...Ethical and Moral Issues in Business Michelle Ayuso Wienke MGT 216 August 8, 2011 Ethical and Moral Issues in Business In business today ethical and moral issues are very common. These types of issues are frowned upon and in some cases have extreme consequences but, they are still happening in businesses everywhere. Morals and moral issues can be difficult. Everyone has different morals and values that influence the decisions they make. Ethics are a set of rules and guidelines that are generally accepted and are supposed to be followed by everyone in an organization. Morals and ethics go hand-in-hand for the most part but, there are differences between the two, especially in a business setting. Ethics are more of what the public views as right and wrong. Morals on the other hand are more on the personal level of what is right and wrong. No matter what the setting ethics and morals are connected. When a code of ethics is written for an organization morals play a part in the process. In most cases a code of ethics in what is generally accepted. Ethics are different from one company to another but, there are many similarities. This would not be the case for morals. Since morals are more personal, everyone has a different perspective on what is moral and what is not. Ethics and morals influence decisions people make both in business and personal settings. A good example for showing the difference between morals and ethics in a business situation would with a defense attorney...
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...Chapter 1 ETHICS & BUSINESS ETHICS AN INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS Ethics is not a recent discovery. Over the centuries philosophers in their struggle with human behavior have developed different approaches to ethics, each leading to different conclusion. The word “Ethics” which is coined from the Latin word ‘Ethics’ and Greek word ‘ethikos’ pertains to character. Ethics is thus said to be the science of conduct. As a matter of fact it deals with certain standard of human conduct and morals. The field of ethics involves systematizing, defending and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior. Ethics is a mass of moral principles or set of values about what is right or wrong, true or false, fair or unfair, proper or improper, what is right is ethical and what is wrong is unethical. MEANING AND DEFINITION OF ETHICS Peter F. Drucker writes- “There is only one ethics, one set of rules of morality, one code that of individual behavior in which the same rules apply to everyone alike.” Philip Wheel Wright says- “Ethics is the branch of philosophy which is the systematic study of selective choice, of the standards of right and wrong and by which it may ultimately be directed.” Swami Vivekananda has set the tone for ethics. He says- “Supreme oneness is the rationale of all ethics and morality. Ethics cannot be derived from the mere sanction to any personage. Some eternal principle of truth has the sanction of ethics. Where is the eternal sanction to be found except...
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...Running Head: HOW PERSONAL CAN ETHICS GET? How personal differences and preference can impact organizational ethics In most cases people tend to have more of an authority figure over another person. For example a person that is seeing a therapist will have less power because they are a patient. Depending on a situation a person was in its very important not to give people the same power that a person of authority would have over the situation. A person may see no wrong with a therapist asking a person for a date but sees a problem with a therapist asking a patient for a date, this is because there would be pressure on the patient because of the situation the patient is already in. This draws the line between professional ethics and person ethics. Ethics has nothing do with someone being nice or not. Ethics is something that is based off of right or wrong. Being friendly does not mean the conduct is right, in fact some people can be ethical ignorant or can also be a nice person but does not understand what professional or person ethics is. What is the definition of ethics and how ethics apply to us? There are business ethics that can be defined as codes of principles that are in writing and not in writing that will determine the decision a company will make. The business world has different structures and the organization culture has different standards and procedures of determining if the decision that is being made is a good or bad decision. In most cases the very important...
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...Ethical and Moral Issues in Business Dawn Sandell Robbins MGT/216 February 14, 2011 Carolyn Flynn Ethical and Moral Issues in Business The words ethical and moral are often considered as being one in the same. Although the meaning may be closely related in some aspects, the two have different meanings. While something may be ethical or legal, it may conflict with one’s personal beliefs and morals. It’s hard to imagine that one might not know right from wrong. Honestly, think about it. Are we not molded and nurtured to know what is socially acceptable? Were we not brought up knowing that it is wrong to lie, cheat, and steal? In this paper, I will define the differences between ethical issues and moral issues as well as the difference between personal ethics and business ethics. Ethics can be defined as the principles, norms, and standards of conduct that govern an individual or group in which focus is on conduct (Trevino, Nelson 2007). Ethics is considered to be a science of conduct by many philosophers and is the ground rules by which we live our lives. The rules, code of conduct, policy or handbook is typically a written form of the ethics in which a business expects its employees to follow and behave. Generally these rules are what most would consider normal rights and wrongs, dos and don’ts. An ethical issue might be a situation that concerns right and wrong where values are in conflict (Trevino, Nelson 2007). As mentioned in the opening of this...
