Bringing Ethics into Business
This week at CREATE Fireside Community was the fifth session in our series “How Did We Get Into This Mess?” We’ve been working through a video series on morality and ethics, and this week’s topic was ethics in business.
There are situations in which either a company itself is operating unethically (although is many cases, still within legal bounds), or people within that business operate unethically on a private scale (such as stealing money, misrepresenting information, etc.).
Either way, no one likes to be on the receiving end of unethical behavior, whether in the bounds of the law or not.
For example, it is not illegal to allow pornography in hotels. Yet, when one hotel owner decided to remove all access to pornographic rentals in his hotels, he made an ethical choice that considered the well-being of the social structure even though it post a risk to his business.
It's up to each of us
A good business model is not enough to prevent unethical behavior. The hotel owner demonstrated that it's the choices of people that make up the business, not simply how the business is structured, that bring good ethics into the business world.
It was suggested that a decline in ethics is due in part to a decline in the family structure, where we learn what is good and what is not. But not all of us have a family structure in which we learn ethical behavior.
However, you can still learn ethical behavior if you have experienced unethical behavior in your family. This is where a community like CREATE comes in. We can learn from each other, challenge each other and grow together.
Ethics in business grows stronger when ordinary people in any role demonstrate ethical behavior, even when it is difficult or could result in loss of profits. At any position in a company, whether the top, middle or bottom, it takes ethical people to have an ethical business.
And true others-focused ethics comes from a relationship with Jesus.
This week’s challenge
Whether in your workplace, school or home, the most effective way to bring about change is to be changed yourself. CREATE has six core practices we embrace in order to learn and grow to be like Jesus. Our lives change in order to influence those around us.
This week, choose one of the following to start practicing:
- C - Carve out time to hear the Holy Spirit. When today will you listen to the Holy Spirit?
- R - Read a chapter a day from the Bible. What are you doing today to become more like Jesus? Read more at dailyjesusstory.com.
- E - Eat together. Who can you eat with this week?
- A - Act as a missionary. Where would Jesus go and what would He do if He were you?
- T - Tell your story. Who needs to hear your story? Who needs you to hear their story?
- E - Extend generosity. Who can you befriend or encourage with a blessing?
You can read more about each of these practices at createchurch.org/practices.