Question

Telling organizations that their ethical responsibilities end with obedience to the law:

Answer 1

Corporate responsibility extends beyond legal compliance to include adherence to broader ethical norms and values that reflect societal expectations. Codes of ethics, such as the one from IEEE-CS, outline these responsibilities, which often require balancing legality with morality, as highlighted by historical figures like Gandhi and civil rights activists.

Step-by-step explanation:

Corporate Responsibility and the Law

The notion that an organization's ethical responsibilities are limited to merely obeying the law is a narrow interpretation of corporate responsibility. Businesses, along with professional organizations for groups such as nurses and teachers, often adopt codes of ethics. These codes encompass not only legal compliance but also broader ethical principles that reflect societal values. For example, the IEEE-CS's Software Engineering Code of Ethics details the responsibilities of software engineers to approve only safe software that does not harm human life, privacy, or the environment. Deontological theories emphasize that morality is rooted in adherence to moral obligations regardless of the consequences of actions.

Although compliance with laws and regulations is crucial for businesses, they are also expected to act in line with moral principles that may go beyond legal requirements. As Gandhi and civil rights activists like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. demonstrated, there is a distinction between obeying specific laws and the broader obligations to justice and fairness. They advocated for civil disobedience in response to unjust laws, highlighting that legal compliance does not equate to moral rectitude.

In essence, a business's ethical responsibilities include not only abiding by laws but also engaging in conduct that is in accord with moral norms and values, while striving to enhance social and environmental good.

Answer 2

Telling organizations that their ethical responsibilities end with obedience to the law is: just inviting more legal regulation.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the context of ethics and moral, organizations should act accordingly. But even if every organization has their cultural codes, it is important to clarify that law is above all. An organization cannot go beyond what is stablished by the law, this is why it most be consider when considering its own organizational culture.

Inviting to more legal regulation is most important for an organization to keep up whithout any troubles with the law.