After a two-year string of corporate scandals, the term "business ethics" has become reliable fodder for late-night talk-show hosts in search of easy laughs. Some people wonder if being ethical these days simply means not getting caught doing something illegal. The only question seems to become "Is it legal?" A society gets itself in trouble when it perceives legality and ethics to be the same. Although following the law is an important first step, ethical behavior requires more than that. Ethics reflects people's proper relations with one another: How should people treat others? What resp…
