"The Principles of Positive Management" by Bruce R. Freidman is a book with many good insights into how good leaders should relate to the work they do and why the company that employs them will flourish. This book is geared towards the present time as it deals with today's business climate. It isn't a book that was written in response to the challenges of yesterday. The author shows a lot of knowledge and expertise in the areas he covers, but I personally found the book lacking on its application to the working class. I will offer a simple explanation of why I feel this way.
The first thing you learn about the author is his belief that there are principles of life; ones that can be used to help you improve your life. These aren't abstract thoughts or concepts but are based in practical application. He also goes into explaining that by applying these principles to your life, you will be able to reach greater heights and accomplish more. However, the author presents these concepts in a way that is more easily understood and applied by a common man.
One of the principle lessons presented is the lesson to never exploit the innocent. Again, I believe this is geared more towards today's business world. However, many of our "good moral principles" were taught when we were younger and have been lost along the way. By exploiting the innocent or ignorant rather than educating them we create more victims and perhaps make the work environment much worse. The author makes sure to point out that if we are going to apply these principles there must be someone to teach them.
Another thing that struck me as I read the book was that Bruce teaches that there are three types of universal principles: Aesthetic, Proximal, and Causal. The first two are categories, while the last is a subset of the first two. In this way the author is attempting to give a definition for each of these categories. I personally find that the aesthetic category is usually pretty self-explanatory, but the causal and the universal categories need some explaining. For instance, the first two are pretty self explanatory, but knowing that the Aesthetic principle is a subset of the second it could cause confusion for the reader.
The moral code also gets a little bit confusing. Most people know what is morally right and wrong. The moral code simply states what is right and wrong. It doesn't tell us why or how. So in essence, the moral code is a set of arbitrary rules we follow no matter which ethical principle we decide to follow.
Principle Wins presents a simple solution to the problems of all human societies. Since we are part of a chain of causality and since we are all interconnected through time, it stands to reason that if one part of the chain suffers an accident or its integrity is compromised, then all of the other parts of the chain will be affected. The author maintains that if we choose to follow these principles then we can be sure that the rest of the chain will continue to operate properly. The moral particularism of the author is simple enough to convince most readers that even if most people do not share her moral views she believes that it is still the right thing to do. In summary, the moral particularism of Principle Wins presents a simple answer to the problem of morality and that is consistency.