It is historically indubitable that social ethics determine to a significant extent consumer acceptance and rejection of goods and services provided by business as well as how business comports itself. Social moral concern about sweat shops, child labour, mistreatment of workers in the developing world dangerous working conditions, union­busting businesses, exclusion of women and minorities from professions or well­paying positions, corporate environmental policies and animal testing, among other concerns, have forced business to change their policies in these and myriad other areas. As the recent cases of McDonalds, Nike, the Gap and the Body Shop dramatically illustrate, the connection between social ethics and consumer acceptance of products is not merely of historical interest, but is very much alive.

1. Animal roles