Unethical
business behavior can take many forms, from insider trading to the myriad ways
facts can be misrepresented. Business corruption is rampant throughout the
world, with bribery, kickbacks, unethical deals, and deception of the public.
There is a Wikipedia entry
for ‘Business ethics’ that describes them as:
“…a form of applied ethics or professional ethics that
examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that can arise in a
business environment. It applies to all aspects of business conduct and is
relevant to the conduct of individuals and entire organizations. These ethics
originate from individuals, organizational statements or the legal system.
These norms, values, ethical, and unethical practices are the principles that
guide a business.”
“Business ethics refers to contemporary organizational
standards, principles, sets of values, and norms that govern the actions and
behavior of individuals in a business organization. Business ethics has two
dimensions: normative business ethics and descriptive business ethics. As a
corporate practice and a career specialization, the field is primarily
normative. Academics attempting to understand business behavior employ
descriptive methods. The range and quantity of business ethical issues reflect
the interaction of profit-maximizing behavior with non-economic concerns.”
Wiki notes that Interest in business ethics accelerated
dramatically during the 1980s and 1990s, both within major corporations and
within academia. Springer publishes the Journal of Business Ethics, which began
publishing in 1982.
Harvard Business School’s
Michael Boyles wrote an apt article about the importance of business ethics. He
notes that there are ethical issues and dilemmas with various technologies,
including AI. He gives an example of the issue of social media’s impact on
children as another ethical issue. Below is an explanation of business ethics
and a quote from Harvard Business School Professor Vikram Gandhi.
I think I disagree with
Gandhi that ethics should be associated with positive and negative business
externalities. Those externalities are usually considered to be mostly social
and environmental impacts. Certainly, ethics should be considered when
considering impacts. However, giving negative externalities such as pollution
or carbon emissions, or even something like increasing costs to consumers, an
unethical slant is dangerous, I believe. Pollution and carbon emissions limits
vary, and opinions, even among experts, also vary regarding how much is
acceptable or should be mitigated. Cost-benefit analysis (CBA)is an important
way such externalities are considered. There is no clear-cut ethical dimension
to CBA, and assigning one is not usually helpful.
Boyles’ article goes on to
emphasize sustainability as an ethical choice, utilizing the idea of the triple
bottom line: people, profit, and planet, a popular mantra with sustainability
and social responsibility advocates. Again, I would not say these ideas, while
desirable to pursue, should necessarily be associated directly with ethics.
The following section on
ethical responsibility to customers is more important, I believe. Limiting
deception in promises and advertising is closer to ethical behavior than
focusing on negative externalities.
The article also notes a
company’s ethical responsibility to employees. He refers several times to a
Harvard Business School Course called ‘Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate
Accountability.’
“Fairness is not only an ethical response to power
asymmetries in the work environment,” Hsieh says in the course. “Fairness—and
having a successful organizational culture–can benefit the organization
economically and legally.”
He goes on to say that
business ethics are important because not practicing them can result in moral
disengagement.
“Moral disengagement refers to ways in which we
convince ourselves that what we’re doing is not wrong,” Hsieh says in
Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability. “It can upset the balance of
judgment—causing us to prioritize our personal commitments over shared beliefs,
rules, and principles—or it can skew our logic to make unethical behaviors
appear less harmful or not wrong.”
Moral disengagement can also
lead to insider trading, which is widely acknowledged as being unethical.
Making ethical decisions requires reflective leadership
“Reflecting on complex, gray-area decisions is a key
part of what it means to be human, as well as an effective leader,” Hsieh says.
“You have agency. You must choose how to act. And with that agency comes
responsibility.”
I think that companies should
have codes of ethics that employees understand and engage with, and should
endeavor to keep integrity in all aspects of business. Routinely skirting
ethics rules should not be treated lightly, in my opinion.
The UK-based Institute for Business Ethics describes business ethics as follows:
They also distinguish business ethics, which applies mainly to companies and the people that make them up, from professional ethics, which refers to ethical codes to be followed by members of a profession as described by professional societies.
Employment Scams Are Ubiquitous and Sometimes Involve
Businesses Considered to Be Legitimate
I am quite familiar with
employment scams, and unfortunately, they are quite common. Sometimes they are
easy to pick out, and other times it takes a while. Many of these involve
deception, where there really is no company and no job. In addition, some
otherwise reputable companies advertise jobs that they end up not filling,
including for things like state employment. These aren’t necessarily unethical,
but from the perspective of the prospective employee, they may as well be,
since they are indeed being duped into believing they are applying for a job
that will actually be filled.
