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Law vs. Ethics in Business Practices

The document discusses the distinction between law and ethics, highlighting that ethics are personal moral guidelines while law consists of enforced rules by authorities. It provides examples of legal yet unethical practices, as well as illegal yet ethical actions. Additionally, it outlines various ethical theories, emphasizing Ethical Fundamentalism's alignment with the Christian Worldview.

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3 views2 pages

Law vs. Ethics in Business Practices

The document discusses the distinction between law and ethics, highlighting that ethics are personal moral guidelines while law consists of enforced rules by authorities. It provides examples of legal yet unethical practices, as well as illegal yet ethical actions. Additionally, it outlines various ethical theories, emphasizing Ethical Fundamentalism's alignment with the Christian Worldview.

Uploaded by

muirujohn14
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The critical difference between law and ethics is that ethics are moral guidelines, which are set,

implemented and followed by every individual, while Law is a legal system that typically consists of

principles and rules, which are established and enforced by the ruling authority, which are responsible for

governing the community affairs (Ferrera, Alexander, Wiggins, Kirschner, & Darrow, 2014). An example

of legal, yet unethical practice in business id paying minimum salary to a full-time employee. When it

comes to the opposite side, there are many examples of illegal practices which are considered ethical. For

instance, breaking the speed limits rules to get an injured person to the hospital is regarded as a moral

practice, yet it’s unlawful to break the speed limit (Ingulli, 2014).

In the book, Smith and Roberson’s Business Law, there are various ethical theories described. First,

the Ethical Fundamentalism people depends on the central authority or the rules that are set to guide them in

any decision making the process for ethical issues (Mann, Roberts, & Smith, 2012). The next one is the

Ethical Relativism, which is a particular doctrine asserting that a person has to judge actions by their

feelings, whether wrong or right to them. The third Ethical Theory is the Utilitarianism, which can be

considered as the doctrine that evaluates evil things and good things, particularly regarding the results of

particular actions (Mann, Roberts, & Smith, 2012). In this case, I think Ethical Fundamentalism closely

aligns with the Christian Worldview, since Christians tend to look on the Bible for the set rules and as the

central authority. Since Christians use the set guidelines and regulations in the Bible, it is not possible for

them to judge actions, mainly by what they feel or think is wrong or right. Therefore, I believe in the

Christian Worldview; the Ethical Relativism Theory is one of the most unethical systems.
References

Ferrera, G. R., Alexander, M. M., Wiggins, W. P., Kirschner, C., & Darrow, J. J. (2014). The legal and

ethical environment of business: An integrated approach.

Ingulli, E. A. S. C. O. N. J. (2014). Law and ethics in the business environment.

Mann, R. A., Roberts, B. S., & Smith, L. Y. (2012). Smith & Roberson's business law. Mason, OH: South-

Western Cengage Learning.

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