Business Ethics

*Society seems to expect a lot from business.  Do you think that it is possible to balance profit and other business objectives with the goals and desires of society? 

The relationship between ethics and business is a lot like a child riding a swing in a playground.  I know this comparison might seem strange, but hear me out.  Imagine a young boy (representing any business venture) sitting down on the plastic seat and grabbing hold of the metal chains.  Once he takes a deep breath, his ride officially begins.  In the business world, this particular moment in time can be equated to day one of any company’s operations.

The boy slowly begins to rock back-and-forth trying to gain the momentum to move higher and higher.  Just like on a swing, the less effort he puts toward reaching great heights, the less he will deviate from the resting state.  Companies that aimlessly operate from day-to-day in that gray area where egregious ethical violations are not tolerated but little attention is paid to developing superior ethical practices are almost predestined to remain in this steady state. 

Moving ahead, let’s pretend that the boy in our example is looking to maximize his enjoyment.  Each time he moves forward, he comes closer to his ultimate goal of kicking his feet above the top bar of the swing apparatus.  Similarly, companies are comprised of employees who ultimately want to do what’s best for every possible stakeholder affected by the business (in theory).  As such, firms try to do everything in their power to reach this highest of highs.