Skip to main content
Log in

Ethics and Equity: Enforcing Ethical Standards in Commercial Relationships

  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Lawyers and the legal system have been much criticized in recent years. Despite popular perceptions, the legal system contains numerous mechanisms and rules designed to ensure fair results. This paper shows how the legal system tries to implement, in commercial transactions, the ethical principles of truthfulness and fairness. The Anglo-American development of Equity Courts is reviewed briefly. Several examples of the Law's enforcement of ethical principles are presented, in four different legal areas: Contracts, Securities, Goods, and Real Estate. The intent here is to present an overview of the problem, with area-specific illustrations, rather than a comprehenisve examination of the cases in just one area.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aristotle: 1952, Nicomachean Ethics, 9 Great Books Of The Western World (Encyclopedia Brittanica, Chicago).

    Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter v. U.S., 108 S.Ct. 316 (1987).

  • Chiarella v. U.S., 445 U.S. 222 (1980).

  • Curzon: 1968, English Legal History (Macdonald & Evans Ltd., London).

    Google Scholar 

  • Dirks v. S.E.C., 452 U.S. 490 (1983).

  • Ernst & Ernst v. Hochfelder, 425 U.S. 185 (1977).

  • Henningsen v. Bloomfield Motors, 161 A.2d 69 (N.J. 1960).

  • Hoffman v. Red Owl Stores, 26 N.W.2d 683 (Wisc. 1964).

  • Janinda v. Lanning, 390 P.2d 826 (Idaho 1964).

  • Kemper Construction v. Los Angeles, 235 P.2d 7 (Cal. 1951).

  • Marina Point, Ltd. v. Wolfson, 30 Cal.3d 721 (1980).

  • O'Connor v. Village Green Owners Assn., 662 P.2d 427 (Cal. 1983).

  • O'Neill v. Delaney, 92 Ill.App.3d 292 (1980).

  • Plucknett: 1956, A Concise History of the Common Law, Fifth Edition (Little, Brown & Co., Boston).

    Google Scholar 

  • Porporato v. DeVincenzi, 261 Cal.App.2d 670 (1968).

  • Reed v. Kaydon Engineering Co., 196 N.W.2d 487 (Mich. 1972).

  • Rienow: 1952, Introduction to Government (Alfred A. Knopf, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott v. Beecher, 52 N.W. 20 (Mich. 1892).

  • Seymour v. Delancy, 3 Cowen 445 (Eng. 1824).

  • Sommer v. Kridel, 378 A.2d 767 (N.J. 1977).

  • State Farm Fire v. Home Insurance Co., 276 N.W.2d 349 (Wisc. 1979).

  • Stewart v. Sprague, 38 N.W. 673 (Mich. 1888).

  • Strong v. Repide, 213 U.S. 410 (1919).

  • Uniform Commercial Code.

  • United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods.

  • Williams v. Walker-Thomas Furniture Co., 350 F.2d 445 (D.C. Cir. 1965).

  • Wright v. Baumann, 398 P.2d 119 (Ore. 1965).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cameron III, G.D. Ethics and Equity: Enforcing Ethical Standards in Commercial Relationships. Journal of Business Ethics 23, 161–172 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006025226355

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006025226355

Keywords

Navigation