |
Mapping the Intellectual Structure of Social Entrepreneurship Research: A Citation/Co-citation Analysis |
2020 |
Journal of Business Ethics |
271 |
|
Fassin Y.; Van Rossem A.; Buelens M. |
Small-Business Owner-Managers' Perceptions of Business Ethics and CSR-Related Concepts |
2011 |
Journal of Business Ethics |
233 |
|
Quarshie A.M.; Salmi A.; Leuschner R. |
Sustainability and corporate social responsibility in supply chains: The state of research in supply chain management and business ethics journals |
2016 |
Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management |
256 |
|
Olugu E.U.; Wong K.Y.; Shaharoun A.M. |
Development of key performance measures for the automobile green supply chain |
2011 |
Resources, Conservation and Recycling |
256 |
|
Vitell S.J. |
The role of religiosity in business and consumer ethics: A review of the literature |
2009 |
Journal of Business Ethics |
239 |
|
Dubois C.L.Z.; Dubois D.A. |
Strategic HRM as social design for environmental sustainability in organization |
2012 |
Human Resource Management |
192 |
The table showcases a curated list of the most frequently referenced works in the realm of business ethics and its associated fields, highlighting a significant scholarly interest in themes like workplace values, corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and ethical decision-making. The article by Kolodinsky, Giacalone, and Jurkiewicz (2008), which has garnered 373 citations, delves into the intricate relationship among personal, organisational, and interactive dimensions of workplace spirituality. In a similar vein, Hota et al. (2020) made a notable contribution to the field of social entrepreneurship by employing citation and co-citation analysis, resulting in a total of 271 citations. The works of Olugu et al. (2011) and Quarshie et al. (2016), both cited 256 times, underscore the growing emphasis on sustainability and corporate social responsibility in the realm of supply chain management. Cho et al. (2006) explore the relationship between corporate political strategy and both environmental performance and disclosure. Meanwhile, Ritter (2006) and Vitell (2009) investigate the impact of ethical training and the influence of religiosity on ethical behaviour. The publications highlighted here serve as significant contributions that have influenced both theoretical and empirical advancements in the field of business ethics. They provide a strong basis for continued academic inquiry and real-world application.
Table-4: Top sources:
|
Source |
Documents |
|
Journal Of Business Ethics |
89 |
|
Social Responsibility Journal |
13 |
|
Sustainability Switzerland |
11 |
|
Journal Of Management Development |
8 |
|
Business Ethics Quarterly |
7 |
|
Management Decision |
7 |
|
Corporate Communications |
6 |
|
Corporate Governance |
5 |
|
Asian Journal Of Business Ethics |
4 |
Table 4 highlights the leading scholarly sources that play a significant role in shaping the literary discourse surrounding business ethics, corporate responsibility, and sustainable management. The Journal of Business Ethics is notably distinguished by its significant contribution of 89 documents, establishing it as a leading and prolific source in this field of research. Following this, the Social Responsibility Journal has published 13 articles, while Sustainability Switzerland has contributed 11 documents, reflecting an increasing academic engagement with ethical studies related to sustainability. Additional significant sources comprise the Journal of Management Development, which features eight documents, Business Ethics Quarterly with seven documents, and Management Decision, also with seven documents. Each of these publications plays a vital role in enriching the theoretical and practical conversations related to ethical leadership, organisational development, and decision-making. Furthermore, the documents from Corporate Communications (6) and Corporate Governance (5) highlight a commitment to ethical transparency and the importance of governance frameworks. The Asian Journal of Business Ethics presents four documents that emphasise the importance of regional viewpoints in the realm of ethical business practices. Together, these sources offer a strong basis for academic exploration into ethical practices, governance, and sustainability, influencing the ongoing conversation in both global and local contexts.
