As I said, my moral and ethical standards are a bit higher, both as a customer and as a business type. As an example, my company sells high-tech gear for microfluidics. We were approached by a research group who were gearing up to do research on biotech which bears directly on a subject that would increase abortions. We told them, "no thanks, go elsewhere". Fortunately, my business partners have the same moral basis I do. Our decision was unanimous.
We told them, "no thanks, go elsewhere".
Of course, you're talking about two different things here... one thing is how one runs a business from the inside of that business and the second thing is how the consumer buys a product from a business.
As I was saying, those things are related to how someone wants to run the business and it's their choice (as a business). If that business wants to have a CEO who is a miserable human being and is an asshole and is an SOB -- that's their "business" and it's not something that is related to society and it's not a legal matter -- and society should have absolutely nothing at all to do with imposing anything on that business in making that human being a "better person" or not. And if the guy is an SOB and the worst asshole in the world, as long as the laws are being followed -- it absolutely does not matter.
And if somone in a business wants to make sure their CEO says, "please" and "thank you" for everything he does -- and the principals in the business want to give "sensitivity training" for everyone so that if they say a "cross word" to anyone, then they have to go back for 10 more sessions in "sensitivity training" -- that's "their business" too... and I don't care -- one way or the other -- whether they are the most sensitive people in the world or they are the worst jerks in the world. It makes absolutely no difference to me as a consumer.
And the consumers are only interested in the product (and/or service) the value, whether what they get is worth it -- and that's it.
The principals can be the most sensitive people in the world, exceeding Jesus Christ himself -- or -- they can be the worst examples of humanity in the world, being worse than Satan, in how they treat other human beings -- it absolutely does not matter to the consumer -- as "how a business runs its internal affairs" is its own business. The consumer only cares about what is delivered to them.
NOW... if those factors "affect" the end product and make it less desirable "as an end product" and somehow that product is not as valuable any longer -- then "smart businesses" will adjust their "internal practices" to make sure that the "product that they deliver is the best product possible" in order to sell more to the consumer -- who doesn't care in the least how the business runs their internal affairs.
It's only the business itself that should have any say in how it runs it internal affairs -- whether anyone is the biggest asshole and worst example of humanity or not.