...Natasha Rodas Ethical Situations in Business April 20, 2015 Company Q’s Path to Social Responsibility The relationship between employees, managers, customers, suppliers, and investors that assess the strategies to attain success, are why a business exists. Social Responsibility is an organization’s obligation to maximize its positive impact on a community and stakeholders and to minimize its negative impact (Ferrell, 2009). The approach that Company Q took towards the given issues did not meet social responsibility and are utterly regrettable. This company has major problems that need to be irradiated in order to be called socially responsible. The company, suggesting profit loss, shut down the stores located in high crime rate areas throughout the city, therefore presenting itself as a cover up to them cutting their losses. Obviously, Company Q did not fully research the given areas of town before establishing plans to place a business there. Now, an empty building sits where the company could have effectively improved the lives of nearby residents, by providing a workforce option locally. Not only, does this affect the employees, but it also affects many residents who are unable to travel further to shop. This is a drastic interference with employees losing their jobs, and setting them up for financial hardships. It is not guaranteed that the employees will have access to means to work further away. Instead of getting rid of an income source in the community, Company...
Words: 651 - Pages: 3
...Code of Ethics Company X Introduction Company X aspires to maintain the highest standards of ethics, integrity, and compliance at all times. This responsibility extends to the conduct and behavior of each and every employee. Each of us is a Company X ambassador to the public, and each of us is responsible, individually and collectively, for maintaining our company’s exemplary reputation at all times. To this end, this code of ethics has been created so that the expectations of the company are clear. This is intended to be a working document, meaning that the effort to maintain our ethical standards is an ongoing endeavor and will be regularly reviewed and updated as deemed appropriate. Standards and Procedures Inclusive Workplace and Freedom from Harassment and Discrimination: It is the position of Company X that all people have innate human worth, that all people deserve respect, that the workplace and all of its environments should at all times be inclusive, and that everyone should be free of the fear of discrimination and harassment. Company X does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or for any other reason. We insist that our employees show respect for each other, and for our customers, contractors, vendors, and anyone else with whom they come in contact during the course of employment with Company X. Further, Company X does not tolerate harassment...
Words: 2165 - Pages: 9
...A. It is important for a business to be socially responsible, not only to financially benefit their shareholders and investors, but also for moral and ethical reasons. Company Q has the attitude that maximizing profit is their only priority. They closed two stores due to profit loss. Within the remaining stores, they have chosen to limit the products that the community is requesting as they are high-margin items. Instead of choosing to help the community by donating their day-old products to the local food bank, they have made the decision to throw out all that food to avoid any potential theft of company employees. A1. Based on the decisions that Company Q has made to close stores, only offer a few healthy and organic items, and not donating out-of-date products, one would come to the conclusion that Company Q is not concerned with their social responsibility. A1a. Patrons in their community have asked for products that are health-conscious and organic, yet Company Q restricts the number of items they will provide because their profit is higher on the items that are not organically grown and less healthy. Donating day-old products would benefit the less fortunate in the community, yet Company Q’s only worry is fraud and theft among their employees. With just these two items in mind, the narrow-minded thinking of this company of putting profit in front of what is right for their community shows how apathetic the management of this company is to society. B. Recommend...
Words: 363 - Pages: 2
...Ethical Situations in Business Task 1 John Mackey, founder of Whole Foods once said "Business social responsibility should not be coerced; it is a voluntary decision that the entrepreneurial leadership of every company must make on its own." (Mackey, 2005) In today’s society it is increasingly common for businesses to actively identify and become directly involved in the country and the global social issues and needs. It is now common place for companies to market this information alongside of their logos, as a TV commercial and on the products they sell. When a company does not resemble its competitors it really stands out and unfortunately this is where we find Company Q. In the exercise Company Q is described as a small, local grocery store located in a major metropolitan area. Company Q, seems to be allowing themselves to be defined by their financial An older successes and failures rather than listening and becoming engaged with their community. school of thought perhaps, which makes them, stand out in a way that casts a negative light on the business. While two of their stores have closed in high crime areas due to loss of revenue some might make the case based on the information given that it in fact had more to do with their lack of attention to the pulse of the local community. Company Q, has many opportunities on which they could improve their overall reputation and how they are seen within their local community as well as their bottom-line. Listening...
Words: 691 - Pages: 3
...Ethical issue, as stated by Ferrell et al (2008) is “simply a situation, a problem, or even an opportunity that requires thought, discussion, or investigation to make a decision” (p. 60) whether it is right or wrong, ethical or unethical. Ethical issues results from the conflicts among individuals’ personal moral philosophies and values, the values and culture of their organizations and their society. Especially in the business environment, the ethical conflicts appear more normal when the benefit of one organization is the loss or suffering of the others. Ethical issues include many problems, situations or opportunities, however, within this context, I would like to discuss on the following three issues. First ethical issue relates to the environmental protection that becomes the most concerned today, especially in countries with high speed of industrialization and urbanization like Vietnam. Pollution is caused from dust, raw sewage, toxic chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides, industrial waste… from factories and transportation vehicles that are damaging the living environment. In a latest report by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), Vietnam stands 6th among the cities having highest level of pollution when dust is as 2 to 3 times higher than normal level. Some rivers in Vietnam are now being called as “black rivers” instead of their own names as the water is being so polluted with bad smell that no fish can exist after years they are being filtered by waste...
