The Importance Of Business Ethics In Business

The moral obligation of a business is to maximize profits while obeying the law according to the canonical view of business social responsibility, but why should businesses abide to the law and not deviate from it. The reason why organizations should adhere to the laws is because it is the moral thing to do. Humans tend to do what is beneficial to them by providing the maximization of their self-profits. When this becomes the focus nothing can get in their way. They will break laws and create a chaotic society. Humans will commit bad acts if they will have personal gain. Thomas Hobbes wanted to bring an end to this chaotic society “state of nature” to an organized state. This is when he created the social contract to create an organized state.

Ethical questions range from practical, narrowly defined issues, such as a company 's obligation to be honest with its customers, to broader social and philosophical questions, such as a company 's responsibility to preserve the environment and protect employee rights. Many ethical conflicts develop from conflicts between the differing interests of company owners and their workers, customers, and surrounding community. Managers must balance the ideal against the practical—the need to produce a reasonable profit for the company 's shareholders with honesty in business practices, safety in the workplace, and larger environmental and social issue. Ethical behavior consists of making decisions that exemplify respect for key moral principles that include honesty, fairness, equality dignity, diversity and individual rights. In my current employer Con Edison we abide to the Standards of Business conduct which “defines the ways of our values, principles, policies, laws and regulations that shape our work” These standards help address any arising issues. One of the values incorporated in our Standards of Business conduct is Diversity. We have a commitment to “provide equal employment opportunities for all current and prospective employees. This commitment includes not discriminating in recruitment, hiring, termination, promotion, salary treatment,

He argues that the moral worth of an action is to be judged by not its consequences but by the nature of the maxim or principle that motivated that action. Thus right actions are not necessarily those with favorable consequences but those performed in accordance with correct maxims. Kant unlike philosopher John Mill believed many actions were prohibited such as theft or lying even if the action would bring happiness. The rightness or wrongness of actions does not depend on the consequences but on whether they fulfill a duty. Kant’s philosophy on moral duties stemmed from the supreme principle of morality the Categorical Imperative “ Categorical because it does not depend on anyone particular desires, and imperative because it is a command of reason.” Based on Kant’ s theory it is inapt to engage in a maxim that everyone cannot act on. Bribery is not considered a universal law. According to Kant ‘s first formulation of the categorical imperative “you should act only on a maxim that can be universalized without contradiction.” One is not allowed to do something that everyone cannot do. There are to be made for one. For example: I can steal from a clothing store but everyone else cant. To make an ethical choice one must act on a maxim that can be applied to a universal law. Bribery cannot be universalized it would create a corrupt society. By the United States engaging in bribery acts they are not