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...Business leaders frequently face dilemmas, circumstances where whatever course of action they choose, something of important value will be offended. How can an organisation prepare its decision makers for such situations? This article presents a pedagogical approach to dilemma training for business leaders and managers. It has evolved through ten years of experience with human resource development, where ethics has been an integral part of programs designed to help individuals to become excellent in their professional roles. The core element in our approach is The Navigation Wheel, a figure used to keep track of relevant decision factors. Feedback from participants indicates that dilemma training has helped them to recognise the ethical dimension of leadership. They respond that the tools and concepts are highly relevant in relation to the challenges that occur in the working environment they return to after leadership training. Keywords: business ethics, leadership training, dilemma Introduction The purpose of this article is to present a pedagogical approach to dilemma training for business managers and leaders. In the past ten years we have been responsible for ethical training sessions in programs designed to help individuals develop their leadership skills. We have used elements from moral philosophy in attempts to cultivate the participants’ theoretical understanding of the morally challenging situations they can encounter in their practice as managers and...
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...Business Ethics in Leadership Corey C Calhoun Sr. Liberty University 05/03/2016 Business Ethics in Leadership Recent corporate scandals, such as Enron, Parlamat, and WorldCom, have generated significant attention in the field of business ethics. Whereas the interest in this subject pre-dates these scandals, they have undoubtedly raised the profile of ethical concerns in business among scholars, practitioners, and governments (Knights & O’Leary, 2006). Additionally, there is a growing concern on what role leadership plays in perpetuating ethical values in an organization. Consequently, scholars are concerned with discerning leadership qualities that would ensure moral and effective practices in a company. What is the relationship between leadership and ethics? One of the key questions (or in some cases assumptions) in the literature on leadership is regarding the nature of the relationship between leadership and ethics. The definition question in leadership studies is not really about the question ‘‘What is leadership?’’ It is about the question ‘‘What is good leadership?’’ By good, I mean morally good and effective. This is why I think it is fair to say that ethics lies at the heart of leadership studies. Leaders worthy of the name, whether they are university presidents or senators, corporation executives or newspaper editors, school superintendents or governors, contribute to the continuing definition and articulation of the most cherished...
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...Ethical theories and unethical Companies that destroy environment. “Environmental ethics is the discipline in philosophy that studies the moral relationship of human beings to, and also the value and moral status of, the environment and its non-human contents”(Brennan and Lo, 2015). Morality is “the degree to which something is right and good: the moral goodness or badness of something” (Merriam-Webster, 2015). This report will focus on ethical issues that companies create and the five main theories to serve as a guide for ethics. How this theories affect business and how it affects people. In this report I will give brief explanation of the theories and will focus on virtue ethics. The four main theories are Utilitarianism, Kantianism, Ethical egoism, Social contract theory and virtue ethics. Utilitarianism is universal theory of utility, where utility is the priority of an act. People have to act in the way that creates more utility or in other words an act should bring more happiness for greater number of people, rather than pain, if the act brings more pain than happiness it is considered to be morally unacceptable. Kantianism is a theory named after German famous philosopher Immanuel Kant. He believed that people are rational beings and they will follow and do rational things. Kantianism is based on duty and commitment more than any other thing, where if the performed act followed duty it was morally acceptable. Ethical egoism is the theory based on satisfying self-interest...
