Business Ethics: Jose Manuel Barroso's Ethical Issues
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Introduction
The subject of these latter courses deals with business ethics and social responsibility. The case of José Manuel Barroso fits perfectly with the theme of this course that we have seen throughout these weeks. José Manuel Barroso was President of the European Commission 3 years ago, this paper will attempt to analyse and explain how Mr. Barroso’s actions, after leaving the European commission and joining a private company are unethical and why.
The first part of this paper, will deal with the discussion, which will aim to introduce and inform you about the ethical problem that José Manuel Barroso faces. The first part will aim to explain why this article is related to the course and why it is a problem from the ethical point of…show more content… He was accused of not behaving with integrity and discretion after holding a high post at the European Union. In addition, the company he joined is a major player in the subprime crisis and the debt crisis in Greece. Despite this, there is nothing to prove that José Manuel Barroso did not respect the code of conduct of the European Union. Thus, he is therefore in his total right. Nevertheless, José Manuel Barroso waited more than 18 months to join his new employer in order to avoid the cooling-off periods which is a rule that obliges the former European commissioners to have their new jobs examined before they can join them. This rule extends only for the first 18 months after leaving a high post within the European Union. But this does not mean that his behaviour is ethically correct.
The behaviour of José Manuel Barroso is ethically incorrect for two reasons, first he was engaged to Goldman Sachs who played a major role in the financial crisis of 2008 and that they are partly responsible for the crisis of the Greek public debt. By joining the bank Goldman Sachs, José Manuel Barroso harms the image and reputation of the European Union. His choice of joining the bank was unwise in view of the important position he had held in the European Union. In this case, we can speak of a conflict of…show more content… José Manuel Barroso worked in a camp to finally work with the other camp.
Even if according to an investigation José Manuel Barroso did not break the code of conduct, which states that after leaving office he must behave with integrity and discretion. His choice of joining the Goldman Sachs bank is not wise given the important position he held in the European Union. From an ethical point of view, even if he respected the rules imposed on him, his choice to join this bank is contrary to the ethical value that a man of his rank in the European Union is supposed to