A Civil Action Term Paper
A Civil Action Paper
In class, we have learned many important topics in the legal, ethical, and regulatory environment of business. However in the classroom setting, we have examined each of these topics individually. Jonathan Harr’s A Civil Action allows us to see how the topics learned relate to one another in the context of a real world setting. His book provides an engaging read about the legal practice action while connecting the topics of the relationship between law, business, and ethics; the court system and litigation; alternative dispute resolution; and the nature of the corporation. A Civil Action complements the material learned in class, and it helps to create an overall cohesiveness between the topics learned in class that we taught disjointedly but in great detail. Law and ethics are topics that are closely related. Both subjects govern human behavior and reflect the society’s values and beliefs. Many laws derive from ethical principles, but not all ethical principles are laws. Law is a body of enforceable rules governing relationships among individuals and between individuals and their society. Law accumulates the ethics of the society, reflecting what is considered right and wrong in communities, towns, states, and countries. While similar to law, ethics are moral principles and values applied to social behavior. The most distinct difference between the two is enforceability. If the rules of the law are broken, there are specific consequences enforceable by the governing body, whereas failing to comply with ethical standards is a matter for one’s own conscious. Even much of law derives from ethical principles, a gray area still remains between the two. Something can be considered legal although it may not always be seen as ethical. The questionable actions of the defendants in A Civil Action fit this bill. Two large corporations W. R. Grace and Beatrice Foods are accused of dumping toxic chemicals on their property, which allegedly
In class, we have learned many important topics in the legal, ethical, and regulatory environment of business. However in the classroom setting, we have examined each of these topics individually. Jonathan Harr’s A Civil Action allows us to see how the topics learned relate to one another in the context of a real world setting. His book provides an engaging read about the legal practice action while connecting the topics of the relationship between law, business, and ethics; the court system and litigation; alternative dispute resolution; and the nature of the corporation. A Civil Action complements the material learned in class, and it helps to create an overall cohesiveness between the topics learned in class that we taught disjointedly but in great detail. Law and ethics are topics that are closely related. Both subjects govern human behavior and reflect the society’s values and beliefs. Many laws derive from ethical principles, but not all ethical principles are laws. Law is a body of enforceable rules governing relationships among individuals and between individuals and their society. Law accumulates the ethics of the society, reflecting what is considered right and wrong in communities, towns, states, and countries. While similar to law, ethics are moral principles and values applied to social behavior. The most distinct difference between the two is enforceability. If the rules of the law are broken, there are specific consequences enforceable by the governing body, whereas failing to comply with ethical standards is a matter for one’s own conscious. Even much of law derives from ethical principles, a gray area still remains between the two. Something can be considered legal although it may not always be seen as ethical. The questionable actions of the defendants in A Civil Action fit this bill. Two large corporations W. R. Grace and Beatrice Foods are accused of dumping toxic chemicals on their property, which allegedly