...Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility The Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) article focuses on the dilemma between business ethics and social responsibility in business organizations. Issues related to social responsibility and sustainability are becoming more important in today’s economic and social environments, especially in the business sector. The article makes the case that ethics and the corporate responsibilities are inter-related. “Business goals are inseparable from the societies and environments with in which they operate.” The author states three reasons why social responsibility and business ethics are important: 1) People want to buy from ethical businesses. Companies have to satisfy their customers and achieve their main goal of earning a profit. 2) People want to work for ethical businesses. Employees in ethical businesses are more likely to work harder for the same or sometimes less pay than their “cut-throat counterparts. 3) People want to partner with ethical businesses. Businesses partner with socially responsible and ethical businesses more frequently than other less socially responsible organizations. The article concludes that many organizations are aware of the critical need for ethics in their business culture; however, there is still room for improvement. “Progress is limited by the reality that CSR remains a purely voluntary, self-regulated...
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...Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility April Duhon DeVry University The United States has several laws that are intended to further fair, balanced, and competitive business practices. Do you think that such laws are effective? If so, why? If not, why not? The effectiveness of the laws that the United States have that are intended to further fair, balanced, and competitive business practices depends on how ethical a business is. Below I will explain why I do not believe these laws are effective due to the way ethical businesses follow the law and unethical businesses do not follow the law. In response to the growth of monopolies that threatened to destroy competition in the marketplace Congress passed the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890. According to the Encyclopedia of White-Collar & Corporate Crime, “The Sherman Act was officially enacted because companies in various industry groups were attempting to eliminate their competition in the marketplace, thus hurting the economy.” (Encyclopedia of White-Collar & Corporate Crime, 2004, p. Introduction) The Sherman Act has two provisions in place to prevent this. The first stops the restraints of trading between states or foreign nations and the second makes monopolies illegal. The penalties for violating the Sherman Act are severe and include prison time of up to 10 years and a $1 million dollar fine for Individuals and $100 million dollar fines for businesses. The Clayton Act was passed by congress in 1914 to...
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...Supplementary material for all AOU courses AOU Learning Management System Copyright © 2004 Arab Open University User’s Manual Tutors and students Contents Preface........................................................................................2 User accounts and logging in.....................................................2 Browsing through your course ...................................................4 Administering your group ..........................................................8 The weekly outline ......................................................................9 TMA grading ............................................................................12 Grade reports ...........................................................................14 Quiz management .....................................................................15 Teacher Forum.........................................................................17 Forum Moderation ...................................................................17 Changing password ..................................................................18 Updating your profile ...............................................................18 Using Wikis...............................................................................19 Managing dialogues .................................................................21 The Search block ......................................................................22 Additional...
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...CHAPTER 2 Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility CHAPTER OBJECTIVES 1 Explain the purpose of paying for whistleblowers. 2 Define ethics and describe sources of ethical guidance. 3 Discuss attempts at legislating ethics. 4 Explain the importance of creating an ethical culture, describe a code of ethics, and support the importance of linking pay to ethical behavior. 5 Explain human resource ethics and describe ethics training. 6 Describe the concept of corporate social responsibility. 7 Explain why everyone is not on board with regard to corporate social responsibility. 8 Explain corporate sustainability. 9 Describe a social audit. 10 Describe possible difficulties for corporate social responsibility to succeed in the global environment. KEY TERMS Ethics: Discipline dealing with what is good and bad, or right and wrong, or with moral duty and obligation. Human resource ethics: Application of ethical principles to human resource relationships and activities. Profession: Vocation characterized by the existence of a common body of knowledge and a procedure for certifying members. Corporate social responsibility (CSR): Implied, enforced, or felt obligation of managers, acting in their official capacity, to serve or protect the interests of groups other than themselves. Social audit: Systematic assessment of a company’s...
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...“What is "business ethics"?” Peter F. Drucker Drucker’s work takes a look at what is business ethics and what is not business ethics as it pertains to some of the major approaches taken by philosophers throughout time. No matter what the place in time the code of ethics as it pertains to Western tradition is based solely on one principle. That principle is “There is only one code of ethics, that of individual behavior, for prince and pauper, for rich and poor, for the mighty and the meek alike.” Drucker P. F. (1981). Given this principle what is business ethics or even ethics at all with given the implications that behavior which is neither immoral nor illegal for an individual would be immoral or illegal if committed by business? There seems to be a lack of compatibility with what ethics is supposed to be and business ethics. For example a person handing his money over to a mugger threatening physical harm isn’t considered unethical although the mugger is a criminal but in the business world paying off union racketeers to prevent disruption is considered to be unethical practice. The confusion around ethics in general and business ethics continues when we start looking at other business systems outside of the United States. Take for example the Japanese and German who consider the appointing of a counselor who was previously a distinguished civil servant based on the recommendation of his colleagues is essential to the public interest. However, if this practice were to...
