Introduction In the book, If Aristotle Ran General Motors, Tom Morris argues that the teachings of the ancients can and should be applied to today's corporation. His message is that the four virtues - truth, beauty, goodness, and unity - form the foundation of human excellence. Putting them into practice leads not only to self-fulfillment, but ultimately to an open, nurturing, and ethical workplace that is more productive and successful in the long-term. The purpose of this essay is to examine how Morris treats the system of ethics in relation to these four virtues. Ethics and Big Business It's difficult not to be cynical about how “big business” treats the subject of ethics in today's world. In many corporations, where the only important value is the bottom line, most executives merely give lip service to living and operating their corporations ethically. Morris defines morality as that aspect of our nature which strives for goodness, and he stresses that most people have misunderstood this dimension of human life. After searching through miles and miles of quotations, Morris came to the conclusion that most people's attitudes about ethics and morality were basically negative. That is, that morality was somehow put into place in order to prevent us from really enjoying life. They look at ethics as a restrictive form of social control. Morris believes that until we untangle ourselves from this illusion, “we will not appreciate one of the most important foundations for positive corporate spirit and sustainable success” (Morris p. 116). The Basic Question The “What's in it for me?” mindset that so many people live with in today's world can appear to be a selfish question. Morris believes that it's anything bu... ... middle of paper ... ...d ultimately helps to create a root system that digs deep into the soil of commerce. It places that organization on a firm foundation of good management principles and exhibits the true spirit of greatness that has been lacking in the corporate world for a long time. And I am firmly convinced that until American business leaders toss aside situation ethics and replace them with good old-fashioned morality, our nation will continue to slide down the proverbial rabbit hole into obscurity and decay. Until corporate America, and indeed the entire global corporate world, embraces this concept and operates upon its principles, we will not see any sort of economic revival until Jesus comes. Works Cited Morris, Tom. “If Aristotle Ran General Motors: The New Soul of Business.” New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1997. The Holy Bible (Kings James Version).
The Ins and Outs of Ethics is a Business Week Online magazine article from May 13, 2001, it was written by Eric Wahlgren. In the article he interviews Michael Rion, the author of The Responsible Manager. Rion is also a leading business ethics advisor who consults many Standard and Poor’s 500 companies. In the article Wahlgren asks Rion why it is important for businesses to have a high ethical standard. In his responses, Rion explains that effective organizations utilize ethics programs to clearly define ethical expectations, resolve ethical issues quickly, and to remove moral constraints. Additionally, employees who understand how to deal with ethical dilemmas will also be more productive and have strong core values to guide them. According to scripture, Rions concepts are biblically sound, relevant, and desirable, proving that ethical organizational behavior is shaped and influenced by sound ethical principles.
As I read Aristotle’s book "Nicomachean ethics," I analyzed and comprehend his thoughts on all ten books. I came to realization that Aristotle thoughts throughout the book are difficult to express and clearly comprehend. But though it was difficult to breakdown, I could clearly see that it was written to determine what a human being is as a whole.
Henry Ford, the man who revolutionized the car industry forever, founded his company under the beliefs that a car wasn’t a high-speed toy for the rich but instead a sturdy vehicle for everyday family needs, like driving to work, getting groceries or driving to church. However, Henry ford did much more than just this feat. He also tried to make peace in WWI before America had joined the war. In addition, Ford made the radical new five dollars a day payment. However, Ford also had his lows. At an early age, his mother died. His first two companies had also been failures. Against many of his closest friends protests, he published an anti-semitic (Jewish) newspaper. Ford had a very interesting and unique life and he changed the automotive industry forever.
Trevino, L. K., & Nelson, K. A. (2011). Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right. New York: John Wiley.
Aristotle, W. D. Ross, and Lesley Brown. The Nicomachean Ethics. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2009. Print.
