For some executives from a bygone era the idea of striving to be ethical had no place in their ranks. Business was for tough, rugged individuals, who played a life-or-death game of survival of the fittest. As a zero-sum game, the goal was to take what you could, demolish competitors, and let the buyer beware. For some of these executives, legality was a consideration, sure, but laws could always be bent, and ethics were something to be ignored. Fines, settlements, and judgments were often viewed as an acceptable cost of doing business.
