Justice as it Applies to Ethics. Justice

¶ … justice as it applies to ethics. Justice is a social issue and a part of character, as noted in the lecture. There must be another party involved that requires justice, along with an obligation, and that is why it is a social issue. Justice is also a major portion of ethics, because of the choices made involved with justice.

In business ethics, justice is extremely important, because justice is necessary for a business and an individual to become successful. The three types of justice all pertain to business in some way, but the interpersonal type of justice is probably the most important in the business relationship. In interpersonal justice, there is a contract either real or implied, between two parties. One creates goods or services and offers them to another, who accepts them with the obligation to pay for the products. In an ethical situation, both parties will conduct their business ethically and justifiably, leading to justice served for both parties. This leads to reciprocal justice that ends well for all parties and an ethical solution to the situation.

Reciprocal justice, on the other hand, relates to legal justice. These are obligations that people owe to their community as a whole, like taxes, obeying laws, etc. In the business arena, reciprocal justice is an important part of business ethics, because if a business acts unethically, does not obey the law, does not pay taxes, or acts unethically in any other way, there are ramifications for the business (such as bankruptcy, lawsuits, etc.). That leads to injustice to the employees of the business and the people who did business with the business and did not receive the products or services they asked or contracted for and desired.

Finally, there is distributive justice, with is what the state or community owes to a person. This allows everyone the same rights under law, no favoritism. The state protects the rights of the people, by providing courts, by providing military protection, by devising laws that regulate society. There has to be some kind of common good uniting the people, or you do not have a community, and the state has to ensure that common good. In business ethics, distributive justice can be seen operating in the "community" of the business. For example, the business has rules and regulations for its employees to ensure their safety and health on the job, and they, acting as the "state" devise these "laws" to ensure the common good of the employees. If an employee breaks the law, the "state" reacts by reprimanding the employee, or perhaps by firing them, if the infraction is too serious. This is quite clear in the example of "One Flew Over the Cookoos Nest," when the nurse devises "laws" that are clearly unhealthy for the patients, and insists they be maintained, even when they make the patients even "crazier" than they already are. She is making the laws too restrictive and unethical, and the community does not accept them. If the laws are not restrictive enough, some employees may take advantage of the business and en the end, cause the business to suffer or perhaps fail.

All of these three types of justice combine to create a harmonious society, and that can be said of the business community, as well. All three forms of justice (and ethics) are necessary to create a successful business, and to remain successful, a business must remain ethical and make their own forms of justice successful, as well. While it might not seem that justice is a big part of business, after studying the definitions and examples of the three types of justice, it is quite clear that justice and ethics are intertwined, and they are extremely important in businesses.