The Ethical Mind: A Challenge in Business?

Is it more difficult for businesspeople to adhere to an ethical mind than for those in other professions? That's what a Harvard professor thinks, because he says it lacks the structure of other professions (he makes the point that it is not, strictly, a profession) and the only goal is to make money without breaking the law.

Howard Gardner, a Harvard professor of cognition and education, made this point in an interview in the Harvard Business Review last year, citing the fact that business has no guild-structure, no professional model, no standards, and no penalties for bad behavior as the reasons for the difficulty. You can read some of Garner's points on the Business Ethics Forum blog, but I'm not sure I agree with his central contention that business is any different from other professions when it comes to ethics.

While the means to achieve the goal (making money) are not clearly defined in the business world, I'm not sure that changes our ability to discern right from wrong in our actions. What do you think?[poll id=49]Have some thoughts on the challenges on how ethics in business differs from ethics in other professions? Join the discussion in the comments section.