Business ethics: the influence of religion

The purpose of this paper was to determine through literary research the actual influence of religion or a religious background on the existing ethical standards in American business. The research delved into the backgrounds of the Protestant, Catholic and Jewish religions to determine specific beliefs that related to business ethics. The research also explored recent studies that revealed possible relationships between religion and business ethics. It was found that the religious influence on business ethics has apparently faded from a primary position to a role secondary to an Aristotilian concept of ethics. However, religion was still seen to play a significant part in determining the ethical standards of business. The organizations headed by religiously affiliated individuals were seen to be more effective than those headed by a non-religious manager. Also discovered were preconceived categorizations of members of religions by businessmen. The Protestants appeared to benefit more from these biases than did the Catholics or Jews