Business and Ethics – Can They Co-Exist?
Salt and Light in life and business
There are many reasons that people will start a business but generally the ultimate goal is to make money, earn income, create wealth, etc. It doesn’t matter whether it is a service or product related business the goal is generally the same.
In today’s world you can see the headlines practically everyday in the newspaper and on the evening news to see that ethics in business seems to rarely exist these days.
The word ethics comes from the Greek word ethos, which means “character,” and from the Latin word mores, which means “customs.” According to dictionary.com the word ethics is defined as:
- (used with a singular or plural verb) a system of moral principles: the ethics of a culture.
- the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group, culture, etc.: medical ethics; Christian ethics.
- moral principles, as of an individual: His ethics forbade betrayal of a confidence.
- (usually used with a singular verb) that branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions.
I think the last definition is where the rub comes in. What is right and what is wrong when doing business? Is what you and/or your company do good for the individual as well as for society? I have purchased many programs and followed many people in search of the knowledge I needed to succeed in the information marketing industry. Some were worth it and some were not. There are only a few products and individuals that I have come across that in my opinion are truly looking out for the individual and/or society in general.
For me personally, doing business with a clean conscience is not optional. I do not wish to only profit financially from the businesses I create. I very much want to profit spiritually as well. It is important for me to live my life and run my business on Christian principles. So in my world it is quite probable that my business and my ethics are compatible. How are yours?
Do you run your business in a way that you would not be ashamed of should anyone investigate your methods? If someone were to look at your checkbook what would they find to be the most important thing(s) in your life? Do your employees speak well of you and your company? Are you able to sleep well at night no matter what decisions you have to make during the day?
Business, ethics, morality and integrity are all compatible if you choose them to be. For me it is a better way of life. If I never made a penny and was able to help another human being which would be the greater good? We are all in business to profit but I believe that we will all profit more by helping others first.
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