Are ethics in entrepreneurship possible at all?

Abstract

The present paper is concerned with the ethics of the conduct of entrepreneurs and ethical principles of entrepreneurs. Due to the visible economic dynamics as well as development of entrepreneurship supported by government administration, ethical issues related to these fields are becoming prominent.
It seems that employment priority is currently treated as an antidote for most of the problems that the economy is faced with (it eliminates unemployment, allows to use the human capital in a better way, minimizes the problem of social exclusion, enables self-realization, etc.). The most powerful impetus to the development of entrepreneurship is the very high contribution of small and medium-sized enterprises to the Gross Domestic Product. Is such rapid development of entrepreneurship in comparison to fierce competition on the more and more demanding market a threat to the principles of ethical conduct in business? Are ethics – so important from the perspective of the society – possible in business activity at all? The problem under discussion is important not only for the entrepreneurs themselves but also for their employees, the employees’ families as well as the whole social system, etc. The deliberations presented in this article lead to a gloomy conclusion that business, as it appears, may do without ethics and actions within enterprises or among them are chiefly based not quite on a sense of togetherness, common good or purpose but, e. g. on misconceived competition. According to the authors, such a state of affairs is a consequence of, among other things, a redefinition of the notion of conscience and lack of proper upbringing.