Book Review # 2

Title: “Business Ethics, Ethical Decision Making and Cases”

Authors: Ferrell and Fraedrich

HF 5387 F45 1997

            Business ethics is very important among companies. These reflect on the behavior and the culture you lived in, the nature that you were used to. Ethics mainly focus on the things that are recognized as right and wrong. Making decisions is also part of ethics. We base our beliefs and values when it comes to deciding. It helps us to recognize and answer ethical problems within the company.

CHAPTER 1 – “An Overview of Business Ethics”

“Individuals learn ethical or unethical behavior not only from society in general but also from superiors, peers, and subordinates with whom they associate in the work environment”

            The more a person exposed to issues that are very unethical, the more he/she becomes unethical. One example is, when a person is uneducated, it is already understood that he has less values. And also when that person is used to live in a dirty place, automatically, he’ll mess a place that is clean in the eye. Then it is a conflict when he begins to interact with people who have different perspective when it comes to ethical issues. It can be his co-workers, managers, or the whole company itself. There will be a pressure for the employee to be encouraged by the superiors in the company. It will be hard for him to follow such rules that must be followed. As a result, the person may learn new ethical ways on how to act and feel in a good proper way.

CHAPTER 2 – “Ethical Issues in Business”

“A conflict of interest exists when an individual must choose whether to advance his or her own interests, those of the organization, or those of some other group”

            It is an issue among companies when it comes to the interest of its people. Employees of the company must separate their own private interest from the organization to avoid conflicts. In an organization, the whole employees of the company must have only one perspective when it comes to reaching its goals. But most of the problems that the companies encounter are that, its employees accept bribes and kickbacks among people outside the company.

CHAPTER 3 – “Applying Moral Philosophies to Business Ethics”

“Issues of competition in social responsibility arise from the rivalry among businesses for customers and profits”

            Companies sometimes engage in some impractical ways just to survive. They are threatened by other companies who put some illegal strategies to gain profit. Competition becomes unfair when one company began to use an alternative way to protect their company even if is very unethical, questionable and unacceptable.