An Analysis of Business Ethics in the Modern Workplace Essay

This essay delves into the multifaceted realm of business ethics, examining the disconnect between ethical programs and their acceptance in the workplace. It analyzes the skepticism surrounding the existence and implementation of ethical practices, particularly the questioning of their value by empl...Read More

Running head: BUSINESS ETHICS 1
Business Ethics
Name
Institution Affiliation
Date

Business Ethics 2
In one of the surveys conducted it was revealed that many of the assumptions on the topic of
business ethics that support the code of business in supporting the social good are not accepted in
workplaces. The research in this paper emphasizes on expounding how companies pump
finances in some ethical programs whose value employees and senior employees question
(Preston, 1997). The association between work, the market and bureaucracy portray that
employees question the existence of ethics in business since there is no good or bad that can be
chosen from such scenarios.
The only choice that exists is that of success or failure. The article seems ironical in defining
and elaborating the success and the good life as it defines them by the hard work that is normally
seen in organizations that are well organized that operate in a free market (Roth,2007). The
article fails to believe in the existence of a free market, bureaucracy and hard work and rather
state that these only exist in the world of fiction (Preston, 1997). The article identifies that the
main problem that faces most organizations is the fact that most of these business enterprises are
formed as profit-making entities and as such have no interest in the activities of the society.
However, that is rhetorical as most businesses are usually seen contributing the surrounding
communities through initiating certain projects that are meant for community development.
The article continues further to state that a challenge exists in convincing such enterprises to
contribute to the communities that they work in as there are direct benefits that accrue to them
for their ethical behavior. The author suggests that for the organization to do good for the
society, they have to be shown the value of termism (Preston, 1997). The employees and
managers and other top senior executives exercise ethical standards only when they perceive and
view that they are an important part of an institution and on the other hand the organization
honors such measures. It has been recommended that one of the strategies that is required in

Business Ethics 3
unraveling the unfavorable environment of a continued lack of ethics in business is through
encouraging recognition of the existence of the community, the company and the workforce
(Boylan, 2014). The article goes further stating that there are more ways that it can provide to
help the companies counter the hurdle by engaging more ethical practices and long-term
behavior in companies.
Also, the article provides more solutions as to the expectations of enterprises how they can be
communicated in a more robust manner through mechanisms in the corporate section that can
ensure ethical action which is of benefit to both the individual and the organization in fostering
interests of such parties in the long term (Preston, 1997). The implementation of an ethical
program that is successful has the same effect and value just like having a quality program that
has been implemented; they both generate the same effect. (Thomas, 2011)
The author begins by revealing that in a recent survey that they had conducted most
individuals confessed to not seeing any ethical practices in businesses (Gini & Marcoux, 2009).
However, it seems that the author knew something in the field of ethics that such people did not
have knowledge of its existence (Preston, 1997). The author had read several literature materials
that listed the importance of codes of behavior, implementation of systems that ensure justice in
place of work, checking the best claims between the deontological and utilitarian theories and
analyzing some issues in business ethics to ensure fine tuning.
The increased public awareness of ethical practices by organizations, team working among
employees and also empowerment programs among the staff are some of the items that
contribute to the burgeoning bulk of literature pertaining the ethics in business and also at
institutional level (Preston, 1997). Some of the experiences felt in businesses may make

