Tonya Byrdsell
MGT/216
September 13, 2011
Introduction When you hear words like morals and ethics, it makes you think of how people deal with certain situations, typically between right and wrong. This paper will discuss the differences in ethical issues and moral issues in the business world today. It will also discuss the difference between personal ethics and business ethics in the workplace and also discuss some real life examples.
Differences between ethical issues and moral issues The difference between morals and ethics can appear a bit random for a lot of people, but there is a big difference. Morals describe individual personality, while ethics stress a social system in which those morals are applied. (DeGeorge, 2010) For example, ethics point to standards or codes of behavior expected by the group to which the individual belongs. (Trevino, & Nelson, 2007).
Differences between personal ethics and business ethics Business ethics come into play when the business has to make a rational decision on its dilemmas, such as harassment or discrimination in the workplace. A business has to follow certain rules and guidelines when the business is put into situations like this. It is everyone’s expectation that businesses decide to do what is ethically correct. (DeGeorge, 2010) Personal ethics is where a person believes to be right. Everybody may not believe in the same thing because of their culture, religion, beliefs or personal experiences. (DeGeorge, 2010)
Real life examples When discussing the difference between morals and ethics, it may be useful to think of a criminal judge. While a judge’s personal morals would likely find a person that has been accused of rape brutal and heartless, ethics protect the accused client and make sure that they have the fairest trial as possible, even when the judge knows the accused is guilty and that if a criminal gets out of jail, they would probably go out and commit more crimes. (DeGeorge, 2010) Conflict exists between personal ethics and business ethics everyday in the workplace. An example of this is a person that has been with a company for two years gets