The law, and professional organizations, must produce written standards that are inflexible and universal. While they may talk about ethics , these documents are usually prescriptive and refer to minimal standards. Ethics are about values, ideals and aspirations. Ethical businesses may not always live up to their ideals, but they are clear about their intent. Business Ethics come from the Boss.
Leadership sets the tone, in every area of a business.
Ethics are either central to the way a company functions, or they are not. The executives and managers either lead the way, or they communicate that cutting corners, deception and dis-respect are acceptable. Line staff will always rise, or sink, to the level of performance they see modeled above them. Business ethics starts at the top. Ethics is about the quality of our lives, the quality of our service, and ultimately, about the bottom line.