>>>I stand firmly by my position that **ALL** humanity, in **EVERY** endeavour, is **EXPECTED** to put morality/ethics at the very **TOP** of their agenda. It doesn't matter if it is a corporate decision or a personal decision. Business has NOT been conferred special rights or privileges in society as regards ethics.
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>>Hi Jim,
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>>Can you point me to a for-profit company whose motto or slogan talks about ethics or morality?
>
>No I can't, nor do I have to! I EXPECT ***YOU*** place ethic/morals highly but I don't expect that you go around reminding me or anyone else of that fact. The same goes for me and the same goes for everyone everywhere.
>That one is working at a business does NOT exempt them from making ethical/moral decisions while at work.
>
>The fact of the matter is that virtually everything DEPENDS ON everyone placing ethics/morals at the top of their list. We have police and regulators who address those who do not.
>
>Many companies, a while back, got big into the "Company Charter" stuff and I can assure you that every one that I have read - possible a dozen or so - mentioned legal/ethical/moral in more than 1 place in that charter.
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>You are not alone - many (way too many) people seem to give business an exemption from ethics/morals, reasoning, I suppose, that their mandates for profit supercede ethic and morality. Such logic is flawed in the extreme.

Sorry, Jim, mine was another semi-rhetorical question, to make a point. If, as you contend, businesses are expected to put morals/ethics at the "very top of their agenda", you'd think that some would include them in their mottos/slogans. Since few seem to, I'm forced to conclude that, in the real world of business at least, they are not as important as you think they should be.

I believe that businesses work in terms of "enlightened self-interest". Very simply, successful ones tend to be ethical/moral - just as most of their people are. OTOH if top bosses (e.g. at Enron) are corrupt, does that mean the company is as well? If we replace a Ken Lay with a Rudy Giuliani or a Warren Buffet, is Enron still a corrupt company?

Contrary to what you or others may think, I don't believe that business should be unethical, or should ignore ethics - it isn't in their best interests.

Although this branch of the discussion is interesting, it's off-topic. Unless, you're arguing that Sprint is being immoral or unethical in outsourcing IT jobs overseas.