Ethics

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews and discusses the issue of ethics in the business world. According to the paper, business ethics is about rules and principles that are encountered in a business setting and in the duties or obligations that apply to people who are working in this field. The paper then goes on to discuss how ethics can be both a normative and a descriptive discipline.

From the Paper:

"Corporations' sense of duty and responsibility is closely connected with concern for financial growth. According to this belief, firms seek to maximize their profits by investing in a healthy environment and other public good projects. The firms that have successfully attained the prestigious image of being socially responsible follow this ideology. These firms choose to be more socially conscious not because of any real intention of creating a healthier society but because their actions seem to influence buyer behavior in a positive manner. Companies are thus rapidly developing serious CSR policies with exclusive departments dealing with this. New and better corporate mission statements have emerged that incorporate ethical code of conduct. By the end of 2003, more than 2000 firms had presented their CSR reports. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Miller, H. "Businesses don't have social responsibilities; people do." The Miami Herald 21 July 2004.
• "The Good Company." The Economist. 22-28 Jan. 2005: 11.
• Braungart, M; McDonough, W. Cradle to Cradle. New York: North Point Press, 2002.
• Aaronson, S; Reeves, J. Corporate Responsibility in the Global Village: The Role of Public Policy. Washington, DC: National Policy Association, 2002.
• Little, A. "The Business Case for Corporate Citizenship." Distributed at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. 31 Jan.- 4 Feb. 2002

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