Words: 844 - Pages: 4
...An Ethical Dilemma Christopher A. Ruffo University of Maryland University College August 29, 2015 1 In a perfect world, businesses and their employees would always do the right thing. Unfortunately, in the real world, ethical dilemmas are a common occurrence in the workplace. Employees must deal with pressures to perform and help the company succeed as well as personal temptations to take the easy way out. In the end, workers will likely face many dilemmas in their careers. The purpose of this paper is to identify the ethical dilemma presented in the given scenario, explain what the roles and responsibilities of the employee when faced with an ethical situation, and what the roles and responsibilities of the organization are in ensuring ethical practices by its employees. Angela’s Ethical Dilemma Angela is faced with an ethical issue known as a conflict of loyalty (Exploring business, 2014, pg. 24). She has just been informed by her friend/neighbor Carla, that Carla’s nephew, Jaden, who works at the same company, has plans to purchase his first home. Angela is also aware that the company is about to transfer Jaden’s position to Chicago and Jaden will most likely not be offered the transfer or a position at his current location. Angela is torn between informing her friend of the bad news so she can stop her nephew from purchasing the home and being a loyal employee to her employer and letting management release the information on their predetermined timeline. As an...
Words: 727 - Pages: 3
...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...
Words: 2478 - Pages: 10
...The Problem with Business Thesis: In many businesses today ethical decisions take a backseat to profit, I believe businesses should follow a set of ethical standards and not focus solely on profit for four reasons: (1) to have respect for human dignity, (2) private lives and business lives cannot be separated, (3) ethical decisions can lead to more profit, and (4) unethical decisions can lead to serious consequences for the people executing them. There are many decisions a business must make on a day-to-day basis. Many of these decisions will affect not only the business itself, but also every stakeholder in that business. Many times business will not take into account the number of people being affected. Businesses should not be so vital that they do not need to follow a set of ethical standards. Profit can be seen as the universal motivator for the majority of businesses today and focusing solely on profit can cause a business to lose its ethical standards. The loss of these standards can cause a trail of destruction caused by a business and cause it to lose a great amount of respect. There are countless examples of destruction caused by businesses like the BP oil spill or IBM supplying technology to Nazi Germany. There are four main reasons why ethical standards for businesses should be instilled. These are (1) to have respect for human dignity, (2) private lives and business lives cannot be separated, (3) ethical decisions can lead to more profit, and (4) unethical decisions...
Words: 2524 - Pages: 11
...Ethical Role of the Manager In a broad construction of the ethical role of the manager, managing and leading can be said to be inherently ethics-laden tasks because every managerial decision affects either people or the natural environment in some way—and those effects or impacts need to be taken into consideration as decisions are made. A narrower construction of the ethical role of the manager is that managers should serve only the interests of the shareholder; that is, their sole ethical task is to meet the fiduciary obligation to maximize shareholder wealth that is embedded in the law, predominantly that of the United States, although this point of view is increasingly accepted in other parts of the world. Even in this narrow view, however, although not always recognized explicitly, ethics are at the core of management practice. The ethical role of managers is broadened beyond fiduciary responsibility when consideration is given to the multiple stakeholders who constitute the organization being managed and to nature, on which human civilization depends for its survival. Business decisions affect both stakeholders and nature; therefore, a logical conclusion is that those decisions have ethical content inherently and that managerial decisions, behaviors, and actions are therefore inherently ethical in nature. Whenever there are impacts due to a decision, behavior, or action that a leader or manager makes, there are ethical aspects to that decision or situation. While some skeptics...
Words: 3614 - Pages: 15
...Ethical dilemmas and behavior simulations help employees to make more ethical decisions. The first step in achieving this goal is to set up a code of ethics for your organization and give each employee a copy. The code of ethics should review what is expected of each employee and provide examples and what to do in each situation. “A formal code of ethics can help you and your employees make decisions more quickly by conforming to a set of rules to which everyone agrees.” The second step is to have an ethical training program in your organization. The training should go over what is expected of the employee, what to do when an ethical situation arises, and how to make ethical decisions. Employees should be asked to see each situation in different perspectives. The employer and the customer are two examples of this. I worked for a large aerospace company which strived on providing good ethical thinking through ethical training for all the employees on a regular basis. We were required to complete the many modules covering all areas of ethical concerns such as sexual harassment, dealings with customers, and your workplace. Instead of taking a class we were required to complete each module through web-based training. I believe that the ethical training program was very successful in helping employees understand what is right and wrong within the business scope and that the continued “refreshers” strengthened the choices employees would ultimately have to make in...
Words: 476 - Pages: 2
...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...
Words: 767 - Pages: 4
...the challenge of how to deal with contractors in Bangladesh that employed young children, a legal practice in Bangladesh, but one contrary to Levi's company policy. The fact that these chil dren were often a sole or significant source of their family income further complicated the mat ter. Tony Anderson, Chairman and CEO of H. B. Fuller Company, was faced with a decision re garding the company's responsibility for illegiti mate use of one of its products. Resistol, a tolu ene-based glue, has become an addictive drug of choice for many Central American street chil dren. These "Resistoleros" inhale the glue and often experience violent reactions and serious health problems, including kidney failure and brain damage. ness practices. Ethical conflicts may involve a variety of issues: • bribery and extortion, as in the highly publicized case of Lockheed, which made $12.5 million in payments to Japanese agents and government officials to secure an impor tant order from Nippon Air. This incident was a major impetus for the passage of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in 1977. • human rights concerns, like those now being debated in the apparel industry in volving companies such as Nike and Gap. Cross-cultural...
Words: 7825 - Pages: 32
...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...
Words: 7054 - Pages: 29
...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...
Words: 3627 - Pages: 15
...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...
Words: 7802 - Pages: 32
