Laws are necessary because there are different opinions about what is ethically correct. The law defines what can be done, and what cannot be done. Although the majority of companies strive to be ethically correct, some companies will always try to make the most profit in illegal ways. Laws are there to protect consumer, employees, the environment, and businesses. Ethics are different from the law because the law punishes the wroongdoers and ethics are moral principles that suggest how individual and organizations should behave. Oftentimes individuals disregard ethics; this is when the law plays an important role. In summary a company can be unethical to a certain extent, even though it will affect profitability over time, but when this behavior conflicts with what the law states; the unethical behavior has found a limit. Ethics and the law are similar because both exist to define right from wrong and to protect society