John Maxwell’s Ethics: Personal Ethics, Business Ethics, and Business Law in Modern Companies Term Paper

John Maxwell and His Definition of Ethics

John Maxwell, the author of various essential books regarding such issues as leadership, ethics, and business, paid considerable attention to ethical behavior and its impact on people. In his book Ethics 101, Maxwell defines ethics as a crucial component of people’s daily and business lives, which can be extremely helpful in achieving success and well-being (Maxwell, 2008). Notably, Maxwell emphasizes that ethics has a direct impact not only on people’s daily lives but also has a significant influence on business and careers (Maxwell, 2008). Among the essential conclusions that Maxwell makes in his book regarding ethics is that one should not sacrifice one’s position or make inappropriate decisions and lose while behaving ethically. On the other hand, the author emphasizes that ethical behavior leads to success.

In his writings, the author seeks to identify the specific characteristics of ethical behavior and its distinct components. For example, while identifying different aspects of this notion, John Maxwell states five principles that are the basis of ethics. Among them are respect, fairness, honesty, compassion, and integrity (Maxwell, 2008). According to the author’s opinion, these factors are essential for constructing qualitative and successful relationships both in social life and in business. Consequently, one should highlight that Maxwell believed that ethics is an extremely powerful component of making people’s lives better.

Difference Between Business Ethics and Personal Ethics

Notably, business ethics has many issues and disadvantages compared to personal ethics. When conducting business, the primary purpose is to find the most effective way to achieve goals and make the business successful. Sometimes, these purposes can be achieved through dishonesty and unethical behavior, which highlights the negative aspects of business ethics.

For example, as Everest Media (2022) Maxwell writes, “the state of ethics in business is disgusting. People are sick of the rampant dishonest and unethical dealings they see every day” (p. 1). In other words, people strive to obtain benefits for their businesses due to the knowledge of the opportunity to live better personally. Therefore, while communicating with partners or other business players, the chance to behave unethically grows exponentially.

In addition, when considering the difference between business ethics and personal ethics, it is essential to note the practical aspect of the former. Remarkably, business ethics and its principles are directly connected with the business strategy aimed at the success of the company or organization (Wong et al., 2019). It means that this type of ethics helps businesses to achieve particular purposes. On the other hand, personal ethics primarily aim to align with moral principles without the intention of obtaining specific practical benefits.

Relation of Personal Ethics to Business Law

While considering the aspect of the relation of personal ethics to business law, it is essential to highlight that every company is constructed by workers and teams who collaborate with each other constantly to achieve specific goals. It means that communication, based on various working situations and issues, is one of the most important parts of every organization. Taking this into account, one should underline that the way the person behaves and communicates directly impacts not only the people with whom they communicate but also the entire working climate in the company. Therefore, it is vital to state that one who neglects specific rules and principles in polite and rational communication will harm everyone, including themselves (Cremer & Moore, 2020). Consequently, ethics serve as the primary structure that enables individuals to construct their communication with others based on mutual respect, politeness, sincerity, compassion, and integrity.

In other words, due to the fact that business is based on collaboration among people, it is necessary to apply the above-mentioned factors to construct a qualitative business law and working climate. This implies that the relationship between personal ethics and business law is significant and can have both positive and negative implications for aligning with ethics standards (Nishanth, 2018). Therefore, when creating business laws, the company should not only consider but also integrate personal ethical principles into its entire business functioning to ensure that its employees behave according to these standards.

Companies, Personal Ethics, and Business Law Situations

It is not a secret that many issues regarding the correlation between personal ethics and business law can arise in any company that creates products for clients. Due to the opportunity to control many factors at the stage of manufacturing, these companies can neglect ethical standards and pursue their own goals while making unethical or fraudulent decisions. For example, specific issues regarding personal ethics and their relation to business law are common among various technological companies whose products have operational systems (Wernaart, 2021).

Among them, one can name such IT giants as Apple and Google. Various scandals occurred because of the extreme monitoring of customers’ personal data and its use for the companies’ personal purposes. This case highlights how personal ethics can be neglected and negatively impact business law while following fraud strategies to obtain benefits.

Another crucial sphere of society’s life in which many problems concerning personal ethics and business law situations happen is medicine. Given the above, as a particular example of these issues, it is important to name the operation of the Johnson & Johnson company. This is significant because the medicine company is famous not only for its medical products but also for specific actions related to fraud. Particularly, the company had issues concerning the safety of its particular drugs (Wernaart, 2021). Therefore, it is another example of how business ethics can be neglected to obtain personal benefits through unethical behavior.

Mallory Beach Case Study and the PMPED Law Firm (Murdaugh Cases)

The Mallory Beach case study and the PMPED law firm are great examples of how business ethics and law can be neglected. Before developing this thought, it is essential to note that this case involves the tragedy that occurred near the Mallory Beach area. Particularly, due to some issues with the boat, the girl who was a passenger died in the accident. Moreover, other passengers suffered severe injuries after the accident.

This underscores the importance of aligning business practices with ethics and laws to ensure that all standards, rules, and ethical principles are followed, thereby ensuring the safety of clients’ lives. However, the case of Mallory Beach and the PMPED law firm demonstrated that authorities often use their power and influence to overlook these rules to defend and save their businesses. One should take this case study into account when constructing their business laws and understand that ethics can not only help them avoid tragedies but also take steps to improve their position and obtain benefits.

Apple Inc. and Its Personal Ethics in Everyday Business

To consider a company that applies personal ethics in its everyday business, it will be vital to consider Apple Inc. Earlier in the paper, this company was represented from a negative point of view while stating its problems with the use of customers’ personal data and their privacy. However, it is worth noting that this company also embodies high ethical values in its implementation within the organization’s daily operations.

Remarkably, Apple Inc. sells millions of its products worldwide and pays considerable attention to the design and packaging of its products (Faitini, 2023). Various specialists assess the quality of packages from a marketing perspective to ensure that they will increase customer demand. However, when considering Apple Inc.’s personal ethics, it is essential to acknowledge its significant efforts to contribute to environmental safety.

For example, the company’s primary mission is to reduce carbon emission levels by 2030. It means that Apple Inc. strives to be the first worldwide organization with zero carbon-emission levels. These are essential steps that the company takes as personal ethical behavior. The uniqueness of this situation lies in the fact that these actions harm the company because they require specific steps. Notably, many customers were unsatisfied with the quality of the new packages that Apple Inc. began using to reduce emissions and implement recycled materials (Wernaart, 2021). Therefore, one should note that Tim Cook’s corporation prioritizes its success and popularity in everyday business to align with personal ethics and act in accordance with the standards of a highly ethical company.

References

Cremer, D., & Moore, C. (2020). Toward a better understanding of behavioral ethics in the workplace. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 7, 369-393.

Everest Media. (2022). Summary of John C. Maxwell’s ethics 101. Everest Media.

Faitini, T. (2023). “Chapter 1 the contemporary discourse on professional ethics and professionalism: A critical overview”. In Shaping the Profession. Brill | Schöningh.

Maxwell, J. C. (2008). Ethics 101: What every leader needs to know. Hachette UK.

Nishanth, T. (2018). A review of the John Maxwell certification program. The Journal Of Applied Christian Leadership, 12(1), 110-115.

Wernaart, B. (2021). Ethics and business: A global introduction. Taylor & Francis.

Wong, H. C., Ramalu, D. S. S., & Chuah, D. F. (2019). An overview of leadership and the emerging of relational leadership. Journal of Human Resource and Leadership, 4(1), 32-43.