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...study and application of knowledge about how people, individuals, and groups act in organizations (Clark, 2009). Organizational behavior gives a better understanding to human behavior, cultural differences, diversity, communication, business ethics, and change in the organization. Understanding organizational behavior helps one to understand how people feel, think and react in a well structured organizational environment. Employee behavior can have an impact on the behavior of the other employees. In this paper I will discuss the terms and conceptions of organizational behavior. Organizational culture is the shared beliefs and values that influence the behavior of organization members in the internal environment (Organizational Behavior 2008). Depending on the state of their culture may determine how successful an organization can be. Operating with clear vision, well developed and well communicated beliefs and values gives organizations “strong cultures”. Culture gives people the security, stability, understanding while being able to interact to anything. People are scared of change in an organization because of their ineffectiveness to sustain stability, not be able to understand the process whereas not knowing how to respond to different situations that occurs. Organizational...
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...Developing an Ethical Business Environment: A Report to Executive Management Introduction Ethics and business rules always go together. The fact that business policing is based upon the different measures of complete recognition of social norms and social limitations, ethics is indeed a large part of the ways by which business organizations try to strive to be able to become more effective within their operational engagements with regards their aim of being able to influence the society as well. It is indeed certain that the rules and regulation that a business puts up should be able to meet certain standards of social compromises. Any business organization could not afford to be questioned simply because of the fact that the business procedures that they are adapting to are not meeting the set standards for business organizations. (Kuhn, 2005, 12) To be able to have a clearer view of the matter being reported herein, it is first most importantly to be given attention to as to how management is indeed in relation with the actual application of ethical standards within the society. To be able to do this, there are three major points to consider. The said points are as follows: • The effect of organizational culture on ethical operation • The roles and responsibilities of executive management in fostering an ethical operating environment • The impact of ethical standards as they are used in business operations Through the consideration given to these particular...
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...Ethical and Moral Issues in Business Kenneth H. Niuman University of Phoenix Ethical and Moral Issues in Business How do you differentiate between ethics and morality.?How does ethics impact governance in business organizations. Ethics and morals may seem the same on the face of it, but if one were to analyze, there is definitely some difference. Morality refers to an adopted code of conduct within an environment and a set of agreed upon rules for what is 'right' and 'wrong'. Morals have formed the spine of modern society, religion and every individual's conscience. The conceptions changed in time and take on a new meaning. For example, killing a human being is immoral in any society but when on the battlefield soldiers are given medals for killing their enemy soldiers.. In a way, morality is in sync with ethics. While one is abstract in understanding, the other is defined and in the form of written code. Morality addresses the ethical queries on the moral outcome of a specific situation. The code of conduct formulated probes prohibitions, controversial behavior, standards of belief systems and social conformity of morally 'right' behavior. Moral codes define 'appropriate' and 'expected' activity. Community morality is usually defined via commentaries and codes of authority. Morality is better understood as an assimilation of beliefs about the essentials to lead a 'good' life. It is not to be confused with religious or fanatic or political preception. Moral codes are...
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...and Moral Issues in Business Ethics and morals are often used interchangeably, but they are not quite the same. Ethics can be applied personally or in the business world, and the processes in these two situations can be different. This essay will explore the difference between ethical and moral issues, and personal and business ethics. Examples will also be given to demonstrate these issues in the business world. Ethics and Morals Every person has different life experiences, and these life experiences work together to create individual personalities. The core values of a person are defined as his or her morals. But ethics and morals are often interchanged because they are so closely related. In actuality, ethics applies morals. Ethics tend to be more standardized in relation to social acceptance. Trevino and Nelson define ethics as “the principles, norms, and standards of conduct governing an individual or group” (Trevino & Nelson, 2007, Ch. 1). Morals act as a basis for ethical decisions. Personal morals will differ among people. For example, one person believes that eating meat is not morally right, but another person believes that eating meat is just a normal part of life and therefore morally acceptable. These are simply differences in moral values. This can be an important factor in business when hiring a new employee. Employers will want to make sure that a potential employee has a moral set that will be workable with the business’s ethics. Ethics are tied closely to...
