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Ethical leadership – c206 wgu
Ethical business decisions
Ethical business decisions
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In a society with a diverse value system and increased judgment publicly by groups with varying values and interests, there seems to be more demands on business people to make stronger ethical decisions. According to McShane and Von Glinow (2010), “ethics refers to the study of moral principles or values that determine whether actions are right or wrong and outcomes are good or bad” (p. 15). In our day-to-day activities, we rely on our ethical values to guide us in the right direction and do the right things. The foundation of any successful and sustained organization is they share a common ethical theme focusing on providing and creating value along with sharing their corporate values with the people they interact with on a daily basis.
There are three distinct types of ethical principles that McShane and Von Glinow (2010) discuss including utilitarianism, individual rights, and distributive justice (p.53). Although one principle may be more suitable to one’s own personal values, it is important to consider each one when addressing ethical dilemmas.
1. Utilitarianism – This principle offers a rather clear-cut process for deciding the morally correct course of action, despite the fastidious circumstance we may discover ourselves facing or in the middle of. According to Bentham, the ethical theory of utilitarianism focuses on the proper course of action that maximizes the overall “happiness”. The bottom-line goal is achieving the greatest good for the greatest number of people in order to drive satisfaction from those involved. McShane and Von Glinow (2010) referred to this satisfaction as a “consequential principle” because of the focus on the consequences of the action rather than how the consequences were achieve...
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...ompanies exposing workers to hazardous working conditions, and preferential treatment in hiring and promotional practices. Although these issues occur throughout the world today, it is a common challenge that faces organizations.
In order effectively to manage ethical issues, organizations must ensure their managers and employees understand how to handle ethical issues that arise in their everyday work lives. Consequently, employees must first understand some of the primary reasons for the occurrence of unethical practices in order to avoid them. In business, it is easy to talk about ethics, but sometimes can be a challenge to ‘walk the talk’, which makes it critically important to ensure the establishment of the organization’s Code of Ethics and focus on providing and creating value along with sharing corporate values in the daily interactions with people.
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.
Utilitarianism, the main consequentialist theory, postulates that “utility” is the main goal, understanding “utility” as happiness. An action is considered ethically right if it increases someone´s utility and vice versa. This approach is also called “act utilitarianism”. If rules are considered instead of single acts, then the approach is called “rule utilitarianism”. Act utilitarianism has many disadvantages due to its narrow approach, limited to the scope of one act, being difficult to predict the consequences.
An integrative model for understanding and managing ethical behavior in business organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 9(3), 233-242. Doi: 10.1007/BF00382649
Classical utilitarianism is a normative ethical theory which holds that an action can only be considered as morally right where its consequences bring about the greatest amount of good to the greatest number (where 'good' is equal to pleasure minus pain). Likewise, an action is morally wrong where it fails to maximise good. Since it was first articulated in the late 19th Century by the likes of Jeremy Bentham and later John Stewart Mill, the classical approach to utilitarianism has since become the basis for many other consequentialist theories such as rule-utilitarianism and act-utilitarianism upon which this essay will focus (Driver, 2009). Though birthed from the same utilitarian principle of maximising good, rule-utilitarianism and act-utilitarianism provide two very different accounts on how the maximising of good should be approached. This essay will compare these two approaches and try to ascertain whether rule-utilitarianism is indeed preferable to act-utilitarianism.
Utilitarianism says that the right action is the one that brings about the most overall happiness. No other moral rule has universal validity. According to Rachels, Utilitarianism is known as “we should always do whatever will produce the greatest possible balance of happiness over unhappiness for everyone who will be affected by our action” (Rachels). Utilitarianism has three main principles. Consequentialism says that the actions are to be judged right or wrong solely by virtue of their consequences.
The ethical theory of utilitarianism has one basis, one must chose the action that will contribute to the greatest good; the greatest good for the greatest number. In any instance one may ask, which action will make the most people happy and how long? As a method
Throughout this paper I will argue between Mil (Utilitarianism) and Held (Care Ethics). Mil is a British Philosopher well known for his ethical and political work and Held is an American Feminist and Moral Philosopher. After reading this essay you will have a good view on what Utilitarianism and Care Ethics is and also what my concluding position is.
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.
Establishing and implementing a strategic approach to improving organizational ethics is based on establishing, communicating, and monitoring ethical values and legal requirements that characterize the firm's history, culture, and operating environment” (p. 129). Ethics programs ensure satisfactory relationships with all stakeholders by aligning with all of their demands and needs, and determine conduct with customers and relationships with regulators, shareholders, suppliers, and employees (Ferrell, 2004). Values are a core set of beliefs and principles, one or many. A number of factors contribute to the development of values. These include membership in a community or culture, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.
When it comes to any organization, whether it’s for profit or non-profit, Ethics is crucial in the foundation. The CEO, VP, regional managers, or even hourly employees must all portray ethical morals that contribute to the good image of the company. An ethical leader in an organization provides guidance and integrity by exemplifying morals and living up to the company’s culture and expectations regarding business ethics. “Knowing how to organically infuse ethics into everyday business practices and understanding how to communicate the importance of ethical behavior across divisions is a strong top-level leadership skill to develop.” For a leader to incorporating ethics into every day operations is significantly important since it will contribute
Utilitarianism is an ethical theory in which determining the rightness or wrongness of action or decision is based on determining whether the greatest benefit or happiness will be provided in the highest or greatest number of population. This simply means that action or decision must be based on the highest amount or number of beneficiary (Martineau, 2006). However, this ethical theory has two major types. First is the “act utilitarianism” and second is the “rule utilitarianism.” Act utilitarianism specifically adh...
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
Ethics are the driving force behind good business. Every ethical choice made by a professional can and will have a much different outcome than any unethical choice. Bad ethics can ruin many aspects of a business and as (Gaye-Anderson, 2007) states how quite easily the lives and professional reputation of the employees can even be severally damaged (para. 3). Everything from morale to motivation can be severely affected by poor ethical choices. Customers will take their business elsewhere. Employees will abandon ship. Other, competing businesses reap the benefits of the bad moral choices. Ultimately, the entire business can be brought down by one poor ethical choice.
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.
When I think of ethics, I think of the angel on my left shoulder telling me to do the “right” thing, and the devil on my right, tempting me to join the dark side. This scenario deals with what is “right” or what is “wrong” and where my morals will lie in the end. But who is to say what is right and wrong? Ethics is such a trivial word because every person, company, and culture has a different idea of what is considered ethical or what is considered unethical. Throughout this paper, I will address my personal view on ethics, and how I believe it effects the workplace and today’s society.