Business Ethics & Social Responsibility - Research Paper Example

? Business Ethics & Social Responsibility Lecturer Business Ethics & Social Responsibility Introduction Business ethics are moral standardsand guidelines that guide the conduct of business founded on the concept of what is right, fair and wrong. Majority of business people rely on their consciences for decision making and fall back on their own religious and moral backgrounds for guidance. Business people are on the other hand affected by their immediate colleagues and superiors when making decisions and at times feel pressured to behave in unethical manner when aiming to make profits (Boatright, 2008). Many firms have in the recent past made efforts to establish and develop codes of conduct to be used as standards to guide managers in decision making in business. Corporate responsibility on the other hand is a business philosophy that stresses the need for companies and organizations to behave well as corporate citizens by conducting their marketing and production activities in such away to prevent environmental pollution or exploitation as well as obeying the law. Some firms due to their developed code of conduct behave in a more socially responsible way, partially because their managers need to do so and partially due to fear of consumer pressure groups, environmentalists and the media, as well as their concern for their public reputation. This is actually because of the argument that social responsible behavior pays off in the long run even when it includes particular short term sacrifices (Solomon, 2004). This paper seeks to develop standards for ethical and moral conduct in the form of a Code of Ethics. The paper will reflect upon my own ethical standards and consider from where my values and principles emerged and how they have evolved over time. Through this, the paper will include references to the moral philosophy or social issues that affect my approach to the development of this Code of Ethics. My Code of Ethics will contain the following components: Statement of values, and why the principles are non-negotiable, the moral philosophy or social issues affecting my approach to ethics, training and communication plan, implementation plan, plan for the role of leadership, corporate social issues, monitoring and enforcing plan, ethics auditing plan, and considerations for working internationally. Development of Code of Ethics involves prescribing values and principles that a firm aspires to operate in consistency to. The Code of Ethics contains the “thou shalts” and specifies the operation’s ethical rules. Most ethicists have argued that the development and continuous dialogue around the values of the Code of Ethics is very significant and pivotal to the business organizations. However, other philosophers have disagreed on the value of Code of Ethics and assert that too much emphasis is often put on them though the codes are not influential in ethics management at workplace. In quite larger organizations with multiple departments and programs, an overall corporate Code of Ethics is mandatory to guide and separate each department or program. I would not develop my Code of Ethics out of Legal departments or Human Resource departments alone. This is because, the Code of Ethics would be insufficient if only intended to ensure the legality of policies. I will do this to ensure that all other people see the program of ethics as driven from top management (Boatright, 2008). On reflection upon my own ethical standards and consideration of where my values and principles emerged and there evolvement over time, I would say that ethical principles as standards of conduct define my own conduct of behavior and therefore emerge from within myself. These principles help in establishing the criteria by which other people will judge my decisions and guide me in making such decisions as well. It is important to note that, poor personal ethics ultimately result into poor business ethics. In this regard, my own ethical standards and principles from which I would develop my Code of Ethics include: trustworthiness, responsibility, respect, fairness, citizenship, and caring (Barth, 2007). The concepts of ethical principles and business ethics will aid me in understanding what is considered right, fair or wrong at workplace. This is with respect to the impacts of services, products and relationships with the stakeholders including the community. This is very critical during fundamental change period. The Code of Ethics are pivotal in guiding leaders through business dilemmas, and in the sensitization of the entire staff on how to act and in retaining a strong moral compass. In order to ensure effective training and communication, implementation, and plan for the role of leadership, I will engage in establishment of ethics management programs to ensure that every individual staff is communicated to, trained and masters the codes of conduct established. Ideally, the development of the Code of Ethics will be an all inclusive and participation with everyone in the business. This will ensure that every member contributes and the acknowledgement of such contribution. Through this, the staff will feel encouraged and involved in the program and hence assume ownership of the entire program, and eventually leading into effective implementation and easing monitoring. Ethics management program helps in conveying corporate principles and values normally through the use of policies and codes in order to guide behavior and decisions. The program also includes communication, extensive training, evaluation and monitoring, depending on the set goals of the organization. This will help in providing guidance in business ethical dilemmas among staff and top management in making business decisions on what is right, wrong, or fair (Solomon, 2004). Statement of values of the Codes of Ethics is a sure way of considering working internationally with other business who value corporate social issues. This is because of the globalization that is affecting every business in the world; therefore, the principles of the Codes of Ethics are increasingly becoming non-negotiable in the organizations. Particularly, the principles are non-negotiable due to their nature of resolving conflicts and business dilemmas. Upon reference to a moral philosophy or a social issue that affect my approach to the development of Code of Ethics, I find out that employees are often faced with whether or not to steal, lie, abuse, cheat, or break terms of a contract. However, business managers are often faced with more complex and real to life ethical dilemmas with no particular clear guidelines whether in religion or law concerning social issues in the organization and balancing and abiding by the obligations of social corporate responsibility and corporate responsibility (Bowie, 2006). As mentioned earlier, the staff must be trained effectively on the developed Code of Ethics. Training and communication, implementation, plan for the role of leadership, and monitoring and enforcing plan are necessary to ensure the staff understands the need of the Code of Ethics in an organization. Code of Ethics would be useless essentially unless staff is trained about it, its functions and roles, and how it practically works. The Code of Ethics