Dishonesty has become an accepted part of daily life for many people in their personal, government, and business lives. Ethics are the standards of right and wrong that influence behavior. Honesty is ethical, which means lying, cheating, and stealing are unethical. Lying has long been identified as a critical unethical behavior. We constantly have to make decisions that are ethical or unethical.

Government laws and regulations are designed to govern business behavior. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 was passed to tighten the laws affecting business ethics. Ethics go beyond legal requirements to do the right thing even when we don’t have to. It is not always easy to distinguish between ethical and unethical behavior, such as accepting a gift (ethical) versus taking a bribe (unethical).

Most people understand right and wrong behavior and have a conscience. We respond to “incentives” and can usually be manipulated to behave ethically or unethically if we find the right incentives. Few people see themselves as unethical. We all want to view ourselves in a positive manner. Justification protects our self-concept so that we don’t have to feel bad. It is important to understand the subtlety of how unethical behavior can take hold of you. The things we do repeatedly determine our character.