My personal experiences with
employment scams began when I was unemployed for a few months, well over ten
years ago, when I answered a job ad in a newspaper. Since then, everything has
gone online, where it is even easier to deceive. When applying for a job a few
years ago, I actually had a fake interview on Microsoft Teams, though not the
video version, on which I had a legitimate interview. The person interviewing
me was not who they said they were. I found out later when I looked up the
person on LinkedIn and saw that she had complained about people saying they
were her, warning not to believe them. I stopped when the unsavory character
began asking personal details about my bank account. I was not expecting
deception and thus went further than I normally would, probably missing some
red flags.
I have had a very recent
experience regarding a job posted on Indeed to which I applied. The job was
advertised as writing for a media company in subjects with which I am
thoroughly familiar. I looked at the company website and saw that they had many
articles that looked to be well-written about various markets. Their content is
on over 100 different platforms, and they have branches in several countries.
That made them seem legitimate to me at first. Then when I talked to a person
from the company on WhatsApp (perhaps that should have been a red flag right
there) they told me the details of the so-called job: They would pay me a one
time fee of $50 in Australian dollars (about $36 in U.S. dollars) to put my
name on articles I did not write, utilizing my expertise and I would also be
required to update my LinkedIn profile to reflect that I was a senior content
editor for this company. Of course, I said no fricken way. I have yet to report
the company to Indeed, but I am guessing it has been done since I have not seen
another ad by them. I really should, thought. What they are doing is
misrepresenting authorship, which is certainly unethical. I believe that the
WhatsApp call with that person caused my cell phone bill to rise by about $6,
due to ‘international long-distance charges,’ so I guess they ripped me off,
too. There are too many corrupt slimeballs in this world.
I also had a person contact
me a couple of years ago who wanted a geologist to evaluate new Permian Basin
acreage they had acquired. They strung me along for a while, seeming maybe
legit, but then they seemed to want only to chat about other things, until I
was pretty sure they were bogus. In that case, they didn’t ask me for money or
anything, but I expected they were working towards that when I cut them off.
A Modern Example of a Business Ethics Issue: Trump Family
Profiting from Kazakhstan Tungsten Mine Deal: New York Post Condemns Deal and
Compares it to Hunter Biden-Burisma Deal
I was surprised to see the
conservative New York Post’s editorial board write an op-ed condemning the
Trump family’s involvement in a lucrative multi-billion-dollar Kazakhstan
tungsten mining deal. Tungsten is a mineral critical to the U.S. defense
industry, and its price has risen dramatically over the past several months.
This has triggered a tungsten revival in the U.S., where several new finds and
plans to mine have been announced, including in Idaho and Montana.
The New York Post op-ed
enounces the deal as similar to Hunter Biden’s appointment as a paid board
member for the Ukrainian Energy company Burisma.
“It was bad when the Bidens did it, and it’s just as bad
when the Trumps do it.”
“Insider deals, finders’ fees and backdoor introductions
to family members are business-as-usual in Third World banana republics, but
these slimy practices have now been normalized in the White House, to the shame
of the nation.”
“The Trump sons, meanwhile, are part-owners or investors
in companies neck-deep in a key defense contract to mine tungsten reserves in
Central Asia.”
“It stinks to high heaven.”
“If a president’s family making bank from obscure
resource companies in the former Soviet Union sounds familiar, maybe that’s
because Hunter Biden’s lucrative connection to Burisma — a Ukrainian gas
company — was a major scandal in the 2020 election and beyond.”
It has been estimated that
Hunter Biden made up to $2.3 million from 2016 to 2019 when he was on Burisma’s
board. The Trumps have made hundreds of millions in crypto deals and perhaps
much more than that – easily a hundred or hundreds of times what Hunter Biden
made. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is involved in the deal as well. The
editorial goes on to say that if the Dems win the House and/or Senate in the
2026 midterms, there will likely be investigations. They also say that Trump
and company should clean the problem up before then. Since not all approvals
have been obtained, there may be some possibility of that, but I’ve got my
doubts that it will happen.
According to David Gilmour of
Mediate, reporting on a New York Times article about the deal:
“…investors linked to Dominari Securities, a financial
firm partly owned by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, acquired a 20% stake in a
corporate entity connected to the Kazakhstan venture.”
“Around the same time, Cantor Fitzgerald, controlled by
the Lutnick family and overseen by Howard Lutnick’s sons Brandon and Kyle,
helped raise $210 million for a related company involved in the transaction.”
“The agreement was signed on November 6, six days after
the investment involving the Trump-linked entity and its partners, according to
The Times.”
