How can ethical standards help a company become competitive?

It is important to remember a few rules about business. One of them is:

"People like to do business with people that people like to do business with."

If people don't like to deal with a company, they go find another company. The same is true with government regimes; if the people withdraw their consent to be governed, the regime collapses. Remember that when you hear the expression "lesser of two evils".