The Business Ethics Essay Competition is an annual competition, exclusively open to undergraduates at the University of Reading.
We launched it in 2022, to encourage and celebrate students’ interest in ethical issues that affect businesses.
The inaugural competition was sponsored by our Partners NatWest, who donated the prize of £250, and Grant Thornton, who funded a celebratory lunch for 20 people.Â
This essay was one of my favourites to write during my undergrad; I’m so pleased that it is being shared in a community which appreciates the importance of ethical business practices. Ethical decisions are such an integral part of everyday. While this essay takes a rather extreme line, I hope that it will serve to spark questions over different unethical practices that may go overlooked.
I have always been interested in the interactions of ethics within contemporary scenarios, and so to be able to discuss the challenges of ethical dilemmas such as whistleblowing within businesses was a joy. To have this piece of writing acknowledged through Ethical Reading’s yearly competition is an honour.
In today’s society, we see companies trying harder to be more ethical in their approach to business, and so it is fantastic to see our students starting to consider this for themselves.Â
The University of Reading is proud to work with Ethical Reading in a number of ways, including this essay writing competition. We have a strong connection with the local community, and many of our students go on to live and work in the Reading area after they graduate, so it is important for us to work alongside local partners to help make Reading a better place for all.
Businesses have an important role to play in making our society more ethical, whether that’s ensuring opportunities are equally available for all, progressing sustainability, ensuring a high level of health and wellbeing – and everything in between! This is why it’s so important to support initiatives such as Ethical Reading, which is encouraging respectful, compassionate decision making in our town. Grant Thornton have been involved with Ethical Reading right from the start back in 2017. It’s great to see initiatives such as this as well as the impressive essays that this competition has produced from local students, who will be tackling these issues as tomorrow’s future business and community leaders.
