Alia: Hawthorne admits that he has influence with high government officials  He further admits that he sold that influence to an environmental interest group  There can be no justification for this kind of unethical behavior  Martha: I disagree that he was unethical  The group that retained Hawthorne' s services is dedicated to the cause of preventing water pollution
So, in using his influence to benefit this group, Hawthorne also benefited the public
the meaning of ethical behavior is the same in a public situation as in a private one