By Bill Beadle
President, Better Business Bureau
No matter what the context of the decision, ethics is simply a matter of right versus wrong or more right than wrong.
The decision does not have to be tailored to the particular situation. It can be something as simple as the golden rule, or it can be a complicated process involving peer review and legal counsel.
Or...You do not want to make a rule for each occasion, it is too hard, and you do not want to make guidelines that might not be right. You want to use as much as you can a simple guideline that you fill will help you reach the most correct thing to do.
Something may not be against the law, but is it ethical? Is it more wrong than right?
Being Ethical has been described as "doing more than you have to, and less than you are allowed to do" under the law.
We need to encourage the inclusion of ethical values at school. We need to set an example.
Basically, there are plenty of road maps for the ethical way through life. The problem is that the road is sometimes long and hard while short cuts are temptingly easy. It takes discipline and perseverance to stay the course and travel the ethical route. Whether or not we stray is a personal choice.