Reflection Essay on Ethical and Moral Issues in Business

Whether or not a company can influence the ethical behavior within their organization or whether there are just a few bad apples who were not brought up with good character continues to be debated. This debate raises the question as to whether or not ethical behavior should be a priority within the business and academic environments. Understanding the differences between ethical and moral issues and the complexity of business versus personal ethics will explain why must be actively addressed through forrmal channels.

According to Trevino & Nelson, ethics focuses on the conduct of which values and principles govern an individual group (2004). Ethics can be driven by external factors such as society, peer groups, religions, and profession; therefore, ethics can also change if any one of these factors change. For instance, hunting certain animals for sport is considered acceptable until they are listed as endangered and it then becomes illegal.

Morris quotes Velasquez when defining morals as dealing with matters that can either benefit or cause harm to another individual and morals are not either established or changed by authoritative figures (Morris, 2004). A person’s morals are influenced by religion, family, friends, and life experiences and are concerned with what is right or wrong as defined on a deeper, individual personal level. They do not change easily and generally require a paradigm shift on a personal level. For example, it will always be considered immoral to commit murder.

When there is a conflict between an employee’s moral beliefs and a company’s code of ethics, it can be difficult to determine the best course of action. For instance, if a doctor witnesses a fellow doctor engage in taking an illegal drug, he or she may believe that the right moral action would be to talk to their fellow employee first instead of reporting the incident and placing the doctors license in jeopardy. However, the doctor’s code of ethics would require him or her to report the incident.

Personal ethics pertains to a philosophy of life that is chosen to guide one’s life. Personal ethics impact one’s relationships with family and friends and are carried everywhere one goes; whereas, business ethics pertains to a code of conduct that governs decisions and actions within a company. Again, conflict between personal and professional ethics can create a conflict of interest and lead to difficult decision making. For instance, a vegetarian may believe it is wrong to eat animals; however, he or she may work in a factory that manufactures and sells meat.

Dennis Gioia was an activist who participated in protests against social injustice. He was also Ford’s vehicle recall coordinator who failed to order a recall during the time the Ford Pintos were exploding into fire upon impact, trapping, and killing several victims. In his paper Reflections on the Pinto Fires Case, Gioia makes the point that it may appear absurdly easy to make moral decisions; however, “they are not easy to make, and it is perhaps the most important lesson of all” (Trevino & Nelson, 2004).

Whether one chooses to take action based on his personal ethics and morals or business ethics will depend greatly upon their recognition of an ethical dilemma, the culture of the company and their experience with handling similar situations. Therefore, formal channels in which to learn the differences between ethical and moral issues and personal versus professional ethics will make it much easier for people to recognize and determine the best course of action when there is a personal versus professional conflict of interest.