What importance should the company give to ethics?

To speak of the importance of ethics in business, ideally, one should have both the detachment and hindsight of the philosopher, and the commitment to action of the business executive. Few, if any, can boast of bringing together such qualities and even if I could claim such universality, the nature of the subject I am going to address would incite me to be extremely careful. Ethics in general, and ethics in business in particular, are subjects so delicate that any attempt to speak of them “ex cathedra” would be pretentious, even risky. Also, more than a categorical presentation on ethics in the company, I propose to offer you an overview of the subject, in order to raise elements for reflection. This presentation has four parts. Since we are talking about philosophy here, I will proceed methodically, first trying to identify the true meaning of the question I was asked to answer. As I hope to show you, you should be wary of seemingly simple and direct questions. Secondly, and in the light of what I believe to be the meaning of the theme, I will paint a quick historical picture of the evolution of the concept of ethics and social values, as they are relevant to conducting business. This historical picture will lead to the third part of my presentation, which will deal with the problem of ethics as it arises today in industrialized societies. In the fourth and last part, which will constitute in a way a … landing, I will approach the management problems raised by the questions of ethics in the company and this, in the light of the case that I know best: Hydro-Quebec. Keywords: modern business ethics, business conduct, corporate behavior, business ethics, professional ethics, moral, morality, moral principles, professional ethics, virtue