An Introduction to Ethics: Framing and Key Themes in Business Ethics

Every day, managers make decisions that can affect customers, employees, financiers, partners, the community, and the world in powerful ways. Since managers are accountable to these groups, they should have good reasons for their actions that go beyond mere intuition and be able to explain why they make the choices they do. Ethics is about how one should live as an individual as well as how to get along with others, and this note provides an introduction to the some of the key concepts of ethics that are most relevant to business. It addresses legal questions, disagreements, why ethical decisions matter, and the importance of ethics in leadership.