Ethics is fundamentally about people's moral obligations to others. This means that ethics is a moral standard or set of moral standards that guide people on right and wrong behavior. According to the Josephson Institute of Ethics (), ethics is about how people meet the challenge of doing the right thing when it will cost more than we want to pay. Moral standards can be described as principles based on cultural, religious, and philosophical beliefs and guide judgment regarding good or bad behavior. One rule used in defining ethics is the golden rule. In its simplest form, the Golden Rule can be defined as: “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” However, can this rule be considered a universal standard for ethics? Yes, the Golden Rule offers the most universal standard of ethical or moral conduct. According to the Josephson Institute (1), the Golden Rule is the basis of every formulation of moral duty. It is driven by the fact that each individual has a moral obligation to another. In human nature, people live in groups and are mutually interdependent on each other. Therefore, each individual is likely to want to treat others as he or she would like him or her to be treated. The Golden Rule does not derive only from Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. It has roots in several cultures around the world that include Confucianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Judaism, Taoism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Humanism, Islam, and Christianity. Human beings often put themselves in other people's situations and that is why I am capable of feeling other people's pain. Because of this, they are able to treat others fairly and compassionately. However, there are those... in the center of the card... and the country in general. Works Cited Anderson, Stephen. The golden rule: not so golden anymore. Philosophy Now, April 2014. Web. 05 May 2014.Cohen, Stephen. Good ethics are good business. University of New South Wales, 2007, pp. 1-10.Harkin, Tom. Raising the minimum wage: a moral imperative. Politico, June 24, 2013. Web. May 5, 2014. Josephson, Michael. Duty towards others and the golden rule. Josephson Institute of Ethics, 15 February 2011. Web. 05 May 2014. Naughton, Michael and Cornwall, Jeffrey. Culture as the basis of a good entrepreneur. Journal of Religion and Business Ethics, 2009; 1(1): 1-15.Reich, Robert B. The Minimum Wage and the Moral Basis of Our Work. U.S. Department of Labor, October 1, 2013. Web. May 5, 2014. Reichheld, Fred. Because the golden rule is good business. LinkedIn, 6 November 2012. Web. 05 May 2014.