...This paper will discuss Ethical Issues in Business and the behavior of the business world. Rigorously, the question of Ethical behavior is raised in the private and federal sectors (more in the private sector when dealing with organizations, businesses, and corporations) and to the extent of the contain that involves this kind of behavior. Ethics is a strong topic that can be discussed in some great length without reaching any kind of consensus stateside or abroad. However I will give some insight on the issues of corporate ethic’s and federal behavior. The responsibilities and objectives of the businesses will be observed, as well as the ethical obligations of the federal sector. One of the major issues that corporations have in the private sector is over reporting and under reporting of net income. Management in the corporate world seeks to show that every quarter the net income of business has grown. The way this is done is by adopting unethical means and illegal means in the operations of financial reporting. One such way this is done in the private sector is in the use of stock options for employees that enable private sector companies to take employment cost off balance sheet and inflate earning. Corporation’s when making decisions must be held to ethical standard as well as a technical or commercial standard. Corporation’s board members must govern the Ethical behavior of its C-level, upper, middle, lower management, and especially its accountant’s...
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...Ethical Issues in Business Nathaniel Andrews Langston University November 14, 2011 Ethical Issues In Business Ethics and moral obligation are something that we all encounter at one time or another. Even in a professional setting, all persons should act in a manner that would uphold the good of society. Why is it that good, ethical and moral behavior is not always adhered to? Is it because some people do not understand ethics and what it means to be ethical? To be ethical, one has to decide between right and wrong, determine what is for the betterment of society and act accordingly. Ethics have three basic criteria that must be met obligations, moral ideas, and consequences. Businesses have their own code of ethics and the individuals within that business have to determine whether or not they will follow that code of ethics. Ethical behavior in business is consistent with the principles, norms, and standards of business practice that have been agreed upon by society. At times, however, an individual decides to go against the code of ethical behavior for personal gain. The term patent usually refers to an exclusive right granted to anyone who invents any new, useful, and non-obvious process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, and claims that right in a formal patent application. The additional qualification utility patent is used in the United States to distinguish it from other types of patents (e.g. design...
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...Current Ethical Issue in Business Paper Current Ethical Issue in Business Recently the scooter store founded in 1991 has had setbacks that led the company in laying-off 1800 employees. Later that week some 300 employees where brought back to continue working for the company. The scooter store serves some 700,000 senior citizens and individuals with disabilities by providing their customers with mobility. The scooter store is the nation’s largest suppliers of power wheelchairs and scooters. Recently, the store has had some setbacks due to Medicare changes that have affected the company leading to downsize the company’s employees (Danner, February 2013). The Issue Since 2005 The Scooter Store has been under speculation for defrauding Medicare and Medicaid. While the amount of money is up for debated, it is believed that The Scooter Store has overbilled Medicare by as much as 108-million dollars. In 2007 The Scooter Store agreed to pay a $4 million fine and surrender $43 million in Medicare claims because of the allegations in defrauding the government. Medicaid fraud has become a huge issue and the government is cracking down on those that abuse the system. CBS News did an investigation and claimed that employees were pressuring doctors and even seniors to get these devices even though they were not really needed. There is speculation that power-mobility devices are being prescribed to people that don’t actually need them. The doctors were pressured with phone calls...
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...Ethical Issues in Business: I and two business associates have decided to start a small consulting business. We will be providing management consulting expertise and service nonprofit organizations. Many of our clients will be paying for this management consultation using federal funds. We intend to have between fifteen and twenty employees in addition to ourselves. We bring with us the highest ethical credentials but we feel that it is imperative that we implement a code of ethics/conduct and require our future employees to use it as a guideline for performing their duties to our clients. The emphasis will weigh heavily on social responsibility and a high standard of ethical thinking. Sometimes the ethical decision is not the most popular decision or the most profitable, but doing the right thing is always the best thing and if we follow this course of action we will be successful as a company and the profits will follow. In this day and age we feel it is vital to have an ethics program in place so that everyone in the company is on the same page morally. Code of Conduct The purpose of a code of conduct is to strengthen the company’s ethical environment and provide an employee format for adherence to certain principles, responsibilities and standards determined by the management. Some of the areas we will incorporate into our Code of Conduct are as follows: (A) Obey laws and regulations: All employees must comply and obey laws that impact...
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...2. Ethical Issues in Business. It seems that every day in the news we are hearing of new company that has acted at least unethically and possibly illegally in the operation and financial reporting of their company's business dealings. There are many ethical issues in business. One major issue that we see is over and under reporting net income. Companies like to show that every quarter the net income of the business has an increase or profit. In order to show this they adopt unethical or illegal means in the operation and financial reporting. One such method is the indiscriminate use of stock options for employees that enable companies to take employment costs off balance sheet and inflate earnings. With the recent ethical issues we have had companies over the years it is important that we pay close attention to financial reporting provided by companies. This method will reduce the equilibrium price and increase equilibrium quantity for this company's products and services. The reason for this is that the wage is bill is shown lower than what it actually is. This causes the supply curve to shift to the right. With an increase in supply, if the firm is a monopoly/oligopoly/monopolistic competition, there will be a decline in the price of the product of the firm. In case the firm is operating in perfect competition, there will only be an increase in the quantity the company sells in the market. The scenario described above indicates that there is a shift in the supply curve...
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...Corporate Social Responsibility As corporations and businesses are challenged with the task of being competitive and profitable, sometimes business ethics are placed on a lower priority. The idea of “working the system” and pushing the envelope over ethical situations have plagued such corporations as Enron and WorldCom. Corporate social responsibility is no different: “it encompasses not only what companies do with their profits, but also how they make them. It goes beyond philanthropy and compliance and addresses how companies manage their economic, social, and environmental impacts, as well as their relationships in all key spheres of influence.” (Harvard Kennedy School, 2008. Corporate social responsibility initiative. Retrieved from: http://www.hks.harvard.edu/m-rcbg/CSRI/init_define.html) Company Q is a small grocery store chain. They conduct business in a major metropolitan area, with some stores being located in high-crime areas. The company decided to close a few of their stores in the high-crime areas after experiencing a financial loss. Due to customer feedback, the store now offers products of a healthy and organic nature. These items produce a high return on investment. The local food bank has asked Company Q, along with other local businesses, for donations of day-old inventory. However, Company Q’s management team has declined to provide such donations and destroy old products instead. Their reasoning is that they are concerned about losing revenues because...
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...Situation A According to the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, an employee is granted up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave in a 12-month period for the birth of a child and to care for the newborn child within one year of birth (dol.gov ). According to the given, the employee in question took 11 weeks away from his job which was held for him at the same pay rate as when he left. According to the FMLA, the company is under no obligation to give him any money for the 11 weeks in which he did not work. There has been no legal discrimination or violation of law in this situation. Situation B According to the given, the only reason that the employee in question was denied a promotion was because of his age. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 protects older workers age 40 and above; the disgruntled employee in the given was age 68, making him eligible for protected status under the law. The given lists the favored employee’s age as 32, this information is irrelevant given that he clearly was under-performing the elder employee. Even if both employees are above the age of 40, it is still illegal to deny promotion or other favor to the older employee solely based on age. In this situation, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 has been violated. Situation C The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 states the employers are required to make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act does allow an...
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...Marie Kamara 4th 3-31-14 The Universal National Service Act of 2006 was a bill passed in hopes of requiring residents in the United States to perform military or civilian service to the nation. While the intent is sincere, legislators would need to consider numerous technicalities before enacting the bill. Things pertaining to an organization’s intent with volunteerism, social problems, and negative correlations with younger residents must be analyzed. The federal government must rely on public cooperation in order to successfully deliver the bill’s initial purpose: to serve others. Volunteer work should come with the sincere purpose of providing to those in need of assistance. According to source E, many people already participate in volunteer work out of pure joy for serving others. By compelling service the joy diminishes alongside the morality of serving. Some people argue government should not be involved with volunteer work at all. Doug Bandow states, “We need service, not national service.” Legislature should analyze whether or not government should be involved with the responsibilities of individuals regarding service. While government provides many benefits to those who choose to serve, suck as extra funding to high schools, the overall intent would not benefit young adults in America. Source F illustrates how young adults are less likely to volunteer after being forced to in high school. While volunteering could reduce the amount of participation of intolerable...
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...INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT NAME: SHANGARI D/O NAGAMUTHU ID/NO: 2011100459 COURSE: DIPLOMA IN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SUBJECT: HUMAN RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEM LECTURER: DR. STEVEN LIEW ASSINGNMENT QUESTIONS * 1. Identify the various types of users/customers of an HRIS. * 2. What are the three broad categories of data that an HRIS manages? * 3. How does network bandwidth affect a 2-tier client server architecture? * 4. How does an N-tier architecture simplify IT departments’ task of maintaining client software? ANSWERS 1) Individuals who will be using the HRIS can be split into two general groups: employees and nonemployees. The employee category includes. * Managers who rely on the HRIS and the data analyzed by the analyst/power user to make decisions; * Analyst/power users who use the HRIS to evaluate potential decision choices and opportunities; * Technical staff who are responsible for providing a system that is usable and up-to- date for each user and clerical employees who largely engage in data entry; and * Employees who use the HRIS on a self-service basis to obtain personal information, for example, to look up paycheck information, to make choices about benefits during open enrollment, or to see how much vacation time they have available. 2) What these users all have in common is that all the information is about potential and current employees with a focus on managing the organization’s...
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...Introduction The purpose of writing this paper is to describe the difference between ethical issues and moral issues. I will also explain the difference between personal ethics and business ethics. Then I will provide examples of common ethical problems in business for ethical issues, moral issues, personal ethics and business ethics. An ethical issue can be mirrored closely with a moral issue. According to Trevino and Nelson (2007), ethics can be defined as “a set of moral principles or values,” a definition that portrays ethics as highly personal and relative pg 13. Does that definition sound familiar? According to Merriam-Webster the definition of moral is “of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior: ethical”. An ethical issue has to be evaluated as a set of standards that most people deem as right or wrong however, a moral issue has more to do with the belief of an individual person of right or wrong. Ethical issues and moral issues are like walking a fine line therefore, making these issues differ is rather its personal or business. The term ethics can be described both in personal and business. Personal ethics is something that is a moral principle of a person’s belief. Ethics can be defined as “a set of moral principles or values,” a definition that portrays ethics as highly personal and relative (Trevino & Nelson, p. 13, 2007). This is based upon the personal ideals of what’s right or wrong. The choices that we make and the consequences behind them...
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...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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...Running Head: ETHICAL AND MORAL ISSUES IN BUSINESS Ethical and Moral Issues in Business MGT 261 University of Phoenix Ethical and Moral Issues in Business Business will always have ethical and moral issues to face. It is how the business solves or addresses the issues that will define a business’s level of morality and values. Businesses want to be known for their ethical traits for many good reasons. Revenues will be greater, improved brand recognition, greater employee motivation and retention, and better financial resources. These good reasons come with a price. Increased costs related to purchasing fair trade products, increased overhead related to training and communication, and a risk of building false expectations. Differences in ethical and moral issues The differences in ethical and moral issues are slim, because what is considered ethical is based from what is considered moral. Moral issues are based on beliefs, judgments, and feelings of an individual or group (Trevino, 2007). The set of moral principles or values are used to evaluate people and business’s actions, like a set of rules. The rules of human behavior assist in defining what is right and wrong. Ethics are defined as “the principles, norms, and standards of conduct governing an individual or group” (Trevino, 2007). Ethics are considered a set of moral principles or values extremely personal and relative to people or groups. In a business, the ethical guidelines are...
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...Ethical and Moral Issues in Business Steven Colon MGT/216 August 16, 2011 Mike Moreno Abstract In the following paper one will know about what an ethical issue is and a moral issue is, and examples of an ethical and moral issue. One will also learn about personal ethics and business ethics and how they are similar, but different. Ethical and Moral Issues in Business People have always questioned whether ethical issues and moral issues are the same, or if personal ethics, and business ethics are different. In this paper one will be able to see the differences between ethical and moral issues, the differences between personal ethics and business ethics while reading about real-world examples of common ethical problems in businesses for each of the above. Ethical Issues Many people believe that ethical issues and moral issues are the same thing, but in reality they are not. “our definition of ethics—the principles, norms, and standards of conduct governing an individual or group—focuses on conduct” (Trevino, & Nelson, (2007), p. 13). An ethical issue will require an individual or organization to make a decision between alternatives that must be weighed as an ethical or unethical decision. An unethical situation would be someone sacrificing people’s safety to obtain the completion of an assigned objective. Moral Issues “When we speak of morality, we refer to our judgments of right and wrong, and good and bad” (DeGeorge, (2010), p. 24). Moral...
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...Ethical and Moral Issues in Business University of Phoenix Ethical Issues and Moral Issues An ethical or moral issue are taken to mean the same thing to several people. Both words are connected to each other terms as good and bad, right and wrong. Example of right or wrong, ethical or moral is abortion the way to kill a child, it depends on who you ask about this situation. Some believe that abortion is an ethical moral if the woman was rape or it is not moral act due to not being marry according to the Bible teaches. When there are two or more undeniably different is a matter of a dispute which is ethical or moral in society. People in general think to resolve an ethical issues means to yell, hitting, and using explosive language that can be effective at times. There are three components to ethical, such as non-moral facts, concepts and moral or ethical aspects, which to resolve the ethical issue all three components should be considered. Personal Ethics and Business Ethics Society looks at business ethic in how they manage and operate the organization. According to Trevino and Nelson (2007), ethics definition are the principle, norms, and standards of conduct governing an individual or group (p13). The ethics for business is the moral principles of the company guidelines. The personal and business ethics both expect employee’s or individual to know right and wrong, good and bad. The professional ethics in business is a moral problem or ethical principles coming...
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...Ethical and Moral Issues in Business University of Phoenix Organizational Ethics and Social Responsibility MGT/216 Ethical and Moral Issues in Business Organizations promoting ethical operations while allowing employees to retain their moral compass will proactively solve issues and maintain successful operations even in times of turmoil. Individual or company values motivate effort and influence performance. Employee motivation directly relates to the encouragement a company exhibits while enforcing an ethical code of conduct to benefit and protect both the employee and the business. This essay comprises of the difference between moral and ethical issues pertaining to personal and business principles, as well as identifying common ethical problems that can impede organizational success. Morals can be referred to as an individual’s values and beliefs guiding one’s conscience to distinguish between right and wrong. Morals reflect a personal relationship with the individual influenced by family, friends, life experience, and etcetera. Change is difficult without a transformation in an individual’s personal belief system. Morality is based on “conforming to wide social beliefs” unspoken but “understood by most members of a society, including those who choose to act against the common morality” (Taylor, 2011, para. 4). Moral issues focus on social customs and opinions influenced by an individual’s belief system. An example is the moral objection to adult online...
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