Discrimination in the Business

Ethics, Discrimination, Value (personal and cultural)

The purpose of this writing is to discuss why prejudice and discrimination are unethical behaviors. Ways to decrease prejudice and discrimination in the business sector will also be discussed.

Prejudice and discrimination behaviors are considered unethical. Prejudice is a negative stereotype about an individual or group based on their cultural, ethnic, or religious background. Discrimination is the denial or acceptance of a person based on their sex, age, religion, and even physical abilities. Both behaviors are often intertwined in one another. A prejudice act is often discriminatory and vice versa. At times these behaviors are deemed acceptable, but they usually violate ethics codes that have been established in business. If acceptable at times, the questions to be answered are why these behaviors are unethical in the business realm and what can be done to decrease these behaviors?

The behaviors are unethical because they are usually intended to harm the individual or group of people. There is a desire to separate from people that are different. This is unethical as it shows a lack of morals and values for those that are different. Ethics represent values that a particular group has. If the group is unable to respect others, it is impossible for them to expect others to respect them.

There are a couple of ethics principles that can be used to explain why prejudice and discrimination are unethical. These are the Utilitarian and Justice principles. The Utilitarian principle is that individuals choose the solution that will provide the greatest value, usefulness or happiness. This choice is made while considering others. (Utilitarianism) The Justice principle states that theories should result in actions that are fair to all involved. (Rainbow, C., 2002) Prejudice and discriminatory behavior are direct opposites of these ethics principles. They do not consider others or result in a fair resolution. Prejudice and discriminatory...
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