To an examiner, business ethics is the pinnacle of the subject. This is because it is both a challenge to understand and a challenge to express in sufficiently well-weighted English. Ethics requires judgement — and that’s the language of evaluation.
Ethics are the moral principles that (may) govern individual or organisational behaviour. ‘May’, because some business leaders take the view that morality is not their business. They think that social and moral positions are appropriate for government ministers, steered by the electorate, rather than business leaders. The argument runs: ‘I have to look after my shareholders by making profits; I have to abide by the law. As long as I do both of those things, I am acting responsibly.’ This helps leaders of fast food businesses feel okay about obesity issues, and bosses of armaments manufacturers feel okay about selling weapons to repressive regimes.
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