Is it Ethically Right to use Bluffing in the Business World?

Luke Erickson

As businesses flourish from record sales of new products and, “upgrades,” the path to profit is becoming more and more questioned regarding their ethical standards. While some businesses look to make the most profit without a worry about deception and trickery, others tend to stick with honesty and sincerity. Every day people are centered on ethical practice involving resumes, job interviews, business deals, psychological tests, etc. One of the main issues that raise concerns is if bluffing in business to get ahead is ethically right or wrong. Two different opinions on this issue by Albert Z. Carr and Norman E. Bowie give great insight on this controversial topic, but I shall argue that bluffing in the business world is a completely fair strategy to use to maximize profits. In “Is Business Bluffing Ethical”, Albert Z. Carr argues that the business world is a game. In that game (using bluffing as a technique), if no rules are broken then they have not violated anything and are free to use bluffing. In any game there are rules, if you stay within the rules and win, it is fair, but if you break the rules and win you have therefor put everyone else playing the game at a disadvantage and are most likely disqualified. Likewise with bluffing, this technique is not breaking any rules, nor does it say you cannot use bluffing in the game, so bluffing in legal. The main argument against this technique is that bluffing is lying and lying is wrong. When deceived by someone, humans are more than likely to not like that person or not trust him or her. The same goes for the business world right? Wrong. Carr uses the analogy of poker to explain the technique of bluffing in the business world. He comments on a quote by Harry S. Truman, an avid poker player, “If one shows mercy to a