Although, some businesses still do not enforce it, ethics and values play an important role in everyday life as well as professional life. Professional ethics and values are key factors to career success. Ethics are rules and guidelines that companies impose on the employees; it is the code of conduct for the company. Values are the principles that we believe are most important in our lives. Different professional settings will have different ethics and values.

Business ethics were established more than 2,000 years ago but weren’t often enforced until the social responsibility movement of the 1960's. Business were profiting from this country's resources so it was brought up by the public that they should accept social responsibility and do business ethically (Leadership Values and Ethics: Secrets of Leadership Success - By Susan M. Heath field).
Over the years business owners have learned how to recognize the value of enforcing ethics in the work environment because they know that a professional setting without ethics is in danger of decreased productivity and survival. There is always different types of people with different personalities, and different values working at a company, in order for people to get along with each other and be productive, there is a need to set up rules and make sure everyone follow those rules otherwise there will be a lot of miss understanding and disagreement between coworkers causing productivity level to decrease (Newman, 2010). Ethics and values can vary from one business setting to another such as the ethics and values of a law firm and the ethics of a manufacturing company. From my own experience working at a law firm so of the ethics are confidentiality, respect toward each other, validity of documents, honesty, and reliability. The law firm valued the clients therefore; we had to provide excellent customer service. When I went for my interview the attorney explained the code of conduct and the expectations he had from his employees to make sure that I could work accordingly. Some ethics and values of a manufacturing environment are different from the ethics and values of a law firm. The ethics of a manufacturing environment are product safety, environmental protection, public safety, honesty, excellent customer service, employment safety, and warranty of product (Business Ethics, Becker, 2001).
The Toyota gas pedal recall on 2005-2008 Model Year Toyota Corolla and Corolla Matrix is an example of how business ethics were and were not followed. The Toyota manufacturing companies were not ethical because they failed to provide public safety by manufacturing a product that was unsafe that resulted in minor injuries as a result of accidents. The Engine Control Modules (ECM) were manufactured incorrectly, that could result in a “crack of particular solder points or varistors” causing the car to turn off while being operated. (Toyota newsroom, 2010). Toyota also followed business ethics by providing service to the Toyota owners at the company’s own cost so that the mistake could be fixed and the customers could have a safe product. A statement made by the Toyota chief quality officer for North America, Steve St. Angelo shows how Toyota’s business ethics were followed; “This recall is an example of our commitment to standing by our products and being responsive to our customers. Our goal is to help ensure that Toyota drivers are completely confident in the safety and reliability of their vehicles” (Toyota newsroom, 2010). Values and ethics among different industries can be similar but also have their differences. I want to compare and contrast the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole and the clothing distributor that I work for. Both are environmentally friendly, but there are a few differences to be addressed. The MBL values animals and people and is planning to study Xenopus frogs, how they regenerate their arms and legs. They want to someday find a way for human beings to do the same. My company is dedicated to enforcing safely practices. We have numerous hazards in the workplace and safety measures that need to be taken at all times. Customer satisfaction is important and therefore the product we send out has to be of high quality. Whether similar of different, values and ethics among organizations have to be strong and sufficient for a business to be successful. The ethics and values of Security versus a Business Office are as follows: Code of conduct or a set of rules. In my own experience with security, acting and looking professional are a key factor in this profession, providing security to various sites, providing support to personnel, providing access control for visitors and personnel, provide valid documents such as Activity Logs, and Incident Reports and Detex Reports, document all security issues. Secure premises with CCTV cameras inside as well as outside the perimeters. Answering telephones in the correct manner and in order of importance. These are the duties of the concierge security person at the front desk in a building. The values are as follows: A worthy person who is recognized and awarded for a job well done. The manner, in which they speak and act toward clients and the public, depends upon the survival of the security company. The security company will only survive if it provides its clients with professional service and well trained security officers. In turn the security company will pay its employees for a job well done. Otherwise the company will fail and the client will not renew its contract with the security company (PC Week, J. Littman, (November 20, 1984).

The ethics and values of a business office have some similarities and some differences between the jobs themselves. For instance, the receptionist at a business office is responsible for greeting, signing in, and setting up appointments with employees. She directs clients or customers to the right person they need to see. The appearance of the receptionist sends a message to the person who hired him or her and will have an impact on the business office. The manner in which a receptionist communicates to visitors is monitored by the business office personnel to ensure tasks are done in the professional manner. A receptionist does not watch the security cameras. This is done only by security personnel. The values of a business office is as follows: The business office has to survive and reward employees with bonuses, perks, health insurance, paid vacations, personal sick days on top of employee’s regular pay to increase productivity and treat the employee as part of the team. The similar ethics and values are that personnel should not get too friendly with the clientele of the company they work for. This might cause them to fire you for conflict of interest! You only do the job that you are paid to do! (Value Creation (2007). The BP oil spill in the Gulf Coast is one of the worlds’ worst oil spills in history. While it was drilling off the southeast coast of Louisiana in 5,000 feet of water, an explosion and fire occurred. It killed 11 workers. It has destroyed the livelihood of the residents along the gulf coast. The eco-system and wildlife is greatly endangered. The tourist trade is destroyed. British Petroleum had no concern for the people who are affected by this devastation. Losing profits is British Petroleum’s concern. This disaster by British Petroleum should prompt other companies to probe into their ethics and values to avoid crises (HR Magazine, August 2010).

My conclusion is all businesses may vary in their code of ethics and values, depending upon what business they are in. British Petroleum, for example, concerning the disaster in the Gulf Coast, showed no concern for the safety of its own employees nor did it show any concern for the welfare of the residents of the Gulf Coast or the environment. The Subaru Corporation, on the other hand, follows extremely good safety standards on all models of their automobiles. They also treat their customers with the very best service and respect. To prosper into a successful business, it must establish a good code of ethics and values.