will therefore be communicated effectively to the staff and trained on its role and purpose. Implementation would be ensured and effective monitoring through involving staff and ensuring that they feel ownership of the ethics program. This is because, if the nature of the organizational system is not handled properly, honestly and openly it may invite suspicion. Additionally, no matter how up to date and fair the set policies may be, the legal system will always interpret the behavior of employees as the de facto policy. Therefore every staff member must be trained and made aware of and act in complete accordance with procedures and policies. This complete accordance needs effective communication and training about procedures and policies, implementation of the Code of Ethics, monitoring and enforcing the Code of Ethics and leadership (Donaldson, 2005). After effective communication and training of the staff on the Code of Ethics and ensuring implementation, enforcement and monitoring of the ethics program, it is significant to embark on an audit plan to ensure the set Code of Ethics remain in place. The standards for moral and ethical conduct in the form of Code of Ethics developed and implemented in the firm will include: Honesty: I will ensure that everything is done in an open and honest manner. This is because ethical executives are worthy of trust when honest is their communications and actions. Honest executives are forthright, truthful and candid and never mislead or deceive deliberately by overstatements, misrepresentations, partial truths and selective omissions. Therefore I will ensure this value is implemented in my Code of Ethics (Boatright, 2008). Integrity: personal integrity earns trust from other people. This is because integral people demonstrate moral courage, honor, principle, and uprightness. They do what is right and not influenced by pressure from other people. I will hence include integrity in my Code of Ethics. Promise keeping: keeping promises is a way of earning trust. Ethical executives do not unreasonably interpret agreements in order to create justifications for avoiding or escaping their promises. This is hence an important principle I will incorporate in my Code of Ethics. Loyalty: loyalty to organizations justifies trust from people in the organization. Personal loyalty should not be put above the organizational principles. Executives should therefore place high value on advancing and protecting the legitimate and lawful interest of their companies as well as their colleagues (Barth, 2007). Fairness: striving to be just and fair in all business dealings is the aim of ethical executives. They do not take advantage of other people’s difficulties or mistakes and don’t exercise their powers arbitrarily or in indecent or overreaching in order to gain advantage. The executives are committed to equal treatment and justice to all individuals. Therefore I will include this principle in my Code of Ethics. Caring: concern for others is an important trait in the firm. Ethical executives are compassionate, kind, caring and benevolent. They make considerations to business, emotional and financial consequences of their actions and seek to achieve their objectives in the least harmful manner. Respect for others: respect for human autonomy, rights, dignity, privacy, and interests of all the stakeholders are essential in accomplishing the objectives of the business. Hence I will incorporate it in the Code of Ethics. Law abiding: this will ensure that the staff abides by rules, laws and regulations that relate to the business activities (Boatright, 2008) Commitment to excellence: this will ensure that all staff pursues success and excellence in all their duties and endeavor constantly to improve their proficiency. Leadership: this will ensure that the executives remain conscious of the opportunities and responsibilities of their leadership position and aim to be ethical positive role models by own conduct and behavior. Reputation and morale: this will ensure that staff members seek to build an dprotect the good reputation of the company and morale of other employees by avoiding any conduct that may undermine respect. Accountability: this will ensure that employees accept and acknowledge their personal accountability for ethical decisions’ quality and omissions to themselves, the organization, the colleagues and the communities (Barth, 2007). In addition to the above ethical principles I will include in my developed Code of Ethics, I will ensure that all the employees remain trustful, keep an open mind, meet their obligations, have clear documents, involve themselves in community interest, maintain accounting controls, and above all remain respectful. This will ensure that my developed Code of Ethics recognize the significance of business principles and ethics as a measure for accomplishing the desired business outcome. The influence of Code of Ethics will ultimately result into a successful and highly profitable company. Through recognizing the value of implementing the above principles I have included in my Code of Ethics, the success of the organization is not far off (Bowie, 2006). Conclusion In summary, business ethics is applied ethics that assesses just principles and rules within a business context, the numerous ethical or moral challenges that may arise in commercial setting and any other special obligations and duties that apply to people engaged in business. Business ethics helps in making specific judgments about what is wrong, fair or right and make claims on what ought not to be done or done. Business ethics is examined from numerous perspectives such as that of an organization, the employee, and society or community in general. Business people are affected by their immediate colleagues and superiors when making decisions and at times feel pressured to behave in unethical manner when aiming to make profits. However, majority of business people rely on their consciences for decision making and fall back on their own religious and moral backgrounds for guidance. On the other hand, corporate responsibility is a business philosophy that stresses the need for organizations and firms to behave as corporate citizens through conducting their activities of marketing and production in such away to prevent environmental pollution or exploitation as well as obeying the law. This paper has generally developed standards for ethical and moral conduct in the form of a Code of Ethics (Donaldson, 2005). The paper has also reflected upon my own ethical standards and consider from where my values and principles emerged and how they have evolved over time, and made references to the moral philosophy and social issues that affect my approach to the development of this Code of Ethics. References Barth, Steven R. (2007).  Corporate ethics: the business code of conduct for ethical employees, Boston: Aspatore, Boatright, John Raymond. (2008). Ethics and the conduct of business, Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall Bowie, Norman. (2006). Business Ethics, Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice-Hall Donaldson, T. (2005). The Ethics of International Business, New York: Oxford University Press Solomon, Robert C. (2004). Ethics and Excellence, New York: Oxford University Press Read More