Emerging Cases of Business Ethics Issues

While one might think of business ethics as being a field that covers insider trading, sexual harassment, and treatment of employees, the field has grown over the years. Business ethics now includes a laundry list of ethical issues including development ethics, animal ethics, environmental ethics, justice ethics, and more. Below is a list of current emerging cases involving business ethics issues, including the recent Supreme Court decision involving corporations, health insurance hikes by Anthem Blue Cross, Sara Lee's organic practices, and Monsanto's genetically modified agriculture products.

Recently, Anthem Blue Cross determined it would raise their California insurance premiums by percentages in the double digits as high as 39% starting in May, calling attention to their unfair insurance practices. When this fee hike went public, it also came to the attention of California insurance regulators that Anthem Blue Cross had many complaints filed for non-payment of benefits, low settlement offers, and more. The problem with fee hikes is that the hikes are aimed at some 800,000 independently insured persons (generally independent contractors, sole proprietors, etc.) and this hike can be a severe burden on the insured. This case is sparking political discussions about ethical insurance practices, and should spark discussions in your company about how fee increases should be handled.

Sara Lee, best known for its baked goods, has come to news attention due to the claim that Eco-Grain production is organic. The problem is that criticism exists stating that the production of Eco-Grain is not, in fact, organic and instead it only uses a reduced rate of synthetic fertilizers - but instead of the 100% reduction rate required by organic certifiers, the rate of reduction executed by Sara Lee is only 15%. Finally, though the Eco-Grain bread contains some of this wheat in it, most of the wheat in the bread is, in fact, traditionally farmed. This raises many ethical problems when discussing product labeling and product naming practices.

Another agriculturally related business ethics topic is the production of Genetically Modified agriculture products produced by Monsanto. Monsanto is the company that came up with DDT, Agent Orange, and Round Up. Monsanto is also largely responsible for the types of seeds used to grow your food. They have genetically modified and patented a variety of seeds, including corn, soybeans, cotton and more, and they pursue lawsuits against farmers who use their seeds without purchase. Many questions have been raised about whether these are ethical practices - especially since their GMOs are invasive and take over crops. This case raises interesting questions about what can be patented, how cases are pursued, and fair business practices.

It's hard to always have your eye on every potentially questionable ethical practice, but it is important to try to run your business in a way that is consistent with ethical values. Make sure to perform risk assessments and research the effects of those potentially affected by your practices before undertaking any business venture.