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...Should Social Responsibility and Business Ethics serve a role in Corporations? NorthCentral University Abstract When you turn on the television, surf the internet or browse the Wall Street Journal the terms – business ethics and social responsibility are discussed. Recently, the Gulf coast oil spill has questioned the social responsibility of British Petroleum. However, can the terms business ethics and social responsibility apply to corporations? A review of two articles - “What is business ethics?” by P. Drucker and “The social responsibility of business to increase its profits written” by M. Friedman evaluates the two ethical terms. These articles suggest both business ethics and social responsibility should not apply to corporations. The focus of this paper will compare and contrast two approaches to business ethics. The conflicting objectives between the two parties will be analyzed. Lastly, my view and definition of business ethics and social responsibility will be conversed. Research for this paper consists primarily of peer reviewed articles and published articles. Should Social Responsibility and Business Ethics serve a role in Corporations? During the twenty- first century, businesses are confronted with many different responsibilities. Each responsibility must be address while ensuring obligations to stakeholders, special interest groups, employees and the environment. Businesses are expected to have very strong ethics, but often this is not the...
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...Business Research Report Title Presented to: Assessment Code: RWT1 Student Name: Name Student ID: xxxxxxxxx Date: 10/03/2012 Mentor Name: Dayna Haydon Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 Introduction 4 Research Findings 4 Finding Number 1 4 Finding Number 2 5 Finding Number 3 5 Recommendations 5 Conclusion 6 References 7 Executive Summary The main objectives of this report were to evaluate and determine if business ethics and corporate citizenship initiatives would increase employee efficiency within the workplace, the impact of these programs on the reputation of the organization and their effect on the organization’s relationship with employees, investors, and customers. A variety of relevant books and modern journal articles were used to research on this subject. The review of these articles and books revealed that corporate social responsibility initiatives play a fundamental role in building the image of the company as well as strengthening the organization’s relationship with its customers. Ethical programs on the other hand guide employee actions and in effect minimize any points of conflict that may arise within the workplace thereby increasing workplace efficiency and overall employee productivity. Ethical programs also ensure that financial reporting abides by the stipulated standards. This ensures that the information contained in financial reports is reliable and therefore increases...
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...INTRO Business Ethics (also known as corporate ethics) is a form of applied ethics or professional ethics that studies the ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that arise in a business environment (source: Wikipedia). This applies to all aspects of business conduct and is relevant to the behavior of individuals and organizations overall business. Applied ethics is a field of ethics dealing with ethical questions in many fields such as medicine, engineering, law and business ethics. Business ethics can be a discipline both normative and descriptive. As the practices of the company and a career specialization, the field is primarily normative. The scope and quantity of business ethics reflects the degree to which its business is considered contrary to the social values of non-economic. , For example, today most major corporate sites put pressure on the commitment to promote social values of non-economic under various posts (eg code of ethics, social responsibility). In some cases, companies have to reformulate their core values in the light of considerations of business ethics....
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...responds to whom? Corporate Culture and the question of communicating Responsibility Ludger Heidbrink, Peter Seele Working Papers des CRR Nr. 2/2007 ISSN 2190-5398 www.responsibility-research.de Who responds to whom? Corporate Culture and the question of communicating Responsibility Ludger Heidbrink, Peter Seele Nr. 2/2007 ISSN 2190-5398 2 Who responds to whom? Corporate Culture and the question of communicating Responsibility Prof. Dr. Ludger Heidbrink Prof. Dr. Dr. Peter F. Seele CRR (Center for Responsibility Research) Kulturwissenschaftliches Institut, Essen Outline There are as many opinions on business and ethics as there are statements. In this paper we present the major positions in this ongoing and increasing debate and categorize them according to their ratio as business or ethics, business and ethics and finally ethics in business. In this paper we also present the view, that ethical issues are not separated but connected from business in terms of making profit. We also argue against a strong normative idea of business ethics claiming social responsibility as objective for corporations. After introducing the most common concepts to manage ethics (Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Corporate Citizenship (CC)), we identify Corporate Culture as crucial parameter to combine business and ethics by the notion of responsibility. Spheres of corporate responsibility: formal and informal institutions The wording in corporate ethics is of major...
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...become a current theme recently, organizations must continue to focus on improvement. Multi-National Enterprises need to make this a high priority within their organization. Ethics include basic human interactions: respect for differences, trust that our counterparts will work with us in a truthful manner, honesty in communication with others, and expectations that each of us will keep our word and maintain credibility (Olaru, 2009). Very few companies were established globally and little attention had not been given to the issue of ethical guidelines in a global setting. Global business ethics and social responsibility have now become a significant problem for many multinational companies. Attitudes toward ethics are rooted in culture and business practices (Caliskan, 2010). Ethical issues have become an interesting part of MNE’s focus. Literature has found that ethics is associated with levels of morality and general conduct of a person or business. Olaru (2009) states that nearly every company will maintain openly that their policies and procedures are ethical, but truth be told, they don’t always. Business exist to create money for the owners and other investors, however it is also beneficial for the host country. Managers need to become ethical leaders by demonstrating a model of responsibility. The...
