|
|
|
2007-07-19 11:01:26
|
 |
Article by Joseph Brochin |
 |
|
The primary objective of a business is to make money. Why would an individual or group of people start a business if he did not want to make money? An argument that is generated by some is: "Should profits be the only function of a business?"
The desire for businesses to make money can sometimes lead to what is considered unethical business practices. Keep in mind the words unethical and unlawful are two separate terms with two separate meanings. One side of the argument states that ethics should not play a part in business as long as the business abides by the law of the land then they should not concern themselves with ethical behavior, but they should act in the best interest of the organization. The other side of the argument states that for an economy to function in a capitalist fashion that businesses must act in an ethical fashion regardless if their actions are legal under law.
Milton Friedman contends that the sole responsibility of business is to increase its profits. Robert Almeder maintains that if capitalism is to survive, it must act in a socially responsible ways that go beyond profit making. The views of these two individuals go to the heart of the argument. This author believes that after reading their material that the views of both are exaggerated. I do believe that a business's responsibilities do go beyond what is legal. A business has a responsibility not only to the owners or stockholders, but also to the consumer who trust the business is acting not only in a legal manner but a safe and ethical manner as well. If a business goes out of its way to act in an unethical fashion then the business has broken their trust with the consumer. Once a business loses the trust of their consumers then profits will plummet. Seeing that profits are the primary function of a business then it is in the businesses best interest to maintain a trusting relationship with the consumers and continue to act in safe and ethical manner.
Keeping in mind that it is not the purpose of a business to propose or to dictate legislature nor ethical behavior to the individual, a business should not be held accountable for what a small population of consumers consider unethical. If the practice of the business is out in the open and hazards of their products are readily published and do not present the possibility of death involuntarily to the consumer then legislature should not dictate ethical behavior to business nor individuals for that matter.
Joseph Brochin owns and operates Brochin.net. An IT & Telecommunications Solutions provider and consultant. http://brochin.net
|
| Specialized in: |
Information Technology Solutions
-
Information Technology Products
-
Information Technology Services
-
Telecommunications Solutions
-
Telecommunications Products
-
Telecommunications Services
|
| URL: |
http://brochin.net
|
|
|
Related Articles |
|
Earning Serendipity-Your Gateway To Make Opportunity Matter From Glenn Llopis (Popularity:  ): Most of us believe in chance. Most of us accept it's by pure chance that success happens. Those who are successful are simply fortunate. And there is nothing one can do but wait and watch till fortune dawns all on a sudden. Thus we are awed by people around to whom good things always come, the flourishing tribe, the favorites of fortune. And we yearn to be like them, to ...
Fraudulent House Flippers Finding, Forgetting and Hiding Flaws (Popularity: ): Many house flippers at the top of the market bought homes waving their right to inspections, some of these homes actually did have flaws, or real problems. Of course, if these house flippers were caught with these homes as the market fell many of them did whatever they could to hide the flaws that they later discovered. Hiding flaws or failing to disclose them to the buyers is fraud.Sure they ...
An Ideal Worth Ten Thousand Pesos - Fighting For The Right To Party (Popularity: ): One man cannot speak for everyone. Each individual point of view can only be as educated as his experiences, which essentially is the fabric of his beliefs. I myself am a 23 year-old, Philippine-born Canadian woman. I came to Colombia nine months ago to teach English and learn a thing or two about her culture. There are many prejudices surrounding her beauty, among which are kidnappings involving FARC, drug trafficking ...
Analyzing Public Perception of American Politics - Nu Leadership Series (Popularity: ): Men cease to interest us when we find their limitations. The sin is limitations. As soon as you once come up to a man’s limitations, it is all over with him.EmersonToday most average Americans are reluctant to discuss politics. Some are disgusted with politics in general. Unfortunately, this disgust is not without merit. American politics are rooted in American political culture that promotes that government ought to work in accordance ...
Being Someone: From the Perspective of a Fourth Grader (Popularity: ): If you posed this question to a fourth grader, what do you suppose their answer would be? “If a person were invited to speak to your class today and you saw them walking down the hall, how would you know that they are ‘somebody!’?” Better still, if you asked that same question to a high school student or to someone you work with, what do you think his or her ...
|
|
Related Business |
|
The W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics (Popularity: ): An interdisciplinary research institute, doing work in bioethics, business ethics, professional ethics, environmental ethics, and animal welfare and the ethics of animal use.
The American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics (Popularity: ): Providing scholarship, debate, and critical thought to the community of professionals at the nexus of law, health care, and ethics.
Centre for Bio-Ethics and Health Law (Popularity: ): Centre for Bio-Ethics and Health Law is an independent academic institute offering short-term advice and research; it organises courses and provides training sessions. Within the Centre veterinarians and ethicists work together in areas of applied ethics and education and in judicial research.
Ethics Training Guide (Popularity: ): The Ethics Training Guide takes the guesswork out of deciding which business ethics program to choose. Rather than spend thousands on someone you’ve never done business with, let us provide you guidance.
Ethics CLE Courses (Popularity: ): The free ethics CLE course bundle from Lexvid is a valuable resource for practitioners to fulfill their CLE credits requirement. Browse through topics on legal ethics and law practice management here.
The Canadian Centre for Ethics & Corporate Policy (Popularity: ): An independent ethics centre, working with businesses and with other organizations involved in business ethics, building programs and addressing current issues
Center for Ethics and Business (Popularity: ): An academic site for discussing issues related to conducting business ethically, case studies, links for business ethics-related sites.
Society of Business Ethics (Popularity: ): International organisation of academics conducting research in business ethics. Information on mission, newsletter, events, membership and quarterly journal.
The Institute for Business, Technology and Ethics (Popularity: ): Seeks to promote good business through appropriate technology and sound ethics. Details of bi-monthly newsletter, membership, corporate sponsors and ethical checklists.
The Prudential Business Ethics Center at Rutgers (Popularity: ): Supports conferences, lectures, courses and research to provide a grounding in ethics for the business community. Details of events, research, press coverage and news. Based in New Jersey.
|
|
|
|
Print article
Bookmark this page