With this pandemic, and the way it’s changing the economy (destroying companies), can a company afford to turn down business over moral objections.

like
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

When I was in college I heard a Harvard business Dean Tell business students that when they get into the workforce they need to be prepared to have an out. Meaning they need to be prepared to walk away from their job if they are being asked to do something they think is unethical.

Yes. This was a huge lesson from the Enron days. But given the huge levels of consumer debt, minuscule savings, and the "lifestyle" many feel they must keep up, this isn't feasible unfortunately. But yes it should be an option.

Ethics v. financial success is too often posed as a dilemma, take one or the other. I think that, over the long run, the two are actually quite aligned. It's hard to talk about abstract situations, but I know I'd rather fail in a business and keep my reputation intact to start over, than to do something clearly unethical and survive for a short while longer...in this world, I think you have to assume that whatever you do that's wrong/unethical, it will ultimately come out, hurt your business and your personal brand in the long run, and you're worse off.

In my opinion, if you can’t afford to turn down business that is blatantly immoral or unethical, then you don’t deserve to be in business.

Abstractly, there are moral conundrums that seem inescapable under capitalism. It’s just what level of immorality we as a society are willing to abide.

Related Posts

What sites do all you ADs go to for comp images? Besides Getty haha

like

Any charismatic churches with a decent group of young professionals in Philly?

90% of problems in the legal field would be solved if everyone set internal deadlines 2 days before the actual deadline 😭

like

Have you had to change your start date after accepting an offer and how did it go? I told them I need to give 30 day notice and so I set my start date (incorrectly) assuming the background check and drug screen would take a few days to clear. However, the drug screen is now taking over a week and a half (still not finished, maybe tomorrow). Apparently things are much slower due to staffing issues and labs are backed up. It’s cutting into my 30 day notice significantly. Thoughts?

like

I am quite early in my career and currently working on my masters in data science. Any tips on what kind of projects I should include on my resume and if I should include them?

like

I am looking for associate consultant profile in HCL. Can any one refer me to similar profiles in HCL.

like

Hi everyone I had recently joined tcs on 10th August. Can anybody let me know what is the procedure to fill the timesheet allocated to the project yesterday but the task was not assigned yet.

like

Anyone work for Morgan & Morgan? Do you know if they allow you to work remotely/hybrid? I’d like to apply with them but the closest office is an hour away and I don’t want that commute. I have a young child.

like

I feel under qualified at work but I also don’t know how much of it is in my head or in reality. I head a team and they seem to be happy… but I’m also personally not satisfied what we’re delivering is enough… so I have this weird mixed feeling of the stuff we’re doing not really being that stretching, but at the same time I feel out of my depth. I really don’t know what to do and whether to hold on in the hope I’ll learn something or go back to a lower grade and a more comfortable life.

like

Hi, can anyone let me by what percentage JPMorgan Chase give increment every year. I'm getting an offer of 19L.
Total Experience: 7.5years
Relevant experience: 3.5years
Technology: AWS Developer/Operations

like

Am I horrible wife if I don’t get my husband anything for his bday. I have no idea what to get it’s too stressful. He always gets me stuff.

like

How is Virtusa Lloyd Bank Project?

How is work life Balance?

Tech stack Java?

Thoughts on moving into (dream) industry 1 year and 9 mo in consulting: entry level analyst role for comparable pay and 9-6? Vs senior analyst, which seems to require 2-3 yrs of experience... (con’t)

like

Hi all. I’m looking into potentially transitioning to PE with a background in Finance Transformation consulting @KPMG of 4yrs. Do I stand a chance? Any advice on how to best approach this would be super helpful, thanks.

like

Did anyone here move to tech from consulting?

like

Anyone moved from consulting to an internal role? How did you find it. I’m fed up of consulting

like

What kind of gifts are given at fidelity investments during year end?

like

How is Fidelity Investments (FMR) in terms of learning, new technologies and growth for Java.

