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Ethics is one of the features of contemporary civilization. It is widely discussed and elaborated upon; it may even be taught or otherwise introduced into one's life. One of the areas where ethics has become increasingly important is economic activity or, in broader terms, business. Business activity is the domain of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). It brings about an array of both economic and social benefits. Such activity is performed by persons who differ in many respects (e. g. in terms of age, education, social background, etc.) and whose key purpose is earning profit. Thus, a two-part question presents itself: can an entrepreneur, a businessman, be an ethical person? Is there any room for ethics in their activity? The aim that the researchers have set themselves is to answer the question of whether it is possible to discuss the ethics of the profession of an entrepreneur.
The present article constitutes an attempt at entering into a discussion on the place of ethics in business activity. Deliberations based on a review of literature concerning ethics and entrepreneurship lead to a single conclusion - entrepreneur ethics should be discussed and potential future entrepreneurs should be taught ethical conduct.
Key words: ethics, entrepreneurship, codes of ethics
Santrauka
Etiskumas - vienas is siuolaikines civilizacijos pozymiu. Apie etika placiai diskutuojama, ji nuolat pletojama; jos net galima mokyti ar kitaip diegti i kieno nors gyvenima. Ekonomine veikla, placiaja prasme verslas, - viena is sriciu, kurioje etika tampa vis aktualesne. Verslumas - svarbiausias dalykas smulkiose ir vidutinese imonese. Jis nukreiptas i ekonomine ir socialine nauda. Tokia veikla vykdoma labai skirtingu (pagal amziu, issilavinima, socialuma ir t. t.) zmoniu, kuriu svarbiausias tikslas - pelnas. Kyla dvejopas klausimas: ar gali verslininkas buti etiskai orientuotas; ar jo veikloje lieka vietos etikai? Tyrejai siekia atsakyti, ar imanoma diskutuoti apie verslininko etika. Straipsnyje gvildenama etikos vieta verslo veikloje. Svarstymai, paremti literatura apie etikos ir verslininkystes santyki, veda prie isvados, kad reikia kalbeti apie verslo etika, o potencialus ateities verslininkai turi buti mokomi etinio elgesio.
Raktazodziai: etika, verslininkyste, etikos kodas
INTRODUCTION
In recent years, we have been witnesses to a new phenomenon occurring in the labor market of many countries. The phenomenon, named the SME (Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises) effect, can be defined as every manifestation...