Ethical Imperative

THE ETHICAL IMPERATIVE

Today’s businesses are entrenched in a great conflict. The interests of the stockholders and the interests of the populace at large seem to be in constant turmoil. On one hand, stockholders desire profit for themselves, and on the other, the general population does not care to be exploited by those whose sole motive is profit. This is a conflict because those who buy a business’s products tend to be in the general public, and they have the ability to make or break a company’s profit margin, but many stockholders are less interested in serving any sort of public good than making money. However, in order to maintain economic stasis in the world, and to maintain market share and customers, business needs to evolve to become more socially responsible in both the environment and in labor practices.

Current business theory holds that business has operated and is operating in five different generations. This theory is that as the world becomes more aware of business practices, there