Fidelity Investments

like

Hi,

Is Fidelity giving wfh to contractors or is it a hybrid model ?

like

Why is everyone here so triggered by the White Tiger? That’s how the majority of India lives, please get outside your white collar bubbles. And stop saying “the media always shows poverty”, they also released shows like Bollywood Wives and Indian Matchmaking.

likefunny

Additional Posts in Ethics In Business

Has anyone found a way to navigate and negotiate offer letter when hiring manager says “14-16 hours a day and 6 days a week is normal at the big4” ?

like

How does AirBnB promote acting ethically amongst its rentals? There are many rentals that skirt their local laws and fail to procure the proper licensing for putting their property in AirBnB. Does AirBnB have any proactive measures in place to ensure all local rental licensing laws are complied with? Is it ethical to be willfully bind of this issue?

like

Hi everyone, wanted to come back and talk about the work environment at the Washington Redskins/Football Club -- the Washington Post story was pretty jaw dropping. One troubling angle was the use of NDAs to stifle victims. NDAs have for too long enabled bad behavior to continue, and it's time companies pledged to stop using NDAs in settlements with victims -- the coverup is worse than the bad acts. I think Warren torpedoed Bloomberg's campaign due to his use of NDAs. Thoughts?

like

I'm genuinely sorry to hear abt the layoffs at AirBnB and my heart goes out to your coworkers who are affected. How can a company approach restructuring in a way that is ethical?

likeuplifting
like

Absolutely. Businesses can be ethical by treating people the way they’d want to be treated. 3 ways Airbnb can do this: Aggressively fight fraudulent listers, let Airbnb members control their data (allow data requests/permissioning/deletion from any state or country), and oh - make it easy for people to get their money back if their travel was affected by covid-19. How not to be ethical: marketing ethics vs living them.

like

How is AirBnB ethical when its business model exists through legal arbitrage? It has functionally created rental property service without being subject to the same taxes and liability insurance of a regular hotel company due to the dubious claim of “It’s on the web.”

likesmartupliftinghelpfulfunny

Market research is beginning to show that younger consumers (Millennial/Gen Z) are increasingly prioritizing ethical and sustainable companies. Will ethics become table stakes moving forward?

like

How do you thoughtfully instill ethics with leadership and have that trickle down to the rest of the organization?

like

Ethics are a glorified way to protect companies from liability. Change my mind.

like

Why do unethical businesses often succeed? How can “ethical” leadership stand on a moral high ground while not being able to reward their employees to the degree that “unethical” businesses can?

like

Does the ambit and application of ethics vary per the rank and profile of an employee in the organization? For instance what would be an ethical take on the Amazon VP quitting over virus firings?

like

How do you justify the ethicality of Airbnbs often accelerating gentrification and housing inequity in many cities? Do you weigh it against the GDP brought in by travel?

like

Do you think capitalism is compatible with a sense of ethics, or is another system better suited for it?

like

Folks who do hiring, what do you think of adopting the following question in future interviews?

“Evidence suggests that teams that include a variety of perspectives and backgrounds will often produce more creative solutions and catch mistakes earlier. What background or experiences do you bring that will help broaden the perspective of our team?”

like

Just wondering if anyone here has reported someone to Ethics, had the illegal or unethical behavior of the person been substantiated and STILL be retaliated by their company. Also please state if you followed the reporting policy and if your company has a non-retaliation policy

like

As someone who is virtually our only compliance person at a mid-size company, I often get questions for legal advice. I am not an attorney and cannot give legal advice (my disclaimer), but I do look at the situation from a compliance/policy/process lens and urge to consult legal always. I feel as though it discredits me and my advice because I’m not an attorney. How can I better differentiate compliance from legal and still provide valuable advice?

like

In small companies (especially startups), where HR may not really exist or the HR person may be the main violator, how do you deal with inappropriate behavior. If a person has been there a long time and is "too important to fire" how do you handle them?

At a startup I left because of this, my boss had been there since day 1. He was a nightmare. The last straw was when he took out his anger at a home issue on me and made fun of me for being upset. HR told me they couldn't do anything about him.

like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal