Your boss has asked that you give a written presentation detailing the major difference between ethics and the law. He is concerned that, although a certain practice is not illegal, it might be considered unethical by your customers (if they ever found out). At the same time, however, the practice will give your company a significant competitive advantage.   There is no requirement that the company divulge the fact that it is engaging in this practice, and there is no reason to believe that anyone outside the company would ever find out.  Don’t get bogged down in factual questions or issues, but for purposes of this Learning Activity, you may assume that the ethical issue is one of “humane” sourcing of meat for a large restaurant chain.

Your boss wants to understand how law and ethics relate to one another, and how one truly “knows” whether something is unethical. He asks whether corporate compliance with the law is all that is required, or whether individual ethical considerations must also guide corporate action. He directs you to prepare a short memo summarizing the difference between law and ethics, addressing the above concerns and giving him advice as to what course of action the company should pursue in this case, and why.  If the law does not require the use of only ‘humane’ sources of meat (whatever that means), does ethics require more?  Why or why not?