Biography
Muel Kaptein is a professor of business ethics and integrity management at the Department of Business-Society Management, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM).
His research interests lie in the area of defining, measuring and managing the ethics of organizations.
Muel wrote eight books and has published 50 peer-reviewed articles in journals like Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Organization Studies, Journal of Management, and Academy of Management Review.
He was section-editor of Journal of Business Ethics between 2002 and 2019. He teaches courses in CSR, leadership, business ethics and consultancy.
Muel is also equity partner at KPMG where he helps organizations in developing, protecting and assessing their ethics, integrity and compliance.
Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University
Full professor | Department of Business-Society Management
- mkaptein@rsm.nl
More information
Work
- Guillem C. Cabana & Muel Kaptein (2025) - Understanding the Effectiveness of Ethics Programs in Preventing Unethical Behavior by Unravelling the Dimensions of Team Ethical Culture - Journal of Business Ethics - doi: 10.1007/s10551-025-06115-5 - [link]
- Muel Kaptein (2025) - To Punish or to Forgive: Managerial Responses to Unethical Employee Behavior from an Organizational Ethical Culture Perspective - Journal of Business Ethics - doi: 10.1007/s10551-025-06163-x - [link]
- Muel Kaptein (2025) - The Limits of the Ethical Responsibilities of Companies: Using Corporate Social Contract Theory to Identify Boundary Principles - Journal of Business Ethics - doi: 10.1007/s10551-025-06109-3 - [link]
- Jop Versteegt, Marius van Dijke & Muel Kaptein (2025) - The Status of Normative Ethical Decision-Making Models: The Development and Application of an Analytical Framework - Journal of Business Ethics - doi: 10.1007/s10551-025-06094-7 - [link]
- Isabel de Bruin Cardoso, Muel Kaptein & Lucas Meijs (2025) - Exploring the dark side of NGO moral goodness: a conceptual framework on the NGO halo and its role in unethical behaviour - Voluntary Sector Review, 16 (2), 302-321 - doi: 10.1332/20408056y2024d000000028 - [link]
- Muel Kaptein (2025) - Employees’ Fantasies about Unethical Behavior at Work: A Framework for Determining their Moral Seriousness - Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal - doi: 10.1007/s10672-025-09548-2 - [link]
- Ahmed Gaara, Muel Kaptein & Guido Berens (2025) - Corroborating and Extending a Typology of Public Relations Professionals’ Ethical Dilemmas:: Unveiling Three Types of Unethical Behaviors
- Muel Kaptein (2025) - Stakeholder ethics: Defining the ethical responsibilities of stakeholders to and for companies<sup>1</sup> - Business and Society Review, 130 (2), 209-232 - doi: 10.1111/basr.70010 - [link]
- Guillem C. Cabana & Muel Kaptein (2025) - Team ethical culture as a coupling mechanism between a well-implemented organizational ethics program and the prevention of unethical behavior in teams - Business Ethics, the Environment and Responsibility, 34 (2), 409-422 - doi: 10.1111/beer.12661 - [link]
- Muel Kaptein (2025) - Normatively Reconciling Shareholder and Stakeholder Theories: The Ethical Responsibility of Business Is to Serve Its Shareholders by Serving Its Stakeholders - Open Journal of Business and Management , 13 (2), 1000 - doi: 10.4236/ojbm.2025.132054 - [link]
- Martijn van der Steen, Muel Kaptein & Martin de Bree (19 October 2023) - New research programme aims to innovate public regulation
- Muel Kaptein (2 November 2022) - More ethical businesses are more unlikely to experience unethical employee behaviour
- Muel Kaptein (9 December 2021) - = Erasmus University Rotterdam Dilemma Game App Wins European Award
- Muel Kaptein, E Roos & Ph Wallage (1 January 2009) - Trust Rules: Negen handvatten voor een betere balans tussen regels en vertrouwen.
- JFDB (Johan) Wempe & Muel Kaptein (1 January 1994) - Ondernemingscode NV Luchthaven Schiphol
- Muel Kaptein (2019) - Dutch National Compliance Award 2019
- Muel Kaptein (1992) - Dutch Best Master Thesis Award
Erasmus MC
- Start date approval
- January 2024
- End date approval
- January 2027
- Place
- ROTTERDAM
- Description
- Voorzitter Commissie Wetenschappelijke Integriteit
Erasmus Holding
- Start date approval
- January 2025
- End date approval
- December 2027
- Place
- ROTTERDAM
- Description
- Raad van Advies van Governance Opleiding
Tot heil des volks
- Start date approval
- June 2025
- End date approval
- June 2028
- Place
- AMERSFOORT
- Description
- Voorzitter Raad van Toezicht
KPMG
- Start date approval
- June 2025
- End date approval
- June 2028
- Place
- AMSTELVEEN
- Description
- advisering
Verantwoord leiderschap in organisaties
- Year Level
- bachelor 2, pre-master
- Year
- 2025
- Course Code
- BK2101
Responsible Business Leadership
- Year Level
- bachelor 2, pre-master, bachelor 3
- Year
- 2025
- Course Code
- BT2101
