Business Ethics

Business ethics (also known as corporate ethics) is a form of applied ethics or professional ethics, that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that can arise in a business environment. It applies to all aspects of business conduct and is relevant to the conduct of individuals and entire organizations. These ethics originate from individuals, organizational statements or from the legal system. These norms, values, ethical, and unethical practices are the principles that guide a business. They help those businesses maintain a better connection with their stakeholders.

Busines Business ethics (also known as corporate ethics) is a form of applied ethics or professional ethics, that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that can arise in a business environment. It applies to all aspects of business conduct and is relevant to the conduct of individuals and entire organizations. These ethics originate from individuals, organizational statements or from the legal system. These norms, values, ethical, and unethical practices are the principles that guide a business. They help those businesses maintain a better connection with their stakeholders.

Business ethics refers to contemporary organizational standards, principles, sets of values and norms that govern the actions and behavior of an individual in the business organization. Business ethics have two dimensions, normative business ethics or descriptive business ethics. As a corporate practice and a career specialization, the field is primarily normative. Academics attempting to understand business behavior employ descriptive methods. The range and quantity of business ethical issues reflects the interaction of profit-maximizing behavior with non-economic concerns.

Interest in business ethics accelerated dramatically during the 1980s and 1990s, both within major corporations and within academia. For example, most major corporations today promote their commitment to non-economic values under headings such as ethics codes and social responsibility charters.

Adam Smith said, "People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices." Governments use laws and regulations to point business behavior in what they perceive to be beneficial directions. Ethics implicitly regulates areas and details of behavior that lie beyond governmental control. The emergence of large corporations with limited relationships and sensitivity to the communities in which they operate accelerated the development of formal ethics regimes.

Maintaining an ethical status is the responsibility of the manager of the business. According to the Journal of Business Ethics "Managing ethical behavior is one of the most pervasive and complex problems facing business organizations today" ...more

Business Ethics Books

Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box

Winners Never Cheat: Everyday Values We Learned As Children but May Have Forgotten

Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

Ethics 101: What Every Leader Needs To Know

Business Ethics: Concepts and Cases (7th Edition)

Corporate Social Responsibility: Doing the Most Good for Your Company and Your Cause

Doing Good and Doing Well: Cases on Corporate Social Responsibility in Asia

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Lists

The Extremely Successful Salesman's Club by Chris Murray

Never Go with Your Gut by Gleb Tsipursky

Best Books in Business Ethics

34 books — 34 voters

Managing Business Ethics by Linda K. Trevino

Best Books to Understand Business Ethics

6 books — 6 voters

Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire by Rebecca Henderson

The Tyranny of Merit by Michael J. Sandel

Must-Read Books on Business Ethics and Responsible Capitalism

15 books — 1 voter

An Accidental Philanthropist by Winsome Dunn McIntosh

The Secret Life of a Weight-Obsessed Woman by Iris Ruth Pastor

Axiom Award Winners 2019

9 books — 31 voters

Related Genres

Philosophy
Business
Ethics
Corruption
Trust
Applied Ethics

Conflict Of Interest
Professional Ethics
Distrust
Phílosophy
Corporate Ethics

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Quotes Tagged “Business Ethics”

“ One compelling argument for ethical governance is that it promotes trust. Trust is the bedrock of any healthy relationship, including those between a company and its stakeholders. ”
― Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr., The Virtuous Boardroom: How Ethical Corporate Governance Can Cultivate Company Success

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“ Whistleblowing mechanisms are essential components of ethical governance, providing a safe and confidential channel for individuals to report concerns about potential wrongdoing, misconduct, or unethical behavior within an organization. ”
― Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr., The Virtuous Boardroom: How Ethical Corporate Governance Can Cultivate Company Success

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