Ethics

Imagine the following scenario: You and I are negotiating. You own a bank, and I agree to give you some of my money. Okay? What if I give you someone else's money? It's not illegal. Is it ethical? Or how about this: We're buying goods from Bangladesh. There are people in sweatshops starving. What's a fair wage? What are the ethics in such a situation?

The study of ethics is an ancient tradition, rooted in religious, cultural, and philosolphical beliefs. However, it is obvious that not everyone agrees as to what is ethical and what is not. What causes such disagreement? Is it the complexity, dynamism, and interdependence of business? Is it because business operations are often tainted with compromise? Is it that judgment is clouded on questions of what's right and wrong, unethical or ethical? Or is it that we have ignored (or denied) the importance of values and morals for ethical decisions?

Two points need to be agreed on by leaders and followers. First, our business ethics cannot be separated from our personal ethics (or all ethics). Second, business will never be any more ethical than the people who are in business. Seem simple enough? In the long run, ethics has to stand on its own. Decisions have to be based on company values and ethics.