Many organizations have been destroyed or heavily damaged financially and took a hit in terms of reputation, for example, Enron. The word Ethics is derived from a Greek word called Ethos, meaning “The character or values particular to a specific person, people, culture or movement” (The American Heritage Dictionary, 2007, p. 295). Ethics has always played and will continue to play a huge role within the corporate world. Ethics is one of the important topics that are debated at lengths without reaching a conclusion, since there isn’t a right or wrong answer. It’s basically depends on how each individual perceives a particular situation. Over the past few years we have seen very poor unethical business practices by companies like Enron, which has affected many stakeholders. Poor unethical practices affect the society in many ways; employees lose their job, investors lose their money, and the country’s economy gets affected. This leads to people start losing confidence in the economy and the organizations that are being run by the so-called “educated” top executives that had one goal in their minds, personal gain. When Enron entered the scene in the mid-1980s, it was little more than a stodgy energy distribution system. Ten years later, it was a multi-billion dollar corporation, considered the poster child of the “new economy” for its willingness to use technology and the Internet in managing energy. Fifteen years later, the company is filing for bankruptcy on the heels of a massive financial collapse, likely the largest in corporate America’s history. As this paper is being written, the scope of Enron collapse is still being researched, poked and prodded. It will take years to determine what, exactly; the impact of the demise of this energy giant will be both on the industry and the
I discovered how sticking to one’s morals should be the topmost priority for everyone involved in business, whether personal or professional. Regardless of what the consequences may be, the intensity of the problem, and the complexities it may bring, sacrificing one’s integrity should never be an option, as integrity goes hand-in-hand with the morals of an individual (Duggan & Woodhouse, 2011). They further go on to say that having individuals take part in building a code of ethics that supports employee integrity, they will act ethically. Also, I believe that companies should place more emphasis on the moral behavior of their employees, and clear-cut policies should be set regarding such ethical situations. Furthermore, I realized how serving justice while making decisions really helps in the long run, and that opting to go for the ideal rather than they deserved is not always the best option, and could hurt a company in more than one
This first section the authors bring up that continued “corporate ethics violations” have created a need for discussion of “moral issues” in the business world, including that of “corporate social responsibly” and indoctrination in managerial programs of ethical practices (Kim et al., 2009, p. 115). The authors point to the growing trend of business leaders following Christian practices, such as the founder of Chick-fil-A, Truett Cathey (Kim et al., 2009, p. 115). The authors then question how modernism affects the mainstream culture and marginalized the usefulness of worldview ethics that could provide “insight and guidance” to researchers and businesses alike (Kim et al., 2009, p. 116).
As a child, our parents try to instil morals and values into our beliefs that will guide us in the right direction to become individuals who portray the qualities of integrity, loyalty, and humanity. As we grow into adults, these qualities become even more prevalent in our careers. Ethics in the workplace can affect morale, productivity, relationships, and cohesiveness. This paper will discuss how managers with high ethical values have a positive impact the workplace environment and their employees, the importance of an ethical climate, biases that can impact moral decision making, and an ethical dilemma that occur within my organization, how it should have been handled and the ethical principles that should have been taking into consideration.
Nelson, L. &. (2007). Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right-4th ed. Hoboken: John Wiley & Songs, Inc.
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.
The world we live in today is facing a numerous amount of issues; from environmental, to economic, to social and political complexities and instabilities. The capitalist market has adopted an “aggressive” growth strategy, and businesses have as a primary goal generating the maximum amount of profit possible, leaving no room for collectivistic efforts. Along with these problems ethical responsibility is another issue businesses and individuals have to face.
According to Rice (1999), A growing realisation occurs that economics is not value-free, but instead it is a value-loaded. Every business must have moral elements. How to embed it into the company is something that managers should address (Al-Khatib et al., cited in Rice, 1999).
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
What do people seek in life? Happiness! Everyone is looking to be happy in life. But how does one obtain happiness in business? It is a journey some people seek their whole life. Business is not just a place to go work, but it’s a place to enjoy and put one’s talents to good use. Morrison uses the insights and of Aristotle to bring light in philosophical teachings on business. In the book, If Aristotle ran General Motors, it stated there are four dimensions of human excellence that help one obtain happiness and it is truth, beauty, goodness, and unity (Morris, 1998). Businesses ought to embody these four dimensions of human excellence to sustain business excellence.