About Business Ethics
In talking about business ethics we could look at the various aspects of ethics as it relates to business. The subject of ethics is a very broad field of study. It is also a very abstract subject to study. We are also reminded that abstract subject matter does not often tie in very well with the dynamics of business.
So, on these pages we will not be discussing ethics in general, but will be focusing on one sub-field of ethics namely ethics in business. Here our emphasis will be on ethics in the workplace only. Under this topic we will be looking at a number of sections covering:
What is ethics in business, and try forming a definition for ethics in business.
Since the Enron and Worldcom scandals plus the economic devastation that followed, the business world has become more aware of the need for a business code of ethics. Also, in looking at the role that Arthur Anderson played in the Eron scandal, professional ethics have also come under the microscope, especially with regards to accounting ethics as millions of dollars can be put at risk.
The Eron scandal also became a wake-up call for some professional associations, leading to various industries adopting their own code of ethics as a requirement for operating in those industries. Later, we will be providing some information on the business code of ethics in some on the professions such as; engineering ethics; accounting ethics, medical ethics and the nursing code of ethics, to name a few.
Another very important and very complex area of ethics is that of ethics in international business, which is also known as global business ethics. Different societies have different cultural norms and values, and these influence how business is conducted in each of these societies. The challenge here would be on finding common ground among the different values and behaviour ethics of these diverse business practices.
With ethics now on business radars, there's a wealth of articles about ethics, with a number of special publications on ethics, supplying numerous ethics in business articles, with some even reporting on specific ethics cases.
Related Pages
For more sub-topics on business ethics see:
