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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

17 of 18

Ethics

by Jose Astorga

Writing:

I am continuously amazed at how there are two sides to every story; every issue. This duality points to the diversity of thought among the populace. It is why politicians can't agree on anything.

Differences of opinion can lead to the resolution of complex issues if biases are removed from the analysis of issues and the resulting debates-a very difficult thing to do.

On the question of ethics versus profits, I didn't expect to see anything on the profit side. How nave. I suspect that individuals with movable ethical boundaries would be highly successful executives-short term and without any real loyal following. I've known individuals that compromised ethics in order to achieve profits or objectives, and my associations with them were short lived. I severed relationships not because I was morally offended, but because I saw how their personalities changed and how they treated anyone perceived to be in their way. Sometimes, I did not recognize these moral dilettantes.

Let's make one thing clear; business exists to make money. There is no other reason. However, the business or executive that does not profit ethically will eventually pay a price. We've seen it over and over again over the last few years. From what I understand, even the current sub-prime mortgage debacle that has caused so much financial ruin can be attributed to questionable business practices and a lack of ethics.

What am I missing?

Ethics does not have to revolve around religion, human rights or animal rights. The ethical person does not require a label to guide her behavior. Business ethics is simply doing the right thing within a particular business context. Unfortunately, it sometimes takes one person to take a moral position for questionable business practices to receive attention, as in the story presented by Liz Roberts about the Body Shop and Anita Roddick. Nice story where one person made a difference.

We are not all Boy Scouts all the time. There is no question our moral foundation can be rocked, but it doesn't have to break. I've often acted ethically from an innate grounding. I have also acted ethically from a desire to avoid unwanted repercussions for me or my colleagues. I look out for my comrades even though they don't always look out for themselves.

Business and ethics are not discordant. Most of us adhere to personal rules that govern our social and business behavior. But, I have one rule that is cast in stone and has never nor will it ever be broken: no success will be achieved at the expense of another.

Business can be a brutal competitive force leaving many casualties behind on the road to success. However, we must always respect and appreciate the difference between the by-product of capitalism and the victims of greed and gluttony.

Beware of those who practice situational ethics; at some point, it will be practiced on you.