Business ethics is a form of applied ethics that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that arise in a business environment. It applies to all aspects of business and refers to the behavior of individuals and business organizations as a whole. Applied ethics is a field of ethics dealing with ethical issues in many fields such as medical, technical, legal and business ethics.
In the consciousness of more and more focused on the markets of the 21st century, the demand for more ethical business processes and actions (ethical knowledge) is increasing. At the same time, pressure is applied to the industry to improve business ethics through new public initiatives and laws (eg higher taxes in the UK map for vehicle emissions). Companies can often obtain short-term gains, acting contrary to ethics, but these behaviors tend to undermine the economy over time.
Business ethics can be both a normative and a descriptive discipline. In business practice and professional specialization, the field is primarily normative. In academia descriptive approaches are also taken. The range of numbers and the amount of ethical trade and reflects the degree to which companies are perceived as inconsistent with social non-economic values. Historically, interest in business ethics accelerated dramatically during the years 1980 and 1990, both in business and academia. For example, most major web sites of companies today focus on the commitment to promote non-economic values, social in a variety of positions (such as codes of ethics, social responsibility letters). In some cases, companies have redefined their core values in light of business ethical considerations (eg BP’s “beyond petroleum” environmental tilt).