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Spring 2009

ISSN 0890-913X

Volume 24, Number 2

Categories: Spring 2009 | Business

Business as an Ethical Standard

William Kline, University of Illinois

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BusinessasanEthicalStandardTheJournalofPrivateEnterprise24(2),2009,35-48WilliamKlineUniversityofIllinois,SpringfieldAbstractHalfofbusinessethicsisdeterminedbythedefinitionofbusiness.Instockholdertheorythepurposeofbusinessistomaximizeprofit,whilestakeholdertheorymaintainsthatthepurposeofbusinessistoserveallstakeholders.Bothdefinebusinessasanamoralactivityrequiringaseparatemoraltheorytoguideandconstrainpractitioners.Thispaperchallengestheassumptionthatbusinessisanamoralactivity.Certainmoralrulesareaconstitutivepartofbusinessandyieldadefinitionofbusinessthatisalsoanethicalstandard:Producingagoodorservicefortrade.JELCode:M14Keywords:Businessethics;Hume;Property;Trade;RawlsI.Introduction“Theproblemsofbusinesstodayare,firstandforemost,profoundlyethicalandphilosophicalproblems.Theyarequestionsabouttheverynatureofthebusinessenterprise…”(Solomon,1999,p.xxi)Businessisanethicalstandard.Thethesisthatbusinessisawayofsayingwhatpeopleoughttodorunscountertocommonexperience.Inthefirstinstanceitrunscountertoordinarylanguagebecauseitseemstosuggestthatpeopleoughttodobusinessasopposedtootheractivitiestypicallydeemedmorallyvaluable,likecharity.Inthesecondinstanceitseemstocondoneactivitiestypicallythoughtofasimmoralandcriminal.Ifbusinesswereanethicalstandard,nobusinesscouldeverdowrong.Finally,ifbusinesswereanethicalstandarditwouldseemthatnoregulationbythestateisnecessary.Bytheirnature,businesseswoulddotherightthing,andlawsgoverningbusinessactivitywouldnotbeneeded.Theseareafewofthereasonswhytheremaybeaninitialresistancetoclaiming35

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Metadata [hide]

Title	Business as an Ethical Standard
Authors/Creators:	William Kline, University of Illinois
Year:	2009
Volume:	24
Number:	2
Pages:	35 - 48
Publisher:	The Association for Private Enterprise Education
ISSN:	0890-913X
Document Type:	Business Ethics
Keywords:	Business ethics, Trade, Philosophy, Private enterprises, Political philosophy, Private ownership, Government policy, Profit

Citation:
Kline, William / 2009. "Business as an Ethical Standard." The Journal of Private Enterprise, 24(2): 35-48.