If Aristotle Ran General Motors

Morris's discussion--which deals with how to run all businesses, not just the automotive giants--reads like a clever, late-night conversation among grad students. That isn't surprising, since Morris is a former philosophy professor and, like the best teachers, he makes his case in a simple, compelling way. His message? The ""four dimensions of human experience"" that Aristotle talked about 2200 years ago--truth, beauty, goodness, unity--should form the underpinnings of today's corporation. For Morris, truth can include opening the books to employees. A more beautiful workplace increases productivity. Goodness means behaving ethically, and unity means meeting employees' spiritual--distinguished from religious--needs on the job. Hard-nosed readers will note that Morris, who quotes scores of other philosophers to make his points, often in highlighted text, never cites a number, ratio or rate of return to buttress his arguments, and that corporate examples are cited only in passing. Still, he provides an innovative resource for executives who claim that they want to return to basics. 75,000 first printing; author tour. (Sept.)