From an ethical perspective, John D. Rockefeller’s behavior and treatment of colleagues and subordinates cannot be called unacceptable. According to Hanna-West, in his activities, the entrepreneur adhered to the principles of formal politeness and never acted contrary to the norms of business conduct (85). At the same time, the activities he developed through his Standard Oil Trust were criticized by many. Accusations of an unethical form of doing business were explained by the fact that Rockefeller’s approach to work was based on the complete monopolization of the target market. Hanna-West quotes one of the employees of another enterprise who claimed that due to Rockefeller, many men were left without work (86). By the standards of modern times, such a practice is considered unethical because numerous antitrust laws would clearly deter the activities of such a company that seeks to exclude any other participants. However, by the standards of that era, Standard Oil Trust’s activities were justified by the absence of formal deterrents. Working in the oil extraction and refining industry was relatively new in the country, and the entrepreneur did his best to create a sustainable competitive advantage.
While comparing Rockefeller’s personal and business ethics, one might note that the entrepreneur was substantially tougher with regard to his business than to other activities. Hanna-West mentions the numerous donations he made during his lifetime, thus demonstrating his interest in charity (87). However, in relation to work, he adhered to the principle of dominance, although he did not allow himself unethical forms of interaction with colleagues and subordinates. Such a contradiction can be explained by Rockefeller’s strong convictions in the correctness of the chosen path for the development of his business and advanced entrepreneurial skills.
Work Cited
Hanna-West, Sharon. Business Ethics: Cases, Issues & Stakeholders. 13th ed., McGraw-Hill Education, 2021.