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Are business ethics or profits more important?

This Debate has 18 articles on the Ethics side and 7 articles on the Profits side. Click here to see all the articles rated and ranked by Helium members.

Ethics

Profits

7 of 7

Profits

Speaking absolutely clearly with a straight-forward business frame of mind, the answer is gleemingly obvious. The single most important task for any successful firm is always to maximize its shareholders' return. That is the fundamental lesson in Business 101. Profits are the main goal of any intelligently-run company. The whole purpose of running a business is to maximize the bottom line. Of course, that does not always do quite so much for the uplifting of your eternal soul. The harsh reality of business is that the numbers can make or break you. So from the business side of things, it isn't hard to determine the answer to this debate. Profits are simply more important.

Still, it may be considered unChristian to arrive at that answer quite so effortlessly. Ethics are important, but they will just never outweigh the bottom line in terms of importance. To be quite frank, ethics have actually very little to do with business success. Looking at this question with a complete mind, considering every aspect, it would still be a toss-up over ethics and profits. The truth is that these concepts are related. It is hard to have one without the offer. Still, there are exceptions. A good way to look at this is to compare socially responsible investing (SRI) firms alongside the increasingly popular VICE Index, which was created specifically to compete with SRI funds. The VICE fund consistently and gracefully outperforms the former because the VICE managers invest with a scheming business mind and model instead of with their soul and heart.

So here we have arrived at yet another debate that could be pegged as good versus evil. Now, look to the movies. The good guys are typically underfunded, alone, and disheveled messes. The bad guys are their cute, wealthy, life-of-the-party counterparts. It is not tough to decide which side of the battle you want to stand on. Companies such as Wal-Mart and Exxon have made their decisions, and their finances speak for themselves. The bearish make no sway in the market, especially with instability looming. So choose ethics if you must, but be prepared to fall in the process.