“The Times reported that at least 14 companies with
financial ties to either the Trump family, the Lutnick family or both are
actively working with the federal government on critical minerals projects,
including the Kazakhstan venture.”
“Collectively, those projects have received or are being
considered for more than $8.9 billion in federal support.”
“In a statement to the Times, the White House rejected
suggestions of impropriety.”
“The only special interest guiding the Trump
administration’s decision-making is the best interest of the American people,”
White House spokesman Kush Desai said. “Securing and reshoring America’s
critical supply chains has been a top priority for President Trump, and
Secretary Lutnick along with the rest of the administration continue to take
historic action to safeguard America’s national and economic security.”
Allegations of unethical behavior from th Trumps are quite ubiquitous. Just today I read that the president reported $1.4 billion in crypto earnings last year.
"U.S. President Donald Trump reported more than $1.4 billion in income from his family’s crypto ventures last year, showing how he now earns most of his income from digital assets that have benefited from his policies, according to a review of his latest financial disclosures on Tuesday."
"The filings, his annual disclosure for 2025 with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, showed he received more than $500 million from World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture he and his sons co-founded. Trump reported another $635 million from the sale of his $TRUMP meme coins."
"The president also reported over $80 million in income from settlements with various media companies and millions in income from his company licensing his name to overseas property developers."
"The disclosures provide new insights into the scale of the president's profits from his family's foray into cryptocurrencies. Reuters has previously estimated that the Trump family has generated at least $2.3 billion in profit from investors since Trump retook the presidency."
That $2.3 billion was "earned" in half the time and is 1000 times what Hunter Biden "earned."
Trump's potential improprieties are everywhere. I just read that he has already issued 1700 pardons during his second term and plans to issue 250 more. This is compared to Biden issuing 80 pardons during his full term. Biden also commuted 4100 sentences.
"The idea
is being referred to as '250 pardons for 250 years,' and there has been a
frantic push to clean the records of those accused of crimes, according to
multiple current and former Trump officials, lobbyists, attorneys and more in
the President's orbit who spoke with The Atlantic."
A defense
attorney likened the situation to 'a three-ring circus'; a former Trump
official said it was 'bats*** crazy.'
One
lobbyist even admitted to turning off his phone after receiving 'aggressive'
requests for pardons.
'I'm
exhausted,' another attorney told the outlet. 'In 30 years of practicing law,
I’ve never seen anything like this.'
Some
lawyers familiar with the White House's pardon shop shared that it could cost
clients millions to secure a pardon.
'It is
general knowledge in our practice that for $2 million, you can have a pardon,'
an attorney told The Atlantic.
Criminals
sentenced by judges appointed by former Presidents Barack Obama or Joe Biden
are expected to fare better in their quests for pardons than those sentenced by
judges appointed by Trump, according to sources familiar with the process.
People in
Trump's orbit who have no experience with law or pardons have even been
approached to use their influence to clean the records of some petitioning for
clemency.
These
individuals claimed that $1 million to $2 million was the 'going rate,' the
Atlantic reported.
References:
What
Are Business Ethics & Why Are They Important? Michael Boyles. Harvard
Business School. July 27, 2023. What Are Business
Ethics & Their Importance? | HBS Online
Business
ethics. Wikipedia. Business
ethics - Wikipedia
What
is business ethics? Institute of Business Ethics. December 16, 2025. What is
business ethics? | Institute of Business Ethics
'Shame
of the nation!' Don Jr. and Eric Trump torched over ties to $1B mining deal in
scathing NY Post op-ed. David Gilmour. Mediate. June 30, 2026. 'Shame
of the nation!' Don Jr. and Eric Trump torched over ties to $1B mining deal in
scathing NY Post op-ed
Hunter
Biden-style sleaze is just as slimy when the Trump boys do it. Post Editorial Board. New York Post. June 29,
2026. Hunter
Biden-style sleaze is just as slimy when the Trump boys do it
NY
Times Bombshell Details How Trump’s Sons Stand to Gain From $1.6B Kazakhstan
Mining Deal. David Gilmour. Mediate. June 29, 2026. NY
Times Reveals Trump Sons' Links to $1.6B Kazakhstan Deal
Trump
reports more than $1.4 billion in income from crypto ventures. Tom Bergin and
Koh Gui Qing. Reuters. June 30, 2026. Trump
reports more than $1.4 billion in income from crypto ventures
Trump nears decision on jaw-dropping 250 pardons plan as lobbyists get flooded with requests. Jon Michael Raasch. Dailymail.Com. June 30, 2026. Trump nears decision on jaw-dropping 250 pardons plan as lobbyists get flooded with requests
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