These examples indicate that a Machiavellian approach to corporate ethics and an utter lack of concern for the state of the environment in the future is poor business practice. Yet the ethical arguments in favor of businesses showing concern for the environment, having rigorous accounting ethics and observing regulations regarding consumer safety is that a failure to take ethical action often results in losses of profits. It is far more difficult to argue that a firm should ignore the need to make a profit at all, and to place the environment first.
Consider the principles of the Deep Ecology movement, which point out that Western capitalism and consumerism itself generates waste, and a focus upon maximizing productivity actually causes harm to the environment. Deep Ecology principles stress that even encouraging people to buy more consumer goods, regardless of origin, is unethical, and that improvements in technology often results in destruction to the environment. The movement is against: "the conversion of nature to commodity form, the emphasis upon economic growth as a panacea…Technology worship and an unlimited faith in the virtues of science" (Drengson 2011). Although the movement sounds quite radical, these statements underline the fact that emphasizing prosperity puts human beings first. On...
By refusing to acknowledge the need for accounting and other business ethics, the future of a firm and thus shareholder profits and jobs, as well as the economic health of other organizations, may be put into jeopardy. But the type of 'macro' environmental focus that would place even profits and an increase in revenue ahead of a firm's responsibility to the planet would be a difficult 'sell' to shareholders, the larger business community, and even to the most socially conscious of employees.
References
Drengson, Alan. 2011. Mission statement. Foundation for Deep Ecology. Accessed http://www.deepecology.org/mission.htm[February 5, 2011]
Gogoi, Pallavi. 2006. Wal-Mart's Organic offensive. Business Week. Accessed at http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/mar2006/nf20060329_6971.htm
[February 5, 2011]
Whoriskey, Pete. 2011. GM and Chrysler, owned by the government, lobby against fuel efficiency, safety improvements. The Washington Post. Accessed through Green Change
http://www.greenchange.org/article.php?id=6466 [February 5, 2011]
