Introduction
This paper will examine the statement, “Strict government regulations are necessary to make companies behave ethically.” It will also examine the impact of government regulations have on business ethics and social responsibility along with the chosen statement. Also, this paper will defend the position of the author with relevant business examples and appropriate references.
As a manager, we bring along with us our own concepts of what is right and what is wrong. Every decision that is made, for better or worse is the application of these values to the question at hand. This is made more difficult by the pressures of organizational life. There are pressures surrounding us from all angles. (I.e. productivity, competition, bosses) Sometimes managers make decisions which conflict with their own or society’s values because of what they see as the pressures of the business world. But what is the right thing to do when it comes to social responsibility? Is the decision that was made also ethically correct?
“Strict government regulations are necessary to make companies behave ethically.” Business ethics defines how a company integrates core values – such as honesty, trust, respect, and fairness – into its policies, practices, and decision making. Business ethics also involves a company’s compliance with legal standards and adherence to internal rules and regulations. In today’s world, a large number of companies are designing values-based, globally consistent programs that give employees a level of ethical understanding that allows them to make appropriate decisions, even when faced with new challenges.
The scope of business ethics has expanded to encompass a company’s actions with regard not only to how it treats its employees and obeys the law, but to the nature and quality of relationships it wishes to have with stakeholders including shareholders, customers, business partners, suppliers, the community, the environment, and future generations. Some important issues that have been faced recently are: conflicts of interest, financial integrity, corruption and bribery, consumer privacy, and ethical advertising. If the government enforced stronger policies to keep companies in compliance, then scandals like Enron would have never happened. Think of all of those employees affected by losing all their retirement that they believed that they had by investing back into their company.
Government regulations are fairly clear cut when it comes to outlining what is acceptable and what is not.
The work emphasizes that having business ethics and a code of conduct can be a preventive medicine. The intended audience is the general public, management team, large businesses that have yet to create and develop a code of conduct, and businesses who are searching for a solution towards resolving ethical dilemmas in their workplace. The relevance of this work to our topic is it’s unique outlook on how the code should not only be developed with HR and the legal departments with the only intention of keeping policies legal but to see it being navigated by top management. It will also help us establish the usefulness of the code of conduct in relationships with stakeholders. A special feature of this work is the large-scale of sections it has on the topic of code of ethics. It contains a content section at the very top of the article that helps navigating toward sections easier. It also includes quotes from CEO’s, ethics professor Stephen Brenner form the Journal of Business Ethics, Twin Cities-based consultant Doug Wallace, etc. The writer of this article is Carter McNamara who has a MBA and PhD who specializes in organizational development and
Ethical behavior, in a general sense, is a definition of moral behavior in regards to lawfulness, societal standards, and things of that nature. In the business world, ethics commonly refer to acceptable and unacceptable business practices within the workplace, and all other related environments. The acceptance of colleges regardless of ethnicity, gender, and beliefs, as well as truthfulness and honesty in relation to finances within the company are examples of ideal ethical business conducts. Unethical business behavior would include manipulating procedures based on bias or discrimination, engaging in activities that promote political gain, as well as blatant fabrication of monetary factors within the company and “can affect organizational performance and is costly to employers, employees, shareholders, and other organizational stakeholders” (Cox 263). When a corporation practices proper ethics, it is representing not only itself in a positive manner, but its partners, shareholders, and clients as well. On the other hand, when an organization partakes in unethical activities, all parties are negatively affected. The collapse of Enron is a major case of unethical conduct in the corporate world, because the circumstances surrounding the firm’s chaotic plunge where so scandalous that it left “creditors wrangling over Enron's skeletal remains” (Helyar) long after the company had seen its demise. There are numerous instances to be mentioned, including deliberate failure to properly report fiscal losses, insider trading, and overall relentlessness. The inclusive purpose of this paper is to further explore the underlining factors that contributed to the downfall of the once powerful Enron, and how a new way of approaching business ethi...
In today’s society, business is a melting pot of diverse cultures. With the present technology, the distance between locations has become virtually borderless. Different backgrounds produce different understandings of very basic concepts, like what is right and what is wrong. Simply stated, right versus wrong is the definition of ethics. First, this paper will discuss key areas that are of significant importance to the business. Second, this paper will converse ways a company can ensure employees follow codes of conduct. Finally, this paper will confer ways a business can engage in socially responsive
In today’s global society, a Code of Ethics policy is used to label established, acceptable behaviors among that industry’s business associates, potential investors, and the corporation’s executive officers and employees, and most important, the consumer (Ethics Resource Center, 2003). In an attempt to promote an increased efficiency and productivity potential level, among employees and prospective clients, a corporation’s standard Code of Ethics should guide its members toward a more in-depth examination of their personal moral activity, and how these actions affect the people or acquaintances they encounter. A company should utilize this strategy as a model for the professional behaviors and responsibilities of its constituents, and proves the occupational advancement of that business. Ethics are important in every level of a corporation, but specifically in the day-to-day actions of its members, and the image the company broadcasts to its associates is fundamental in building a stable business foundation. These pledges are a vital communication tool used to covey the firm’s standards for business operations, and predominantly, its relationships with the surrounding communities (Ethics Resource Center, 2003).
