Corporate Morality

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Hey,

Lately I've been thinking about corporate morality alot and was wondering what other peoples opinions on it are. (yes, this post is inspired by the buy nothing day thread.)

Anyway,
Does/should a company have any morals, or should it merely attempt to make as much money as possible. (legally or otherwise)

And when you're working for a company, what are your obligations? Which comes first, the companies profit or you.

And after that, should a different social model be adapted to allow for these things, or am I just being too idealistic.

- Kevin

Typedef

Ever see the insider?

Corporations rule this planet in one way or another, most of the opposition to dispensing with the debt of the G37 or the 37 poorest nations on the planet comes from the kind of industrialised corporate machisma that has fuled industries like Cigarettes, Alochol, and the burgeoning cannabis industry. Look at the corporations that exert so much power over American foreign policy that the US is in an almost constant state of war.

/Trolls circle

Look at our own country, if so many of our politicians did not have their hands in the tobacco tills, cigarettes would be illegal. Now don't give me some BS argument that says that if smokes weren't available in every newsagents there would be more smoking through organised crime, because that is just obvious and blatant non-sense.

Corporations are not elected but excerpt such cosmic influences over governance of "little-people" that a quasi-nazi state where the strongest man in the strongest corporations, need no political mandate to govern. Better to build machines to run society and make all the really important decisions

:cool: Asimovian Minds :cool:

The Corinthian

Commerce is concerned with efficient exchange of good and services. Morality is a social invention and immaterial to this efficent exchange.

In short, corporations are amoral - neither evil nor good. It's what they do, and they've been shown to do it very well (or at least much better than any of the idealistic alternatives that have been attempted to date).

Any show of moral good by a company, is generally one intiated by law or market forces (e.g. you can charge more for green goods/services ).

Given this, most shows of charity by individuals can be argued to be equally motivated by selfish reasons (it make one feel good), but that's getting OT.

If you're working for a company, then you should view it as a trade, with both parties gaining. If you benifit from the company making profit, so be it. If, on the other hand you don't then make a better deal for yourself. God helps those who help themselves.

JustHalf

'lo Kevin.

The corporation itself has no morality - it is a thing, and therefore has no choice but to be amoral (in fact, it has no sense of choice at all, but I'll stop now). The purpose of any organisation is one given to it by man, and corporations are one of these organisation given the task of making money.

The people who run a corporation cannot themselves be amoral, as they are human beings. They are guided by their own morality.

However, corporations are now the new emerging power in the world (alongside that of military might and the sovereign nation). They give power to men and women beyond what I believe is right for them to have. Groups of them (the RIAA and MPAA in particular) have been the main driving force in ridiculous laws in the states (the DMCA and the upcoming SSCA [sp?] are good examples) and have even had the cheek to attach a rider to one of the anti-terror bills which would have made it legal for them to become vigilante hackers (thankfully, this rider was removed).

should it merely attempt to make as much money as possible. (legally or otherwise)

A corporations should try to make as much money as possible, though only legally. If they don't like the law, they should try and change it - but only through legitimate democratic channels; ie those available to everyone else regardless of situation.

And when you're working for a company, what are your obligations? Which comes first, the companies profit or you.

You should follow your own sense of morality. You can follow no-one elses. You are there to carry out a task assigned to you by the company (that defined by your job description). If you cannot carry out this task, regardless of the task, I believe that you should leave.

And after that, should a different social model be adapted to allow for these things, or am I just being too idealistic.

Make people realise that money is just a thing, I suppose.

swiss

Originally posted by Typedef:
Look at our own country, if so many of our politicians did not have their hands in the tobacco tills, cigarettes would be illegal. Now don't give me some BS argument that says that if smokes weren't available in every newsagents there would be more smoking through organised crime, because that is just obvious and blatant non-sense.

Hrm, I'm not quite so sure about this. I remember having a similar discussion here. However, it does highlight one inherent flaw of allowing corporations and pressure groups having too much lobbying power in government. We cannot expect corporations (in particular) to demonstrate morality, for the reasons already cited here, so therefore allowing these 'entities' dictate how exactly they should run their business abrogates the Governments responsibility to society.

Corporations are there to make money. It makes sense that they should be allowed to do so. It is the Government's job to make sure that they do so, whilst making sure that they fulfill their responsibilities to society in full - i.e making sure that they pay an equitable amount of tax, that they provide equal opportunities to employees etc.

A company can demand a lot from it's employees. However, in a question of morality, the employee should place ethical considerations above that which is simply 'good for business'.

Obviously there are different levels of this. I think it would be okay if an employee sold a good whilst 'forgetting' to mention that the customer could have got it more cheaply elsewhere, but if there is a serious matter of, say, negligence on the part of the company, for example where safety reports in Sellafield had been falsified, I think there would be an onus on the employee to bring this to the attention of society/the government.

Originally posted by Typedef:
Better to build machines to run society and make all the really important decisions

Let skynet rule the world!
You should play Deux Ex. Brill game that it is and all.

// Edited for lack of vB Code skillz