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What Is Business Ethics?

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Submitted By Alma22
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What Is Business Ethics? Our textbook states that business ethics comprises the principles, values, and standards that guide behavior in the world of business. Being ethical in business is nothing new and has been around a long time. Business ethics are both good and bad. Unfortunately we hear more about the unethical business behavior than we do about the good behavior of the business world. Unethical business practices have been around since slavery and continue today in the corporate world with firms such as Enron and Lehman Brothers. As a baby boomer and a part of the work force since 1967, I have seen a lot of changes in the corporate world of business ethics. After reading our text, it seems to me that teaching business ethics to the corporate world is the same as what most of our parents taught us growing up, “do the right thing”. They taught us the difference between right and wrong and the golden rule to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Ethical issues have been around since the beginning of time and the majority of those issues were social and moral issues. As the times and cultures changed so did the social and moral issues but they are still either right or wrong and given different names. Gone are the days when a business deal was decided by a handshake and a promise. In today’s society a handshake is only a formality to introduce two people who may make a decision to choose unethical practices to be sure that the bottom line is met in a business partnership. There is more to business ethics than the treatment to employees or business customers. There is also the environmental and social ethics. The disposal of waste from a large corporation into waters that feed into lakes and streams that once provided recreation to many is an unethical decision of corporate decision makers. This contamination causes both health hazards and

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