The Business Ethic

Although there is only a brief discussion of the evolution of corporations to the status of individuals, in the eyes of the law (p. 9), it is a thought provoking topic. The incremental corporate rights and authority appears to provide legal protection for controversial practices, such as "negative speech" while shielding corporate management from personal accountability. High profile corporate corruption trials from Enron to WorldComm underscored the negative implications of such a system, as one high profile executive after another claimed they knew nothing of the wrongdoing by subordinates, associates or colleagues.
The changing legal status of corporations raises ethical questions. Although most large businesses have such standards in writing, enforcement at the highest levels has been lax, at some of the companies I have worked for.