Ethical Issues In Business And Society - Article Example

ETHICAL ISSUES IN BUSINESS AND SOCIETY Ethical relativism is the view that what is wrong in some cultures can be right under another culture, depending on culture’s point of view. Egoism is when a person or company acts in their interest alone. These ethical issues are important for businesses and society as a whole. Ethical issues not only involve the individual or business, but the individuals that come into contact with. Ethical issues can make a business successful or bankrupt. Ethical relativism has made it difficult in business and societal matters due to the lack of a global set of ethical standards for everyone. A business operating in Saudi Arabia will not have the same standards as an American business, even if they are in the same field. An example would be a taxi driver in America can be any race, color, or gender. However, if the same taxi service owned cars in Saudi Arabia, women would not be allowed to drive. It is against custom and law in Saudi Arabia for a woman to go out in public without a male relative, or to even drive. An argument for ethical relativism is the need to respect diverse cultures. One author suggests: The main attraction to ethical relativism is the idea that is mere arrogance to try and judge the moral code of another culture, as all moral codes are right within their own cultural context. The relativists argue that this forces us to adopt an attitude of tolerance towards other cultures, as arguing over who is wrong or right is futile. (Prevos) Even if a worldwide set of laws or codes were enforced, some cultures would feel resentful. The whole world would be one uniform nation, eradicating different cultures. This is not responsible for businesses or individuals. A case against ethical relativism is moral absolutes are not realistic. For example, Stealing is wrong in most cultures. This point of view is universal morals are the same in all cultures. One writer explains: moral absolutes are a reality that must be dealt with. Ethical relativism undermines the whole thing and should be rejected. Unfortunately, for those who are afraid to delve into this area, there isnt much middle ground to retreat to. (Putman) When discussing these moral and ethics a general respect of diverse cultures is a given. Another case against ethical relativism is all cultures share common values individuals and business can find in common. For example: Look around you and youll see the evidence of this everywhere. Our diverse society shares a surprising amount of common moral beliefs. No matter whom you voted for president, what religion you are, or your position in life, your basic moral standards of right and wrong are much the same. These are not "social norms" but moral absolutes. Stealing is wrong. Lying is wrong. Honesty, patience, dependability, fairness, and responsibility are right. You can take these moral absolutes to the bank. (Putman) This statement means basic morals or natural laws exist worldwide. These natural laws are the same culture to culture. Ethical egoism can be categorized in three ways as individual, personal, and universal. An individual ethical egoist would hold that all people should do whatever benefits him. A personal ethical egoist that he should act in his own self-interest, but makes no claims about what anyone else ought to do, while universal ethical egoists argue that everyone should act in ways that are in their own interest (Walter 81-83). Another definition is “personal values and displays of behaviour where the dominant goals are benefit, pleasure or greatest good for the egotist alone” (Jarvis). Ethical egoism is basically when an individual or company acts in the best interest for themselves. Ethical egoism in business can be defined as doing what is in the best interest of the business. An example would be the fast food industry. The fast food industry gives customers what taste good, but not what is healthy for the customer. The oil companies are another example. Oil companies damage the environment, make profits at any cost, and make deals with corrupt governments. They do what makes a profit for them and their employees, without a care about their customers. The reason is oil companies have something that cannot be gotten anywhere else. Gas prices continue to rise, but the Exxon Mobil CEO got a $351 million severance pay when he retired. That is the ultimate egoism. Ethics need to be followed in business, whether locally or globally. Companies cannot be ethically corrupt and expect consumers to turn a blind eye. Some of the more successful companies operate in diverse cultures with phenomenal results. Coca Cola, Microsoft, and others not only conduct business, but conduct business ethically. Whether operating in Japan, Iran, or America companies need to follow a basic ethical guideline, along with a cultural guideline. When developing products for different countries, cultural ethics need to be taken into account. Ethics need to be taken into account in every walk of life. It stands to reason different cultures will have different laws. This is the path of ethical relativism. Egoism is to do what is best for the company or individual. If this path is taken, business will lose consumer and other business’ faith. Ethics must be used when dealing with others, whether personal or business. References Jarvis, Chris. Business and Ethical Thinking Egoism and Altruism. Accessed 27 Mar. 2008 from http://www.bola.biz/ethics/egoism.html Putnam, Mark S. Absolutes and Ethical Relativism in the Workplace. 2005. Global Ethics University. Accessed 27 Mar. 2008 from http://www.globalethicsuniversity.com/articles/absolutesandrelativisim.htm?PHP SESSID=010de97b4a222bdf706f3a60b561fe43 Prevos, Peter. Ethical Relativism. Accessed 27 Mar. 2008 from http://www.prevos.net/ola/relativism.pdf Walter, Bruce, N. Egoism. Consider Ethics: Theory, Readings, and Contenporary Issues. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005. Read More