<p>“No they aren’t.”
- Yes they are.</p>
<p>“They are a business that makes business decisions.”
- They are people that make people decisions. Business is an activity <em>people</em> do. It is an important activity and one in which certain necessary evils occur… and, like any human activity, one in which many of the evils are wholly unnecessary. To think about businesses as abstract and amoral entities is a popular misconception that ignores certain moral and ethical aspects of the situation.</p>
<p>“that the business has feelings”
- It’s not about feelings… that’s what I’m saying. It’s about your doing the right thing. If nobody is hurt by the OP withdrawing, why wouldn’t the “company” let him do the other thing? Well, what about the other applicants? If there were some, then they have been denied a potentially beneficial experience, one which they perhaps wanted - and deserved - more than the OP. If there were no other applicants, then the “company” either has no problem with the cancellation, or they do. In the latter case, one might wonder why there is cause for concern. Even assuming that the only interest of a business is to maximize profit, in which case the only reason for denying your request to cancel is concern for profit, one might wonder where the difference will be made up. Will employees get laid off, or get more work for the same pay?</p>
<p>I think the real lesson here is that you should be careful when you accept a position somewhere. None of us can know what the effects of our decisions will be. There’s some judgment involved, and sometimes you might make mistakes. That being said, I’ll repeat what I have already said here… if the OP really thought it was alright, would he be here asking us? In general, I would advise anybody to err on the side of caution. That is, if you care about being an ethical person.</p>
<p>Sure, companies may fire you and lead you on. You might quit all of a sudden for a better job or lead them on in interviews yourself. People you pass on the street might kill you… but at the end of the day, does that give you the right to mace him? </p>
<p>I still don’t see what objection there is to being honest about it with the employer. Are there any thoughts on this possibility?</p>