Table-5: Documents by affiliations
|
Affiliation |
Documents |
|
Deakin University |
7 |
|
Universiteit Gent |
6 |
|
Universiti Teknologi MARA |
5 |
|
Vlerick Business School |
5 |
|
Universiti Utara Malaysia |
4 |
|
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University |
4 |
|
Wayne State University |
4 |
|
University of Montreal |
4 |
|
University of St. Thomas, Minnesota |
4 |
|
Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen |
4 |
|
Macquarie University |
4 |
|
York University |
4 |
Figure-4: Document by Affiliations
Table 5 presents the institutional affiliations that have made the most substantial contributions to the literature on business ethics and related fields. Deakin University is at the forefront with seven documents, highlighting its significant academic influence and research contributions in ethical and sustainable business practices. Universiteit Gent has made 6 contributions, indicating significant European involvement in this area. Multiple institutions, such as Universiti Teknologi MARA and Vlerick Business School, have each provided five documents, reflecting ongoing research in business responsibility and governance from both Asian and European viewpoints. A group of institutions, namely Universiti Utara Malaysia, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Wayne State University, University of Montreal, University of St. Thomas (Minnesota), Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Macquarie University, and York University, has each produced four documents. The varied representation from North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia highlights the worldwide scholarly focus on ethical practices, corporate governance, and sustainable business models. The contributions of these institutions are essential in shaping academic discourse and advancing knowledge in business ethics.
Table-6: Country wise documents
|
Country/Territory |
Documents |
|
United States |
158 |
|
United Kingdom |
53 |
|
Australia |
35 |
|
China |
32 |
|
Germany |
30 |
|
Canada |
29 |
|
Malaysia |
23 |
|
Spain |
23 |
|
Italy |
20 |
|
France |
18 |
Figure-5: Documents by countries
The distribution of documents by country or territory reflects significant international involvement in business ethics and its literary representation. The United States contributes 158 documents, underscoring its significant academic and research influence in this field. The United Kingdom has 53 publications, indicating a robust scholarly community in ethics and social responsibility. Australia ranks third with 35 documents, indicating a notable focus on ethical business practices within the Asia-Pacific region. China and Germany produced 32 and 30 documents, respectively, indicating an increasing focus on research from both Asian and European academic communities. Canada has incorporated 29 publications, demonstrating a close alignment with its North American counterpart. Malaysia and Spain each present 23 documents, reflecting a growing interest from Southeast Asia and Southern Europe. Italy (20) and France (18) significantly contribute, indicating a wider European perspective on ethical and sustainable business practices. This varied geographical representation illustrates the worldwide extent of scholarly investigation into business ethics, corporate responsibility, and sustainable management.
The Bibliographic couplings (using Vos’s viewer) shows the following image as shown in figure-6 as under:
Figure-6: Bibliographic couplings using Vos viewer
The visualized network map illustrates the conceptual structure of research themes within the field of business ethics and its related domains, based on keyword co-occurrence. At the center of the map, "business ethics" emerges as the most dominant and frequently occurring term, shown by its large size and dense connections. Closely associated are other central themes such as "corporate culture", "corporate governance", "trust", "integrity", and "virtue ethics", indicating their significant influence and relevance in this scholarly field.
The various clusters of nodes, each color-coded, represent thematic groupings or subfields:
Central Theme (Black/Orange Cluster – Core Concepts): At the heart of the map is the keyword "business ethics", which dominates in both size and connectivity, signifying its foundational role. It is densely linked to concepts like "corporate culture", "corporate governance", "trust", and "literature review", forming the intellectual spine of ethical discourse in business studies. The cluster implies that ethical frameworks are central to understanding decision-making, stakeholder relations, and governance structures. Other related terms such as integrity, earnings management, institutional theory, and entrepreneurship demonstrate the growing intersection between ethical theory and practical corporate functioning. These nodes reflect research interest in how ethical considerations influence corporate performance, transparency, regulatory compliance, and sustainability.
