Navigating Ethical Space in Entrepreneurship: Paths to Entrepreneurial Responsibility

Over the last decade media has uncovered many unethical entrepreneurial behaviors that speaks to the importance for scholarly advancements that could guide entrepreneurial behavior and action. Despite the recent conceptualization of entrepreneurial responsibility and the increased interest in ethical issues surrounding entrepreneurs, there remains a need for explicating how entrepreneurs can navigate within various ethical situations and morally evaluate their current intentions and future scenarios. In the present paper we address this by developing a matrix-model with four different ethical positions that entrepreneurs could take if/when facing morally dubious situations that require them to make decisions and act. For discussing the four standpoints elaborated in the matrix model we utilize fictional characters from pop culture. Namely, we take advantage of Batman, Robin Hood, Peter Pan and Yoda. Our heroic characters each represent a different ethical standpoint that affects how they take decisions and justify their actions. We position the characters in a matrix model to show how entrepreneurs can navigate within the different ethical positions and discuss how movement may uphold or impede taking entrepreneurial responsibility when faced with ethically sensitive decisions.