What principle does business ethics primarily promote?

Business ethics primarily promotes integrity and accountability in business practices, serving as a guiding framework for how businesses should conduct their operations and interact with stakeholders. It emphasizes the importance of ethical decision-making and behavior, ensuring that companies operate responsibly and maintain trust with customers, employees, investors, and the broader community. By fostering an ethical culture, organizations can uphold values such as honesty, fairness, and respect, which are essential for sustainable success.

In contrast, the other choices focus on specific business outcomes or strategies. Maximizing competitive advantage centers on gaining an upper hand over competitors, which does not inherently involve ethical considerations. Reducing operational costs and increasing market share are operational and financial objectives that may not take into account the ethical implications of how these goals are achieved. The essence of business ethics lies in prioritizing principled conduct over mere profit-driven motives, highlighting the significance of ethical behavior in building long-term relationships and a positive corporate reputation.