Free Essay About Ethics In The Business World

Ethics is a word that is often discussed throughout life, but in no place more than the business world. It is heard on the news everyday how businesses are either acting unethically or were forced to make a decision between what was ethical and what was not. Ethics is not just a discussion about what is legal or illegal for a business to do or partake in, but it is a discussion about what is right vs. wrong. Not everything that is unethical is seen to be illegal, but many things that are illegal are seen to be unethical. Ethics in business is not following the rules of the company but it is making decisions that are viewed as right and moral. Ethics come into play often when it is a financial institution, or one that handles people’s personal finances or information.
It is not always easy to determine whether or not a business is ethical or unethical, especially when you are on the outside looking in. Unethical practices are often not known until they hit mainstream media. These stories that do hit the media are only discussed because of the amount of money that is usually involved in the laundering or other scheme that has been presented by the news. People in business situations often face ethical dilemmas and make questionable decisions that would not make the news, and these are the decisions that make it hard to determine whether or not a business is practicing good ethics.
Many of the people who are high level employees of the company are one’s that make and handle a lot of money, but are not often seen or viewed in the public eye. Ethics, once again, is not a discussion of law, but a discussion of what is right. An executive of a company should not base his decisions around what would get him in trouble in the company solely, but how it would be viewed by society if his or her actions become public knowledge. Ethics is not something that is black and white but is something that is determine by societies reactions and beliefs. It is difficult to know a business’s ethical choices until you witness them firsthand.