Green Cluster – Religion, Values, and Cultural Ethics: The green cluster explores the intersection of business ethics with religious and cultural dimensions. Key nodes include religion, Islamic business ethics, ethics, business, and pedagogy. These terms suggest growing scholarly attention to how religious beliefs shape moral reasoning in economic environments, especially in multicultural and Islamic contexts. The inclusion of education and business education also signals the role of teaching ethics in shaping future professionals. Keywords like virtue ethics and meaningful work reinforce the philosophical underpinnings of ethics based on character and purpose, emphasizing moral development and intrinsic values within corporate life.
Red Cluster – Governance, Trust, and Organizational Practices: The red cluster deals with organizational structures and governance issues. Keywords like corporate governance, finance, trust, social entrepreneurship, and banks indicate the emphasis on how ethical standards apply to financial systems and institutional accountability. The appearance of terms such as Belarus and entrepreneur may point to regional studies and emerging market analysis. This cluster likely investigates ethical conduct in ownership structures, board responsibilities, transparency, and investor relations. It also includes institutional theory, suggesting a focus on how norms, laws, and regulations shape ethical behaviour in institutions.
Blue Cluster – Motivation, Innovation, and Organizational Behaviour: The blue cluster focuses on psychological, motivational, and strategic dimensions of ethical corporate practices. Terms like motivation, innovation, competition, surveys, and incentives are present, showing how ethical behaviour is shaped by internal organizational dynamics. Organizational behaviour, competing values framework, and cash holdings represent efforts to quantify and measure ethics through decision-making patterns and financial behaviours. Research here plays a mediating role in examining behavioural ethics, fostering innovation, and establishing incentive-based ethical compliance.
Purple Cluster – Academic Integrity and Misconduct: This purple cluster delves into ethical challenges in academic and knowledge-driven environments, with terms like academic misconduct, learning organizations, research, and communication ethics. It reflects concerns about integrity in academic publishing, data manipulation, and teaching ethics within business schools. The presence of organizational behavior links academic ethics to practical conduct in workplaces, indicating that foundational values taught in education have lasting implications on corporate actions.
Yellow Cluster – Crisis Response and Pedagogical Challenges: This yellow cluster covers ethics in crisis situations and educational implications, featuring keywords like coronavirus disease 2019, accounting practitioners, education, and banks. It likely reflects research conducted during and after the COVID-19 pandemic on how businesses upheld or compromised ethical standards under pressure. Pedagogy suggests an ongoing inquiry into how such ethical scenarios are taught and analyzed in academic settings. The link to trust and surveys underlines the evaluative aspect of ethical reputation during crisis response.
Grey and Brown Clusters – Discourse and Societal Reflection: Finally, clusters in grey and brown feature terms like public discourse, foucault, communication ethics, consumer behavior, and scandal. These nodes suggest an examination of ethics in public perception, media representation, and philosophical frameworks. The mention of Foucault signals postmodern and critical theory approaches in analyzing how power, surveillance, and knowledge influence ethical narratives in business.
This keyword co-occurrence network presents a rich, interdisciplinary view of business ethics research, connecting philosophical values, corporate practices, financial governance, education, behavior, and societal critique. The diversity in clusters reflects the expansive, evolving nature of ethical inquiry in corporate contexts, where theoretical constructs, regional studies, and practical applications converge to form a dynamic field of study.