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...Corporate Social Responsibility Theories: Mapping the Territory Elisabet Garriga, ` ´ Domenec Mele ABSTRACT. The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) field presents not only a landscape of theories but also a proliferation of approaches, which are controversial, complex and unclear. This article tries to clarify the situation, ‘‘mapping the territory’’ by classifying the main CSR theories and related approaches in four groups: (1) instrumental theories, in which the corporation is seen as only an instrument for wealth creation, and its social activities are only a means to achieve economic results; (2) political theories, which concern themselves with the power of corporations in society and a responsible use of this power in the political arena; (3) integrative theories, in which the corporation is focused on the satisfaction of social demands; and (4) ethical theories, based on ethical responsibilities of corporations to society. In practice, each CSR theory presents four dimensions related to Elisabet Garriga is a PhD student in Management at IESE Business School, University of Navarra, Spain. She holds a degree in Philosophy and another in Economics from the University of Barcelona, Spain. She has taught Business Ethics at the University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, for the International Education of Students (IES), a consortium comprised of more than 120 leading US colleges and universities. Her current research focuses on the concept and implementation of Corporate Social...
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...a building block for ethics and corporate social responsibility. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 21(4), 275-277. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10672-009-9124-4 This article emphasises on keeping up of a good employee-employer relationship as the important element of maintaining ethics and corporate social responsibility. Employee as one of the inevitable factors of organisation should be considered as the most important stakeholder of business. Restrictive approaches towards employee will badly affect the organisation and the organisation may not be successful towards external stake holders like society as its basic duty itself towards the employee is a failure. At the same time, the employee has to be concerned about his duty towards organisation and should try to fulfil it in union with the employer. In conclusion, employee and employer relationship is an unavoidable element to secure ethics and social responsibility of the firm. This article gives a bird’s eye view about the requirement of maintaining a good employee-employer relationship, although it does not deal with the topic in a wide manner. The article consists of some relevant examples to prove the writers’ arguments. But, it does not put forward relevant suggestions to make the point practical. In spite of that, the writers have won in ascertaining employee and employer relationship as the requirement of time to secure ethics and social responsibility in this modern business world. Holme, C. (2010)...
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...Ethics KEY TERM and WHY YOU ARE INTERESTED IN IT Ethics is the key term chosen this week to research, secondary to the significant relevance ethics plays in all aspects of life. As a child, it was emphasized what was right and wrong, good and bad, to be the best one can be, and to make sure the decisions that are made are based on a common set of values and principles. As an adult, the adherence to these values has played a fundamental role in my own success as a business leader in my profession. EXPLANATION OF KEY TERM The general definition of ethics is ”the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation” (Satterlee, 2009, p. 48). Every culture in the world will have some form of ethics and the society would have a set of values or moral duties and obligations. In some instances, these values may become law. Many of these moral values are based on a religion; for example, Christianity refers to the Ten Commandments, which forms a set of values. Some ethics are secular in nature. In business, ethics plays a major role on how companies act in relation to their core values. A world viewpoint would look at international business ethics as compared to domestic business ethics. The international business ethics would focus on the culture of that society along with their values and core beliefs. With our growing global economy, it is important to understand the ethical duties and obligations for businesses wishing to conduct business...
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...MGT3110 Business and Society MODULE HANDBOOK 2013-2014 Module Leader (London): Dr. Andrea Werner Module Tutor (Dubai): Mr. Kieran Ross Middlesex University Dubai Business School Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION AND MODULE SUMMARY.............................................................3 Module aims .................................................................................................................3 Contacts .......................................................................................................................3 Module Website on MyUniHub .....................................................................................3 Learning Outcomes ......................................................................................................4 Assessment Scheme ...................................................................................................4 Employability Skills.......................................................................................................4 Code of Conduct ..........................................................................................................5 2. LEARNING MATERIALS ............................................................................................6 3. TIMETABLE AND TEACHING PROGRAMME ...........................................................8 Lecture and Seminar Schedule.................................................................................... 8 Lectures...
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...Drucker In Drucker (1981), he takes us through a journey of evolution of Business Ethics and represents several controversial positions. While explaining the ethics in Western Culture he states that there was agreement on the following statement: “There are only one ethics, one set of rules of morality, one code, that of individual behavior in which the same rules apply to everyone alike” (Drucker, 1981, Page 19). He discusses the examples of "a poor mother", "nepotism in China" and "paid extortion" to articulated the impact of social, economical and cultural norms on implementing this on everyone. He considers practices of questionable morality under different circumstances as ethical. Casuistry (Drucker, 1981, Page 22) was the first attempt to think about social responsibility and embed it in a set of distinctive ethics for people in power. According to Drucker, ethics for people in social responsibility is a cross-benefit calculation involving demand of individual conscience and position. For then, demand of ethics can be excepted if actions result in benefit for other people. Drucker then moves on to introduce The Ethics of Prudence (Drucker, 1981, Page 27) as other major tradition in the West. He proposes that Ethics of Prudence appropriate to a society of organizations. Prudence, the consciousness not to do the wrong thing will enable the leader to exhibit a role model behavior. According to Drucker, Ethics of Prudence do not spell out the “right” behavior, but wrong behavior...
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