Framework of ethics - Essay Example

Framework of Ethics 17th, June Business organizations affect lives of people, and the natural environment in the areathey operate. Most companies today operate in the international markets, which are highly diverse. They also strive to grow economically, and use high-level technologies, which have various effects. These factors make companies today experience ethical dilemmas and ecological issues. However, business ethics is important to these companies, as their adoption of frameworks of ethics helps to address their ethical and ecological dilemmas.

There are different types of ethical frameworks, which companies can adopt. Structural and behavioral organizational ethics can be measured with a variety of models such as Six Sigma, Balanced Scorecard, and the Triple Bottom Line. These apply differently, as they comprise different components. This essay focuses on the Six Sigma model and Triple Bottom Line model, and how a company can use these to enhance ethics and business performance. The triple bottom line model incorporates three spheres of performance; including financial, social, and environmental performance (Slaper & Hall, n.d). Therefore, a company focuses on its profits, environmental sustainability, and protection of future generations.

The bottom line model can help boost company performance, and help in ethical decision-making. It is the role of the relevant managers in the company to integrate this model into the company’s ethics program. First, the managers track the records of company’s profits. Secondly, they evaluate their responsibilities in the company, as far as environmental sustainability is concerned. This is by taking note of the specific effects the company has on the environment. Furthermore, these ensure that the company is committed to the community in which it operates.

The triple bottom line might help in ethical decision-making in areas of deciding on water usage, waste management, energy consumption, and selection of raw materials by a company (Slaper & Hall, n.d). An example of companies using this model is the Body Shop International. This company focuses highly on its social responsibility. From this, it has earned continued success. Body Shop International deals with cosmetics. This ensures the promotion of its environmental causes through literature and posters.

In order to give back to the society, the company engages its staff in volunteer work in the community. Additionally, for the environment’s sake, Body Shop International plants trees regularly, as a way of safeguarding the environment. This ethical framework has had positive effects on this company, as per today, the company has become successful and opened stores worldwide (FMLINK, 2013). The Six Sigma model involves analysis of different methods in a company to determine their effectiveness in reducing defects in different spheres of the company.

This is through five major processes: defining project goals, measuring the process to determine present performance, analyzing and determining cause of defects, improving the process by eliminating defects and their sources, and controlling future process performance (Esposto, n.d). The main goal is to ensure perfect services, products, and company operations. After applying this model, the methods discovered to be ineffective are replaced with methods that are more effective. However, only qualified professionals can implement this in a company, and these include the Six Sigma Black Belts and the Six Sigma Green Belts.

Six Sigma is highly capable of boosting the performance of a company, and helping in ethical decision-making process in a company. This model applies to a company’s ethical program through commitment to clients, fiscal integrity, and strong commitment of employees to their profession and the public. Commitment to clients involves dealing with clients in a respectful and honest manner, and in a competent manner. Fiscal integrity involves the company maintaining honesty in its financial reporting and financial dealings with its clients, including individuals and other companies.

This way, employees avoid any kind of deception, which might jeopardize the integrity of the company. Adopting this model results in improvement of business processes of a company. However, much emphasis is put on the employees, as these highly influence the business processes, therefore, must uphold the highest level of professionalism, integrity, and ethics. Different companies have adopted the Six Sigma model in their operations, and turned out to be successful. For instance, General Electric Company has adopted the Six Sigma model since the year 1995 and continues to utilize it.

General Electric today remains one of the most successful companies, and it is estimated to have made returns of approximately $10 billion, during the five years of adopting this model. General Electric employs Six Sigma in all its departments. Employees are expected to focus not only on the company processes, but also on how the operations of the company affect customers. Whenever some company processes are deemed ineffective, these are replaced, and employees are expected to adhere and adapt to new processes (Goldberg, 2007).

Conclusively, it is important for a company to uphold ethics, as this is an important factor, which influences the success of the company. Therefore, a company should consider its internal and external environment, as these determine its reputation and longevity. A company and its employees should prioritize and treat its customers and other stakeholders in a dignified manner. Nonetheless, the Six Sigma and triple bottom line models are effective in helping a company to uphold ethics, improve its performance, and help in ethical decision-making process.

Companies such as the Body Shop International and General Electric have adopted either of these models, and experienced positive results. Therefore, it is important that every company adopts a framework of ethics, as this boosts the overall standing of the company. References Esposto, F. (n.d). Six Sigma Basics. Retrieved from http://www.usccg.com/ref/pdfs/USCWhitepaperSixSigma.pdf FMLINK (2013). Ethics and the Triple Bottom Line. Retrieved from http://www.fmlink.com/article.cgi?type=How%20To&title=Ethics%20and%20the%20Triple%20Bottom%20Line&pub=BOMI%20International&id=31173&mode=source Goldberg, M. (2007). How GE Uses Six Sigma to Drive Security ROI.

Retrieved from http://www.cio.com/article/117650/How_GE_Uses_Six_Sigma_to_Drive_Security_ROI Slaper, T. & Hall, T. (n.d). The Triple Bottom Line: What Is It and How Does It Work? Indiana Business Review. Retrieved from http://www.ibrc.indiana.edu/ibr/2011/spring/article2.html