Virtue
ethics in business. The
idea of virtue ethics presupposes some end (happiness is the end of life for
Aristotle), and so applying virtue ethics to business requires us to determine
the end toward which business aims. Adopting an Aristotelian
approach, Robert Solomon argues that the main purpose of business is not merely
to create wealth but to enable us to live the good life. Thus, business
is a matter of getting along with others, having a sense of self-respect, and
taking pride in what we do. Business, from an Aristotelian point of view,
is essentially a communal activity in which people work together for a common
good. The virtues in business are those character traits that enable us
to achieve this end of business. For the most part, these are the
character traits necessary for everyday life, but some exceptions must be
made. For example, honesty in business is compatible with a certain
amount of concealment that is unacceptable in personal relations, and so the
virtue of honesty must be redefined for the purposes of business.