A continuing phenomenon in business education is the emphasis on ethics. The American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation standards emphasize the need for an ethical awareness along with an understanding of "influence of political, social, legal and regulatory, environmental, and technological issues..." 61) {{U}}One of the difficult ethical challenges it wants addressed concerns " inclusiveness," which we have interpreted to mean a "large umbrella" approach, in, for example, employee concerns. To this end, matters such as sexual preference are dealt with in a case involving a supervisor.{{/U}} 62) {{U}}Possibly the greatest ethical idea that could build bridges in an increasingly fragmented society is the idea that empirical evidence must be sought and used to bring an agreement in controversial public issues.{{/U}}
Clearly the greatest impact upon the business enterprise evidencing external political and social environments occurs with respect to law. Law is the way in which society and the political process translating into concrete form the forces shaping the business environment. Perhaps the most important development is the recognition that positive law has become the ethic of our time. 63) {{U}}A key reason for this is the highly competitive nature of the business environment, where international competitors are threatening the very existence of the domestic U. S. businesses;{{/U}} this competition forces U. S. businesses to take a "bare bones," "do just what the law requires and no more "approach to ethics. Actually, the U.S. legal system is for more than a" bare bones" to legal rights.64) {{U}}In fact, it could persuasively be argued that law in this nature has crept into the realm of natural law and norms formerly described by private decision makers are now decreed by legislative commands.{{/U}} It is true that ethics involves doing the "right" thing, the just thing, the morally correct thing; however, positive law is now commanding us to "do the right thing. " Given the need to keep costs under control, most U.S. businesses give a sigh of relief and say," This is enough ethics for me ;thanks," if they can simply comply with the pervasive positive law. These businesses point out that their foreign competitors do not have the extensive -- and expensive -- protective labor laws, the Clean Water Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and a host of other laws. 65) {{U}}These laws have praiseworthy goals; nonetheless, they make competing with businesses in other countries without such laws difficult, if not impossible, particularly when costs are taken into account.{{/U}}