Business Ethics is policies and practices regarding potentially controversial issues, such as corporate governance, insider trading, bribery, discrimination, corporate social responsibility. Business ethics is often guided by law, while other times provide a basic framework that businesses may choose to follow in order to gain public acceptance. Business Social responsibility in companies should support its social responsibilities and not be solely focused on maximizing profits. Social responsibility involves developing businesses with a positive relationship to the society. this relationship to the society and environment in which they operate is a critical factor in their ability to continue to operate effectively. It is also being used as a measure of their overall performance.
For a company to be successful ethically, it must go beyond the notion of simple legal compliance and adopt a values-based organizational culture. A corporate code of ethics can be a very valuable and integral part of a company’s culture but I believe that it is not strong enough to stand alone. Thought and care must go into constructing the code of ethics and the implementation of it. Companies need to infuse ethics and integrity throughout their corporate culture as well as into their definition of success. To be successfully ethical, companies must go beyond the notion of simple legal compliance and adopt a values-based organizational culture.
In order for a business to be successful it must have a strong policy on business ethics in place and a culture that is developed based on core values that should be clearly defined. An organization must do everything within its control to uphold promises made to employees as well as commitments to partners, such as the community where they are located. When the culture, ethics and core values are threatened it is imperative that the organization have a policy in place to address these concerns.
Business ethics simply can be defined as the application of business values in the business practice of a company (Seawell 2010, p. 2). For a multinational company, business ethics is one of the critical aspects need to be taken into account in business decision-making processes. Failure to give attention on ethics may bring consequences on company’s reputation (Meyer & Jebe 2010, p. 159). The company is expected not only to pursue its own profits but also contributing to the environmental and social welfare of the community where it operates (Svensson & Wood 2008, p. 308).
To provide an example of a breach of ethical conduct in the workplace, we may remember the case of a financial manager in a corporation that decided not to pay overtime to some employees. After a deep outside investigation, the company was summoned with thousands of dollars to remedy the payment that was supposed to be paid to all employees who worked more than forty hours per week. Again, it is needed more than just a booklet stating that the company adheres to the code of business ethics. It is needed serious managers that can run the company with the most seriousness as possible. Consequently, any written codes of business ethics, regardless of how well it has been crafted, need people that adhere to its internal content with a serious desire to do the right thing.
Ethics in business is a highly important concept, as it can affect a company’s profits, salaries paid to employees and CEOs, and public opinion, among many other aspects of a business. Ethics can be enforced by company policies and guidelines, set a precedent when a company is faced with an important decision, and are also evolving thanks to new technology and situations that arise due to technology usage. Businesses have a duty to maintain their ethical responsibilities and also to help their employees enforce these responsibilities in and out of the workplace. However, ethics and the foundation for them are not always black and white. There are many different ethical theories, however Utilitarianism, Kant’s Deontological ethics, and Virtue ethics are three of the most well known theories in existence. Each theory is distinct in that it has a different quality used to determine ethicality and allows for a person to choose which system of ethics works best with both the situation and his or her personal ethical preferences.
In the business world there are many fundamental aspects and situations that can lead to several issues. In order to find an optimal and professional solution, business decision makers need to apply moral and ethical standards. And it is at that moment in which business ethics perform its role. Business ethics, which is in charge of examine how companies and individuals should act in business situations, is very essential in order to reach a common agreement and to work within the laws of business and solve an arisen dilemma. Working of the hand of ethical business companies, employees, investors, directors, and even individual officers can be beneficiated and obtain most favorable outcomes.
The term “ethical business” is seen, by many people, as an oxymoron. This is because a business’s main objective is to make as much money as possible. Making the most money possible, however, can often lead to unethical actions. Companies like Enron, WorldCom, and Satyam have been the posterchildren for how corporations’ greed lead to unethical practices. In recent times however, companies have been accused of being unethical based on, not how they manage their finances, but on how they treat the society that they operate in. People have started to realize that the damage companies have been doing to the world around them is more impactful and far worse than any financial fraud that these companies might be engaging in. Events like the BP oil
Business Ethics are much more than the buzz word stories on late night news. The Corporate Social Responsibility of a company goes well beyond that. “Business Ethics are moral guidelines for the conduct of business based on notions of what is right, wrong and fair.” (Bellow, 2012). Individual backgrounds play a huge role in person by person code of conduct can vary from employee to employer. To help solve some grey areas in what is ethically correct, companies now make a code of conduct that is over everyone in the company. This code of responsibility helps employees have better understanding of what is required of each and every one of them. “Corporate Social Responsibility is a business philosophy which stresses the need for
Treviño, L. K., & Nelson, K. A. (2007). Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right Fourth ed., Retrieved on July 30, 2010 from www.ecampus.phoenix.edu
Business ethics are a set of moral rules that govern how a business operates, how people should be treated within an organization, and how business decisions are made. They are a crucial part of employment and in managing a sustainable business, mainly because of the serious consequences that can result from decisions made with a lack of regard to ethics. Even if you don’t believe that good ethics don’t contribute to profit levels, you should realize those poor ethics have a negative effect on your bottom line in the long-run. Every business in every industry has certain guidelines to which its employees must stick to, and regularly outline such aspects in employee handbooks.