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Current Ethical Issues in Business Essay

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Current Ethical Issue in Business
Introduction
Ethics and moral obligation are something that we all encounter at one time or another. Even in a professional setting, all persons should act in a manner that would uphold the good of society. Why is it that good, ethical and moral behavior is not always adhered to? Is it because some people do not understand ethics and what it means to be ethical? To be ethical, one has to decide between right and wrong, determine what is for the betterment of society and act accordingly. Ethics have three basic criteria that must be met – obligations, moral ideas, and consequences (Ruggiero, 2004). Businesses have their own code of ethics and the individuals within that business have to determine …show more content…

While Mr. Hathaway acknowledges the fact that he took the cars, one has to wonder about his personal ethical beliefs. Did he believe that it was okay to receive gifts for the work that he was supposed to provide and yet supposedly never did? How did the gifts alter the relationship between the car dealership and the university? Did Mr. Hathaway feel that his personal association with the care company is legitimate and appropriate in his position as the athletic director for the university? One has to wonder about Mr. Hathaway's judgment and the reasoning behind his actions.
Mr. Hathaway's ethical behavior seems to be skewed. If he knew upfront that accepting the cars was against the universities policies and the state law of ethics then why did he do it? When interviewed about his decision, Mr. Hathaway has decided to stay out of the controversy. He did state, however, that he planned to end his side of the agreement with the dealership in the coming weeks, to preserve "the university's relations with Monaco. The car dealership spokesperson denied any wrong doing.
Ethical theories. The theories used in this scenario involved the deontological theory. This theory is based on duty. Deontologist base their decisions about what is right on broad, abstract universal principles or values such as honesty, promise keeping, fairness, loyalty, rights, justice, compassion, and respect (Trevino & Nelson, 2004). Mr.

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