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...The Evolution of Business Ethics The Evolution of Business Ethics November 18, 2013 The Evolution of Business Ethics “The history of ethics in business is a long one, going back to the beginning of business. If it were written, it would be an enormous and complex work. Business ethics is so recent a phenomenon that many might claim it is too young to have a history” (De George, 1987). “As recently as a decade ago, many companies viewed business ethics only in terms of administrative compliance with legal standards and adherence to internal rules and regulations. Today the situation is different. Attention to business ethics is on the rise across the world and many companies realize that in order to succeed, they must earn the respect and confidence of their customers” (Enterweb, 2004). Ethics deal with a variety of moral dilemmas that can either make or break a business. A worker has to deal with the ethical aspect of handle situation when it comes to the public and their own personal beliefs. Ethical issues can be simple to very difficult to handle. When it comes to dealing with the public, they try to incorporate some of the values of their potential customers to lure them in to their establishment. By incorporating the general public in to the ideas at least they will learn what offends or gain the consumer respect. This will help build a positive outlook for the company if it is done correctly. Learning whether or not a company is ethically or morally...
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...|Ethics Case Studies—Learning Application of the 2009 ADA/CDR Code of |[pic] | |Ethics for the Profession of Dietetics | | |Case Study #1: A registered dietitian (RD) is newly employed as part of a treatment team in an ambulatory care setting. After several | |counseling sessions, one of the clients he is counseling for obesity discloses that she is being physically abused by her spouse and is | |experiencing depression. The RD continues to have the client come in for nutrition counseling sessions in an attempt to better understand | |the relationships among her current domestic situation, psychological state and weight issues. During a treatment team meeting, the RD | |reports on the client and is questioned by one of the team members about why he did not refer the client to the mental health professional. | |What should be done in this situation? | |Questions for Discussion | |Is the situation described an ethical issue? Or, is it a business dispute? It is an ethical issue. | |What principle(s) of the Code of Ethics does it...
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...Business Ethics Concepts & Cases Manuel G. Velasquez Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Chapter One Basic Principles: Ethics and Business Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Ethics and Morality • Ethics is the study of morality. – Morality = The standards that an individual or a group has about what is right and wrong, or good and evil. • Example: B.F. Goodrich A7-D Fraud – Moral Standards = norms about the kinds of actions that are morally right and wrong, as well as the values placed on what is morally good or bad. – Non-Moral Standards: The standards by which we judge what is good or bad and right or wrong in a non-moral way. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Five Characteristics of Moral Standards • Involve significant injuries or benefits • Not established by authority figures • Should be preferred to other values including self-interest • Based on impartial considerations • Associated with special emotions and vocabulary. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. What is Business Ethics? • Broadly, ethics is the discipline that examines one’s moral standards or the moral standards of a society to evaluate their reasonableness and their implications for one’s life. • Business ethics is a specialized study of moral right and wrong that concentrates on moral standards as they apply to business institutions, organizations, and behavior. ...
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...How personal can ethics get? This document presents a discussion about an ethical dilemma in a fragrance company. Ethical dilemmas, also known as moral dilemmas, have been a problem for ethical theorists as far back as Plato. An ethical dilemma is a situation wherein moral precepts or ethical obligations conflict in such a way that any possible resolution to the dilemma is morally intolerable. In other words, an ethical dilemma is any situation in which guiding moral principles cannot determine which course of action is right or wrong. Business ethics can be both a normative and a descriptive discipline. As a corporate practice and a career specialization, the field is primarily normative. In academia descriptive approaches are also taken. The range and quantity of business ethical issues reflects the degree to which business is perceived to be at odds with non-economic social values. Historically, interest in business ethics accelerated dramatically during the 1980s and 1990s, both within major corporations and within academia. For example, today most major corporate websites lay emphasis on commitment to promoting non-economic social values under a variety of headings such as ethics codes and social responsibility charters. In some cases, corporations have redefined their core values in the light of business ethical considerations. And the discussion on ethics in business is necessary because business can become unethical, and there are plenty of evidences today on unethical...
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