The primary objective of a business is to make money. Why would
an individual or group of people start a business if he did not
want to make money? An argument that is generated by some is: "
Should profits be the only function of a business?"
The desire for businesses to make money can sometimes lead to
what is considered unethical business practices. Keep in mind
the words unethical and unlawful are two separate terms with
two separate meanings. One side of the argument states that
ethics should not play a part in business as long as the business abides by the law of the land then they should not
concern themselves with ethical behavior, but they should act
in the best interest of the organization. The other side of the
argument states that for an economy to function in a capitalist
fashion that businesses must act in an ethical fashion regardless if their actions are legal under law.
Milton Friedman contends that the sole responsibility of
business is to increase its profits. Robert Almeder maintains
that if capitalism is to survive, it must act in a socially
responsible ways that go beyond profit making. The views of these two individuals go to the heart of the argument. This
author believes that after reading their material that the
views of both are exaggerated. I do believe that a business's
responsibilities do go beyond what is legal. A business has a
responsibility not only to the owners or stockholders, but also
to the consumer who trust the business is acting not only in a
legal manner but a safe and ethical manner as well. If a
business goes out of its way to act in an unethical fashion
then the business has broken their trust with the consumer.Once a business loses the trust of their consumers then profits
will plummet. Seeing that profits are the primary function of a
business then it is in the businesses best interest to maintain
a trusting relationship with the consumers and continue to act
in safe and ethical manner.
Keeping in mind that it is not the purpose of a business to
propose or to dictate legislature nor ethical behavior to the
individual, a business should not be held accountable for what
a small population of consumers consider unethical. If the practice of the business is out in the open and hazards of
their products are readily published and do not present the
possibility of death involuntarily to the consumer then
legislature should not dictate ethical behavior to business nor individuals for that matter.
Joseph Brochin - owns and operates http://Brochin.net.
An IT & Telecommunications Solutions
provider and consultant. http://brochin.net
