The ability to recognize ethical issues is the key to understanding business ethics. An ethical issue is an particular problem, situation, or opportunity that requires a person or organization to choose from among several actions that may be evaluated as right or wrong, ethical or unethical (Ferrell). The best way to evaluate the ethics of a decision is to look at it from different viewpoints. Although many business issues seem straightforward and easy to resolve, often times a person needs several years of business experience to understand what is acceptable or ethical. Deciding if an activity is considered ethical depends on the culture the business operates (Ferrell).
Fairness and honesty are amongst the biggest issues in business related ethics. It can become a very difficult problem that can and will affect the business. We know that ethics concerns moral issues, so making a decision that will have negative impact on the company is going to be tough for the person. An individual can make either a right or wrong decision, depending on how it will affect their life and workplace. In turn, the business will react accordingly to its moral guidelines and principles provided that the executives do not lose sight of the essential value of fairness. Everyone will have their own concept of right and wrong, so coming up with one definition of business ethics can be difficult. Moral standards are created by home environment, religious beliefs and traditions therefore making ethics hard to define, but not impossible to create (Agbata).
At minimum, employees are expected to follow all applicable laws and regulations. Beyond the scope of obeying the law, they are expected not to harm customers, employees, clients, or competitors knowingly through deception, misrepresentation, coercion, or discrimination. Honesty and fairness can relate to how the employees use the resources