Ethical and Moral Issues

Ethical and Moral Issues in Business

Chantal A. Belaire

University of Phoenix

Organizational Ethics and Social Responsibility

MGT216

Ricky Lovett

November 30, 2010

Ethical and Moral Issues in Business

The difference between ethics and morals can seem somewhat unreasonable to many, but there is a basic, although subtle, difference. Morals define personal character, while ethics stress a social system in which those morals are applied. Ethics point to codes or standards of behavior expected by a group to which the individual belongs. This could be in several forms of ethics like national, social, company, professional, or even family. The ethics an individual practices can be other dependent while a person’s moral code is usually unchanging ("Ethics", 2010).

Ethics and morals can clash at the workplace where business ethics can play against personal morality. Corporate greed coupled with unreasonable demands on time can lead to having to choose between a demanding and stressful work ethic, and family obligations to spouse and children. Individuals lose jobs frequently because of poor personal morals as employee theft is a common reason for dismissal ("Ethics", 2010).

For example, homosexuality, many believe is morally wrong. Yet, some of the same group of individuals believes it is unethical to discriminate legally by disallowing a group the same rights afforded heterosexuals. This is a plain example of morals and ethics at battle. In the coming years, a better and growing understanding will lead to peaceful and productive solutions ("Ethics", 2010).

Business ethics is the behavior that a business follows in its daily dealings with the world. According to (“Ethics”, 2010), “The ethics of a particular business can be diverse. They apply not only to how the business interacts with the world at large, but also to their one-on-one dealings with a single customer”.

Just by being in business, many businesses have...