All of my friends from uni are currently applying for next year's graduate positions, and one in particular was offered a job at a particularly large maker of… tobacco products, in sales/marketing and an above-average salary.
My first reaction to this was "no way", on the basis that he would be selling and marketing products that *ahem* cause the deaths of many, many people around the world. Additionally, any "increases" in sales performance are, in reality, hurting people. A 25% increase in sales year-over-year means 25% more people are likely to die of lung cancer from the product being sold.
So my question is, should ethics be involved in choosing an employer? Personally, ethics definitely should play a part in the choice, but is that an approach that every person should take?
Obviously, this is an extreme case, but I think the example can be extended to companies that aren't socially responsible. Are you selling out by taking the money and working for a company whose values you don't agree with?
