Business ethics has many definitions. One definition states that it is comprised of
principles which are specific boundaries, values which are developed norms and standards
that guide socially enforced behavior through views of equal rights, trust and knowing
right from wrong. In the next three sections, I will be discussing thoughts on if the
situation is either ethical or unethical according to the statement presented.
George Eastman was the founder of the Eastman Kodak Company. He was an ethical
businessman who followed the morals and guidelines set for him by his mother and
society. George was raised in the urban city of Rochester, NY. He was raised by his mother
after his father’s death when he was eight years old. He was the youngest of three children.
One of his older sisters has infantile paralysis which required attention by the mother.
George was a man who believed that hard work should be rewarded. He was very
ambitious and was always looking for a challenge. He had many great values such as
integrity, trustworthiness, loyalty, and accountability. He was a grounded businessman and
individual. I believe that growing up with a father, who while alive could not provide for
his family like he should in not only money but in personal interaction, and a sister who
required constant care made George the man he became. He was forced to grow up at a
young age and care for his family. He was provided his moral background from his mother
through her church upbringing. I believe that through his family’s first resource of money,
taking in boarders, he was provided with societal norms. As a young man, George work
hard at any job he had. He put long hours into any task his seemed required his attention.
He was a shrewd man of money. He kept impeccable accounts of the money coming in and
going out. George was a details man. He wanted to know everything about anything and
when it came to business he required fill involvement in all steps of the process. George
ran his business the way he believed a company should be run. When he was not promoted
at his last job, before fully investing himself in the camera business, he left and determined
that he did not have to save and be unrewarded for his hard work. Within the Eastman
Kodak Company, he provided work opportunities to deserving individuals. It did not
matter to Eastman if you were young, old, woman or man. If you could get the job done
