Ethics and Governance Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics and Governance - Case Study ExampleThe cause for Friedmans statement is probably due to the birth of Ethical moving in, this is where companies will demonstrate a social conscience, possibly to gain support from consumers who buy their products, but will cut the profits of the shareholders in a company. Freidman to a fault assumes that there is a link between the birth of Ethical business and the growth of left-wing academia, particularly in the United States, although I am not convinced of the relation between the two and that one affects the other. However, Friedman believes that it is these academics that are making the businessmen act like unwitting puppets who are preaching pure and unsullied socialism. Still, I believe that Friedman is putting across his biased political views with this statement, where he thinks that anything relating to socialism is automatically bad so he does not rightfully back up this quote. I also disagree with Friedman in that he believes that the intellectual forces really be possessed of that much influence on businessmen to film them unwitting puppets. The factor which would make businessmen turn to a more ethical approach could be down to a rapidly expanding interest in business ethics and the rise of the middle-class looking to clear their conscience by buying ethically. 2. Friedman (1970) discusses whether corporations can have a social responsibility or whether having responsibilities is a uniquely human trait. Friedman argues, reasonably convincingly, that a company cannot have the responsibility since it is artificial. We can see this in his article when he says however people can have responsibilities. A corporation is an artificial person and in this sense may have artificial responsibilities. This would lead him to the conclusion that corporations have no moral obligation to be ethical since they are not moral beings and that the only responsibilities of a company is to increase its profits.