Robert C Solomon It's Good Business Summary

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, that I am a firm believer of. Robert C. Solomon, in his passage “It’s Good Business”, writes about the relevance of ethics in our businesses. Solomon believes that business is fundamentally amoral or immoral. He claims that “there is nothing about ethics that requires sacrificing the bottom line”, meaning, ethics do not have to interfere with the company’s profit or loss margins. Is Solomon’s claim compatible with his statement that, “there is no guarantee that ethics is good for the bottom line”? His focus in both statements is directed towards “the bottom line” of a business.

There is not a guarantee that ethics are good, but there is a great probability that it is beneficial to be amoral.

Having good ethics in business brings customers to outstanding satisfaction, driving customers to later return to your business. Given the opportunity, these satisfied customers will more than likely spread the positive information to family, friends, or coworkers. Immoral ethics, like Brake Breakers, Inc., will drive customers to do the exact opposite.
Sure, immoral ethics might bring in more revenue, but that is risking the chance of a loss of customers, complaints to lawyers, getting the government involved, or completely driving the business into the ground. The ethical business owners, with the same type of business as the immoral owners, might have to struggle just to keep up with the unethical competition. In my personal opinion, I feel like it is an unfair advantage for the business owners that are wronging their customers, than the owners that are for the customers.
In conclusion, yes I do believe Solomon’s claims are compatible with each other. With everything considered, a business owner can have phenomenal ethics without diminishing the bottom line of business.