The ends justify the means: The ethical reasoning of environmental public interest groups and their actions

There has been a documented, growing radicalism in the actions of some environmental public interest groups in recent years. In particular, groups pursuing the rights of animals and groups working for the environment have increased their militancy and action. What strikes these authors as curious is the total lack of debate and scholarly inquiry within the management profession over the ethics and tactics of these groups. The purpose of this analysis is to explore the ethics of public interest group activity, offer reasons for the lack of analysis by management researchers, and propose a modest research agenda for future investigations into the ethics of public interest groups.