Throughout the ages, businesses have grown through technological advancements and innovative ideas, but they have always faced a common struggle: ethical decisions. Everywhere we look there is some level of ethical deterioration (Norman V. Peale, 1988), immoral millions made on inside information, hardly a day goes by without the head of a large organization is involved in some aspect of an ethical dilemma. This essay will explain why businesses struggle to make ethical decisions, but before we examine such a sensitive issue, we need to understand what an ethical decision actually is. In the decision-making process, ethics correspond to personal standards of right and wrong. They become the basis for making ethically sensitive decisions. “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing” (Burke, n.d.). This quote from Edmund Burke, who many consider the philosophical founder of modern conservatism, shows the importance of the approach we take to ethical decisions in the workplace, because the decisions we make can reflect how whose business is perceived by the outside world. In this essay, I will explore relevant theory to assess why businesses struggle to make ethical decisions. First, I will examine how the outcomes of ethical decisions affect the way they are approached. Second, I will examine the conflict between individualism and collectivism as businesses struggle to separate individual interests and the collective interest of the company. Third, I will examine the moral rights approach and how companies like Nike cross ethical boundaries to gain a competitive advantage. Next, the judicial approach where ethical decisions are based on... middle of article...... September 26, 2010, from the University of Oregon and the University of Nike: http:/ /uocorporatesponsorship.wordpress.com/2010 /05/21/nike%E2%80%99s-use-of-child-and-slave-labor-questioning-the-ethics-of-oregon/Makama, F. (2010, May 12). Ethical relativism in relation to Christianity. Retrieved September 22, 2010 from article base: http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/ethical-relativism-in-relation-to-christianity-2354636.htmlManuel Velasquez, DM (1988). A framework for thinking ethically. Ethical Issues, V. 1, N. 2.Norman V. Peale, KB (1988). The power of ethical management. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. Realo, J.A. (2004). Individualism-Collectivism and social capital. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. Suraj Kapoora, P. C. (2003). International Journal of Intercultural Relations. The individualism-collectivism relationship, 4-5.