What are the fundamentals of business ethics? My answer is that they are the same as personal ethics. What you do in your personal life shouldn’t be different from business. You don’t steal from your neighbors and you shouldn’t steal from your clients. You don’t trick your family and you shouldn’t trick your customers.

I’ve seen too many times where companies conduct rotten business and get away with it. When a credit card company charges a customer high interest they are just doing business. If a person on the street did the same thing they would be an illegal loan shark. If a company sells your personal information to the highest bidder they are increasing profits. If someone steals your social security number it is identity fraud. Semantics don’t make it right.

Far too often people use phrases like “it’s just business” to justify unethical actions that they would never consider in their personal lives. Treat those you do business with as well as you treat your friends and family and you’ll have succeeded in an important area. Win or fail financially you can sleep at night, and die someday, knowing that you did what was right.