Business Ethics - Personal Statement Example

Business Ethics Moral principles that regulate people’s behaviors at individual levels and at group levels define ethics. The principles are essential to business environments. The principles also apply to organizations and identify those things that are considered right and those that are considered wrong for organizations and people. They further offer a basis for knowing whether an organization is moral, based on its actions as an entity or on actions of its employees. I, in this paper, discuss my understanding of a moral corporation by defining it and explaining my understanding about it.

My Strategy to Define a Moral Corporation I understand a moral corporation as an institution that is morally sensitive and operates in such a way that its decisions and actions are ethical. Therefore, I can define an ethical corporation from two perspectives: identifiable features of a corporation through implementation of ethical principles in its operations and sensitivity to ethical theories. The principles and theories would form bases from which I can evaluate an organization for morality.

Honesty, or the level of truthfulness of an organization, is one of the ethical principles that define morality. An organization that is truthful in its operations would therefore be regarded a moral corporation. Honesty can be realized in the organization’s interactions with its external stakeholders such as its customers, suppliers, competitions, immediate society, and its regulators. A level of honesty to define a moral corporation can also be realized from an organization’s honest dealings with its employees such as in recruitment, promotion and even in disciplinary actions.

I would also define a moral corporation from an organization’s fairness to the people with whom it interacts. Fairness is the ability to treat people in an equitable manner and without any form of discrimination. It is significant to an organization’s interaction with its employees and potential employees through human resource processes such as recruitment, selection, and promotion of employees. I would then define an organization that is fair in its dealings as a moral corporation. I would also use the doctrine of integrity to define a corporation’s morality.

Integrity defines the ability to remain steadfast and not compromise ethical expectations. I would explore the doctrine in organizations’ approach to formulating and implementing policies and in determining adherence to moral values. An example of policies that I would use to define a moral corporation through the doctrine of integrity is decisions on employee remuneration issues in which I would explore sensitivity to economic environments. I would also define a moral corporation through evaluation of a corporation’s level of transparency, and an organization that operates on the doctrine would be considered moral.

I would then evaluate incorporation of these doctrines in an organization’s operations towards definition of morality. Since morality is absolute and fixed on established moral values in a society, I would define a moral corporation as an incorporated organization that observes all of the ethical principles. Another strategy that would be used to define a moral corporation is through exploration of organizations’ incorporation of ethical theories in their operations and decisions. I would use three ethical theories in this strategy: utilitarianism theory, deontology, and virtue ethics.

In using utilitarian ethics, I would evaluate organizations’ decisions and actions with focus on their consequences to different stakeholders. I would then define an organization whose decisions and actions maximize benefits to a wider section of the society as a moral corporation. My definition of a moral corporation would also consider deontology’s provisions for adherence to established moral principles in a society. Based on deontology theory, my definition of a moral corporation would identify one that incorporates ethical values in its dealings.

Similarly, my definition of a moral corporation would consider character traits that an organization’s members demonstrate in their interactions with other members of the society. My definition would focus on top management personnel because of their roles in making an organization’s important decisions and their scope of work in which they interact with many stakeholders within their organizations and outside the organizations. The approach to the definition will also focus on members of organizations’ top leadership teams because these members normally act as agents to the organizations.

The leader’s actions are assumed to represent actions of the organizations. Identifiable good character traits among members of management teams would therefore define a moral corporation. My Understanding About a Moral Corporation My understanding of a moral corporation involves impacts of the type of corporation on its environment and itself. Such effects are manifested through the concept of corporate social responsibility that defines initiatives for improving welfare of the society that falls within a corporation’s environment.

Such initiatives aim at ensuring sustainability of the organization’s activities. A moral corporation’s decisions and actions that incorporate the ethical principles and theories define corporate social responsibility whose impacts are benefits to the society and an improved corporate image for the moral organization. Decisions that are based on utilitarian ethics, for example, involve actions that benefit the society. An example is a decision by a manufacturing company to recycle its waste products or to treat its wastes before disposal, an initiative that saves the society from negative impacts of such wastes if they were disposed in the community’s environment without proper treatment.

Development initiatives for improving welfare of members of the society are another aspect of corporate social responsibility that is derived from utilitarian theory and ethical principles of fairness and integrity. My understanding of a moral corporation also involves a better image that it develops among members of the society. Observation of ethical principles and theory towards fair and just treatment of stakeholders and well-being of the society identifies organizations’ concerns and interest in the society, and this develops a bond between organizations and the society and esteems an organization’s image.

Conclusion Business ethics is fundamental to regulating corporate practices through moral obligations. A moral corporation is an incorporated organization that obeys ethical principles and operates by ethical theories. I would therefore define a moral corporation from their decisions and operations based on ethical principles and theories. My understanding about moral corporations is the effects of their decisions and actions that identify social corporate responsibility.