The academic literature on management consulting raises many questions about the ethics of management consulting. The uncertain, emergent, and often socially constructed nature of management consultancy knowledge limits the scope both for regulating the industry in the manner of the established professions, and for evaluating management consultants’ work objectively. The character of management consultants is therefore a central issue in how far clients and other stakeholders can trust them. This paper considers three questions, using Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics as a guide. These are, first, ‘What is the function of a management consultant?’, second, ‘How should a management consultant act in order to be a good management consultant?’, and third, ‘Where does the boundary lie between the ethical responsibilities of the management consultant and those of the client and other stakeholders?’ Aristotelian virtue ethics are valuable in answering these questions. Their focus on character is well suited to the distinct ethical problems of management consulting. Aristotle’s overarching concern with human flourishing, and an ethically balanced approach towards benefiting from the good things to which a virtuous person may aspire, has more promise as an influence on consultants’ behaviour than the lists of prohibitions that typify codes of ethical practice in the industry. Aristotle’s call for leaders to habituate their people to ethical behaviour should be heard by the leaders of management consultancy firms. In accordance with Aristotle’s philosophy, this paper proposes a positive target at which management consultants can aim in shooting for ethical practice.

中文翻译：

---

亚里士多德和管理顾问：为道德实践而奋斗

关于管理咨询的学术文献提出了许多关于管理咨询伦理的问题。管理咨询知识的不确定性、突发性和通常是社会建构的性质限制了以既定职业的方式规范行业和客观评估管理咨询师工作的范围。因此，管理顾问的性格是客户和其他利益相关者可以信任他们的核心问题。本文以亚里士多德的《尼各马可伦理学》为指导，考虑了三个问题。它们是，第一，“管理顾问的职能是什么？”，第二，“管理顾问应该如何做才能成为一名优秀的管理顾问？”，第三，“管理顾问的道德责任与客户和其他利益相关者的道德责任之间的界限在哪里？” 亚里士多德的美德伦理对回答这些问题很有价值。他们对性格的关注非常适合管理咨询的独特道德问题。亚里士多德对人类繁荣的总体关注，以及从有道德的人可能渴望的美好事物中受益的道德平衡方法，作为对顾问行为的影响，比代表行业道德实践准则的禁令清单更有希望. 管理咨询公司的领导人应该听到亚里士多德呼吁领导者让他们的员工养成道德行为的习惯。按照亚里士多德的哲学，