Business Ethics 4
individuals feel uncomfortable from much of the reading since there is a contradiction as there is
lack of a mechanism to address the areas that are of concern to an individual in the work of
place. It is paradoxical how the author failed to understand that the whole subject of ethics did
not exist in the work environments. Cynically, the business ethics skeptics fail to ask what
business ethics refers to before stating that such a subject is but an abstract matter that has no
place in real world (Preston, 1997). The skeptics refer to business ethics as an oxymoron
stemming from their common opinion. It is from such a perspective that ethics is defined as
being nice, regulated and being altruistic contrary to business which is nasty, chaotic and self-
centered.
Much of the literature in business ethics supports that the code of conduct in a business ought
to support the society in doing good is not received well (Preston, 1997). The article raises a
rhetoric question as to whether the business ethics can find a place amidst the social setting that
is populated mainly by the skeptics of ethics in business and where do such skeptics originate
from seems to disturb the author.
It is comical how the business skeptics are addressed as non-cynic, capitalists who spend less
time and are neither the graduates that lack relevant work experience (Murthy, 2010). It is
ironical that the business ethics skeptics are people who have had a successful career in business
with more than two decades of professional experience in senior positions (Preston, 1997). Such
persons are either serving in elevated positions as directors, managers, and doctors. The skeptics
of ethics are persons who are anticipated to influence issues to seem sensitive in aspects of social
and moral paradigm (Shaw, 2017). It is shocking that most of the people that have had a
conversation with the author were skeptics of business ethics. It would be accommodating if the
skeptics disagreed with some issues such as the extent to which the ethics impinge on enterprises

Business Ethics 5
or the kind of ethics that are important to the business. However, there was a total denial of the
existence of the operation of ethics in firms.
In some cases, more so for large companies, there was a possibility of having ethical
programs or codes of conduct and behavior and eventually turned out to be true as foretold by
some employees from such organizations (Preston, 1997). People working in such large
enterprises failed to disclose the ethics in their workplace and even did not seem to pay attention
to such codes of conduct.
On the contrary, professions such as law and medicine, employees in such fields possess
knowledge of the existence of strict conducts that bind them. With such noble professions, it is
prevalent that whatever is eligible within the frameworks of the code gets accepted and is only
more noticeable among the lawyers as compared to their counterparts the medics (Preston,
1997). The above explanation does not, however, imply that any other person is unethical or
immoral. Such persons do not see how active ethics is in business and view as per Friedman
opinion that the core social responsibility of any business is to increase the profits.
The point is that all and sundry have a moral responsibility and standards whether people
acknowledge such codes of conduct or not. The article fails to gather substantial evidence in
revealing the existence of people who would do anything at all costs to be successful in business.
The law practitioners even though they revealed that they adore the code of conduct sometimes
apply moral reasoning though they will deny it; the existence of personal ethics would put more
restrictions on them (Preston, 1997).
The article expounds further what the lawyers want is not to be relieved of their actions in the
workplace, but they do not agree the fact that they or any other person in business is restricted to

Business Ethics 6
be morally responsible. For instance managers fail to acknowledge the moral ingredients of their
thoughts and behavior and instead explain altruistic acts paying attention to the utility derived to
a company (Preston, 1997). Managers are said to be morally mute a phenomena that sum up the
whole idea of ethics. Such above explanations and observations are startling based on what is
happening in the UK where companies contribute a proportion of their pre-tax profits in funding
projects to develop the surrounding community (Roth, 2007).

Business Ethics 7
References
Boylan, M. (2014). Business ethics. Chichester,U.K: Wiley Blackwell.
Gini , A., & Marcoux, A. (2009). Case studies in business ethics. Upper Saddle River,NJ: Pearson Prentice
Hall.
Murthy, C. (2010). Business ethics. Mumbai: Himalaya Pub.
Preston, D. (1997). Can business ethics really exist? Journal of Business Ethics, 209-219.
Roth, J. (2007). Ethics. Ipswich: Salem Press.
Shaw, W. (2017). Business ethics. Boston,MA: Cengage learning.
Thomas, R. (2011). Business ethics. ethics international for centre for business and public sector ethics.

Business Ethics 8
Bibliography
Boylan, M. (2014). Business ethics. Chichester,U.K: Wiley Blackwell.
Gini , A., & Marcoux, A. (2009). Case studies in business ethics. Upper Saddle River,NJ: Pearson Prentice
Hall.
Preston, D. (1997). Can business ethics really exist? Journal of Business Ethics, 209-219.
Roth, J. (2007). Ethics. Ipswich: Salem Press.
Thomas, R. (2011). Business ethics. ethics international for centre for business and public sector ethics.