Everyone knows that the main goal of a business is to make profits. A company that fails to earn money will go bankrupt sooner or later. This does not mean, however, that it may pursue profits by any means. Though there are many types of activities a company should not engage in, I willl focus only on the most obvious two: breaking the law and hurting other people.
To begin with, a business should not try to make profits via illegal activities. Unfortunately, there are countless examples of companies violating the law or even committing crimes for money. In my home country of Korea, I see TV news reports of corrupt businessess almost every day. They don't report their profits honestly to the government so that they can evade taxes. They put exaggerated or false information in advertisements to deceive customers. To avoid police investigation and prosecution, they often bribe government officials. All these activities give unfair advantages to unethical companies and make it difficult for honest firms to competer against them. They should be punished harshly.
Companies should also remember that putting money above all else can hurt innocent people. Employees should be given fair wage for their labors, but many companies take advantage of them- forcing them to work long hours under poor conditions. In some cases, these employees are underage. I have heard that a large percentage of clothes we wear are produced by children in developing countries, who work more than twelve hours a day and earn less than a dollar. Aside from exploited employees, unethical businesses can harm the general public, too. Reducing pollution costs money, so some factories secretly release hazardous materials withour permission- waste water, poisonous fumes, and other industrial waste. Few years ago, a dairy product company tried to increase its milk production by adding a deadly chemical called melamine. The chemical ended up killing dozens of infants and pets. Profit cannot be an excuse to endanger people.
I understand that a company that doesn't make money cannot survive, just as a person that doesn't eat will die. But just as there are some things we should not do even for survival, there are actions that companies should not to only for the sake of profits. |