Integrity in the World of Business

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Integrity in the World of Business

One attribute that may elongate the life span of a business is integrity, without it the business is normally headed for natural death. Integrity is a product of honesty and strictly upholding moral principles. Like any other church, the Catholic Church uses the Ten Commandments to justify why business integrity should be upheld. The Ten Commandments gives restrictions against theft or envy of other peoples’ goods and property. In particular, the bible advocates for stewardship, which should be applied in any business. This paper looks into the Catholic Church’s stand on topic of business integrity.

The Seventh Commandment

This commandment is used by Catholic Church as a guide to business integrity. It states that “you shall not steal” (New Jerusalem Bible, Exod. 20.15). It prohibits unjust acquisition of goods and property that belongs to one’s neighbor. It dictates justice in handling other people’s property because they were acquired through hard work. In this respect, the authority is mandated to provide law and order so as to protect people from unscrupulous businessmen. This commandment directs that someone should not consider the goods he/she legally owns as restricted to himself/herself, they should be shared with others. The Catholic Church is against the law of the market place that advocates for individualism and capitalism. It argues that this law fails to uphold social justice because there are some needs that cannot be satisfied by such a law (Lennick and Kiel 134).

Economic Activities

Businesses should strive to come up with economic activities that satisfy the needs of all human beings. Most followers of the Catholic Church believe economic activities should not merely be...

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...nd this can help these businesses to realize more profits.

Works Cited

Beckett, John, and Ted DeMoss. The Christian World View of Business and Occupations. Coalition on Revival, n.d. Web. 8 Sep 2011.

Houck, John W., and Oliver F. Williams. A Virtuous Life in Business: Stories of Courage and Integrity in the Corporate World. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1992. Print.

Lennick, Doug, and Fred Kiel. Moral Intelligence: Enhancing Business Performance and Leadership Success. New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2008. Print.

Pillay, Pravasan. The Ethical Boundaries of Business: Questions of Integrity. n.p., n.d. Web. 8 Sep 2011.

Pollan, Stephen M., and Mark Levine. “How to Start Your Own Business.” New York Magazine 8 Jun. 1987: 28-34. Print.

The New Jerusalem Bible. Ed. Susan Jones. New York: Doubleday, 1985. Print.

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