Legal vs. Ethical

Is every action that is legal also ethical? can you describe an action that is legal but ethically wrong? is every ethical action also legal? is the law not ethics? the only guide that business managers need to consider.


Not all actions that are legal are considered ethical. An example is prostitution. In some countries it is considered legal but most of the people view it as unethical. Another example would be the one-child policy in China. Although the purpose of this is to reduce the country’s population, the way this is being done is unethical. Abortion, neglect and sometimes even killing their own child especially if it is a girl.

Also, not every ethical action is legal. Just because the end result is beneficial for everyone, doesn’t mean it is legal. The end does not justify the means. Take a look at Robin Hood. He steals from rich people in order to help the poor. Helping those in need is good but the means by which he achieved it is quite bad.

I can consider that the law as ethics because it was created to give us a guide on how to act in our daily lives.

Is it possible for an employee to be successful in the workplace without acting ethically?

There’s still a possibility that an employee would succeed but of course, he would eventually fail. Without proper ethics, his overall work performance can be affected and so is his relationship with his co-workers. This would then result to his removal in the company.