Ethical and Moral Issues in Business

586 Words3 Pages
Ethical and Moral Issues in Business The difference between ethics and morals can seem somewhat arbitrary to many, but there is a basic, although subtle, difference. Morals define personal character, whereas ethics stress a social system that exercises morals. In other words, ethics point to standards or codes of behavior expected by the assembly to which the person belongs. This could be national ethics, social ethics, company ethics, professional ethics, or even family ethics. Although a person's moral code is usually unchanging, the ethics he or she practices can be other-dependent. Ethical and Moral Issues In every situation in life there will be choices that will sometimes be questionable by another’s ethical beliefs and moral standards. Ethics and morality have been the topic of discussion over the past few years. The media caught wind of the Enron scandal and then the entire country became aware of the situation and the truth about how the men in charge were lying to shareholders about important financial statements, among other charges. Ethical issues involve people following a particular view on different topics and situations. When considering the difference between ethics and morals, it may be helpful to consider a criminal defense attorney. Although the attorney's personal moral code likely finds murder immoral and reprehensible, ethics demands that an accused client receive the best defense possible, even when the attorney knows the party is guilty, even at the expense of setting him free possibly to murder again. Legal ethics must supersede personal morals for an attorney to do his job accordingly. Failure do so could result in a mistrial, disbarment and only cost taxpayers more money for an additional trial in the end. Personal and Business Ethics The difference between personal ethics and business ethics is personal
Open Document