Figure-6: Author wise couplings using Vos viewer
Table-6: Authors and citations for every document
|
Label |
No of Documents |
Citations |
|
Berman, brian |
1 |
18 |
|
Berman, susan |
1 |
18 |
|
Birdsall, timothy c. |
1 |
18 |
|
Defren, horst |
1 |
18 |
|
Deng, gary |
1 |
18 |
|
Dobos, gustav |
1 |
18 |
|
Drexler, atje |
1 |
18 |
|
Holmberg, christine |
1 |
18 |
|
Horneber, markus |
1 |
18 |
|
Jütte, robert |
1 |
18 |
|
Knutson, lori |
1 |
18 |
|
Kummer, christopher |
1 |
18 |
|
Kümmel, sherko |
1 |
18 |
|
Pérard, marion |
1 |
18 |
|
Schweiger, david |
1 |
18 |
|
Volpers, susanne |
1 |
18 |
|
Witt, claudia m. |
1 |
18 |
The visual representation of the collaboration network illustrates the co-authorship structure among 17 authors, each contributing to a single document that has received 18 citations. The visualisation illustrates dense interconnections, signifying a substantial degree of collaboration among the identified researchers. In this network, each node signifies an individual author (e.g., Berman, Brian; Holmberg, Christine; Dobos, Gustav), while the connecting lines (edges) indicate co-authorship relationships. The uniformity in the number of documents (1) and the equal citation count (18) for all authors indicates that each individual co-authored the same paper, demonstrating a collaborative scholarly effort. The dense network of interconnected red edges substantiates this, as each author is associated with nearly all other authors, creating a closely integrated research group. This type of collaboration network is commonly observed in multidisciplinary or consortium-based research, where various areas of expertise are combined to tackle a complex research issue. Authors including Susan Berman, Sherko Kümmel, and Timothy C. Birdsall are prominently positioned, likely indicating their coordinating or integrative function in the publication process. The co-authorship structure facilitates knowledge integration, improves research quality, and increases scholarly visibility, as demonstrated by the 18 citations received by the publication. The diagram illustrates a coordinated academic collaboration, demonstrating how interconnected author relationships contribute to significant research outcomes
This bibliometric analysis of literary representations of business ethics and corporate culture reveals a comprehensive and multidimensional scholarly discourse that has evolved significantly over the past two decades. The co-occurrence network clearly delineates five predominant themes through topic clustering. Core themes such as business ethics, corporate governance, and corporate culture constitute the central framework of the academic discourse. The topics identified are the most frequently occurring and highly interconnected, signifying their foundational significance in the literature. The green cluster emphasises domains such as religion, Islamic business ethics, and ethics in education, indicating a growing incorporation of spirituality, values, and educational frameworks within the study of business ethics. The blue and purple clusters, which include terms such as motivation, innovation, surveys, and academic misconduct, reflect an emphasis on behavioural science, measurement tools, and ethical challenges within academic and research contexts. The orange cluster examines themes including consumer behaviour, virtue ethics, and scandals, linking individual ethical concerns with broader reputational and market implications. Finally, the yellow cluster highlights the operational aspects of ethics, encompassing banks, trust, and supply chain ethics, linking financial performance and ethical governance to stakeholder trust and sustainable practices. This interconnected and diverse structure illustrates that business ethics has evolved beyond theoretical discourse to encompass a cross-disciplinary field that addresses societal, cultural, spiritual, and technological dimensions. The research emphasises the need for a comprehensive ethical framework that addresses the changing challenges in corporate and academic environments. This paper contributes to the academic discourse by Bridging the gap between literary studies and business ethics research, demonstrating how literature critiques and influences corporate morality, providing a new interdisciplinary approach to studying corporate ethics through fiction and offering insights for business ethics education through literary narratives. The Literature serves as an essential medium for discussing business ethics and corporate culture, offering insights that extend beyond theoretical business frameworks. From classic critiques of industrial capitalism to modern explorations of corporate surveillance, fictional narratives reveal the evolving ethical landscape of business. By studying these representations, we gain a deeper understanding of the moral responsibilities within corporate structures.
Future research should explore how digital narratives and emerging literary forms engage with corporate ethics, reflecting the rapid changes in business environments. Integrating literature into business education can also provide valuable ethical perspectives, fostering responsible corporate leadership. Ultimately, literary analysis enriches our comprehension of business ethics, demonstrating that fiction is not just an artistic endeavour but also a powerful tool for ethical reflection and critique