Ethical and Moral Issues in Business
Ethics and morality are thought to have the same meaning. In reality both have different meanings, but come together in values and tradition. Moral values are taught to each human being by its own upbringing from home, school, and social environment. Everyone identifies morality differently. For example, some may think that the correct thing to do is to marry before living with someone; others may think that it is correct to live with someone without marriage. In general, morality is the thought of whether we are doing something right or wrong according to what everybody’s upbringing in life has been.
Ethical values are different in the way that they represent mostly what is correct or incorrect according to society, or someone’s place of employment. These values are set on theory, and involve thinking about all available options before a choice is made with respect to a specific situation. As times change, ethical issues and people change, meaning ethical issues are based on what is right or wrong at the present time. An example would be the topic of abortion. Abortion in the past was considered to be completely unethical, cruel, and women would practically be condemned if they had an abortion. In this current time, abortion is legal, and it is a woman’s right to choose whether to have the child or not. Overall, moral issues and ethical issues are different but can have similarities in that they help humanity make the right choice over all options.
Personal ethics and business ethics also have similarities, but there are differences between them. Beliefs, religion, and family upbringing are based on personal ethics. Business ethics represent an organization or a place of employment and the guidelines set for employees to follow. Most organizations give out a handbook of all work policies before an employee begins work. The organization usually will reinforce their business ethics