As might be suspected, early writings on ethics were centered not on economics or business, but personal beliefs and actions. It becomes readily apparent from early discussions of ethics that philosophers and writers viewed ethics as a matter of choice. Individuals must make choices in their lives. This is important to note—businesses don't make choices. Choices are made and/or implemented by individuals within the economic enterprise. People in government make choices, people in educational institutions make choices, people in businesses make choices, people with churches make choices; everyone is forced to make choices, and even the choice not to choose is a decision.

Ethics in Organization

Velasquez (1982) illustrated some important points regarding organizations and their acts relative to individuals in the organization. He stated:

1. A corporate organization "exists" only if (1) there exist certain human individuals placed in certain circumstances and (2) our linguistic...