General Business
The Letter of the Law vs. The Spirit of the Law
The goal of all ethical behavior is to act with goodness and the right intent, in addition to fairness. Likewise, business ethics is about pursuing the spirit of the law and going beyond the letter of the law. A person can meet the letter of the law and still behave unethically. For vivid examples of…
Read MoreThe Donkey and the Gem
The following post is an example of the ethical principle of blog “The Letter of the Law vs. The Spirit of the Law.“ A sage bought a donkey from a merchant. One student of the sage, upon inspecting the donkey, found a precious stone under the saddle. The student said, “My teacher, you are now…
Read MoreThe Broken Wine Barrel
The following post is an example of the ethical principle of blog “The Letter of the Law vs. The Spirit of the Law.“ In ancient times, a winery owner hired workmen to transport barrels of wine. These workmen were negligent, breaking several of the barrels. The businessman incurred a severe financial loss and took the…
Read MoreThe Factory Fire
The following post is an example of the ethical principle of blog “The Letter of the Law vs. The Spirit of the Law.“ When his facility burnt down in 1995, Aaron Feuerstein, the owner of Malden Mills, a textile mill in New England faced several ethical choices. He was under no legal obligation to pay…
Read MoreSeller Beware vs. Buyer Beware
Caveat emptor, better known to us in English as “let the buyer beware.” It’s an age-old consumer truism, which states that it is the buyer’s responsibility to perform due diligence on whatever purchase they are considering. From an ethical standpoint, the modern and biblical sages take issue with this concept. Good business practices maintain that…
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