How Religion Affects the Human Behavior in Modern Business - Coursework Example

The concept of religion in relation to shaping the behaviour of people in an organisation is sometimes a bit complex and challenging to tackle since there is no universally agreed set of behaviour that constitutes ethical conduct especially in a globalised and apparently secular world. In order t o gain a clear understanding of this phenomenon, it is imperative to begin by explaining some of the key concepts that are central to the debate of ethics in view of globalisation. These include defining ethical values, globalisation as well as secularism as a way of trying to establish how they are interrelated and how they can shape behaviour in a business existing in a globalised economy. Values are described as the “essential and enduring tenets” that help define the company and are “not to be compromised for financial gain or short term expediency,” (DesJardins 2006:5). In general, these can be regarded as the beliefs that incline us to act or to choose in one way rather than the other. There are many types of values which include financial, political, historical as well as religious among others. Particular attention in this case will be paid on religious values and how, they can inform business behaviour in a globalised and apparently secular world. In pursuance of these values in business, much more needs to be said about ethical values which are more concerned with serving the ends of human well being. Essentially, business ethics refers to those values, principles and standards that operate within business and these attempt to make a distinction between something that is morally good from bad (Rossouw 2004). When ethics is applied to business, we tend to consider the implications of economic activity on the interests of all those who are affected by it. In this way, there is a correlation between identifying and implementing standards of conduct that will ensure that business does not negatively impact on the interests of the stakeholders as well as ensuring that the standard of behaviour will enhance the interests of all those affected by business. However, it is common knowledge that different people from different parts of the world have their own religious beliefs but, as a result of globalisation, some of these values are often seen as impacting on how businesses operate. In order to fully understand how the concept of religion can influence business behaviour in a globalised economy, it is imperative to explain what globalisation is. Basically, Globalisation is loosely defined as the economic activity taking place across the national boundaries (Buckman 2004). Globalisation is a result of internationalisation of financial markets which aims to promote free trade as well as direct investment among member states across the world. It liberalised trade where the barriers to trade which used to exist among nations were removed and different countries can engage in free trade. The removal of geographical boundaries means that people from different religious backgrounds can do business in different countries. It should also be noted that each society has got its own religion which is embedded in its cultural values and they ought to be protected. Every person has got a religion and all the people across the globe do have values that are shaped by their culture. It is very important to ensure that the religion of other people is not violated by the foreigners who come to invest in the country as far as ethical values are concerned in the globalised economy. The values of the people shape their way of behavior hence they ought to be safeguarded. The role of business is undoubtedly changing and indeed, globalisation is not new but what has changed is the scope of business organisations, the dramatic increase in private investment which has also seen an increase in some sectors in the need to delicately nurture the social infrastructure (McIntosh and Smith 1999). Some businesses are often challenged more than the others by virtue of trying to establish the stakeholders they would be accountable to. Research has shown that the company that is not in touch with a range of its stakeholders including the customers, communities as well as shareholders is bound to fall. The concept of religion is one very important one in the operations of the organisation in a bid to avoid violation of the people’s norms and values that are often shaped by their religious beliefs. The spread of markets far outpaces the ability of social systems to adjust to them the reason why there is need to create a balance between the need for business to operate effectively and social as well as religious needs of the people in different societies where a business is operating as way of ensuring compliance of the ethical considerations. As a result of globalization, incidents sometimes arise in business where people are no longer certain whether some actions should be considered right or wrong. When people look at the same thing and some would regard it as morally right while others would regard it as morally wrong is one typical example of an ethical dilemma in business. Topical issues that often affect business in a global economy include abortion and homosexuality. In different religions, these issues are treated with mixed reactions where in some cases, there is nothing wrong with the two while in some religions, the practices are condemned in strongest terms they deserve. Another good example of how religion can inform business is related to the aspect of global patterns of consumption of different food. As going to be illustrated in detail below, the concept of religion will be critically analysed in order to establish the extent it can inform business in a global setting. Companies are not charities and in most cases, they would not invest in areas where they would not make profit. Issues such as religion can play a major role in determining the extent to which an organisation can be profitable. Whilst in some instances globalisation is widely seen as opening opportunities for investment and ultimately development in previously disadvantaged countries, a world-wide debate is shaping up: which is better, democracy and secularism (with religious freedom) or religious fundamentalism? (Hite 1999). In terms of morality, religious fundamentalism can be seen as more ideal where the Western secular democracy is seen as a source of immorality and corruption. However, a clear distinction ought to be made between the two so as to be able to establish the extent to which religion can inform business behavior in a globalised world. “Secularism is not an amoral philosophy, it is a development that took the western culture over two centuries to create, combining the ethics of religious tradition with its own new theories of democracy and equality,” (Hiti 1999:18). Thus secularism sought to represent the progression of humanity from a strict hierarchical societal system in which individuals are respected. Secularism encourages tolerance and understanding of the other people around which encourages personal development. For quite a long period, women as treated as people without souls a result of the patriarchal nature of the society that existed before owing to fundamentalist religion. Rationalism and equity are seen as fundamental practices that guide operations of the contemporary organisations. In some instances, religion is used to suppress other people whereas they should also enjoy their freedom regardless of their differences. Secularism is seen as more democratic and open and it stresses that no one should be punished for not agreeing with any one particular religion where as fundamentalism believes that there is one real religion (Hiti 1999). This is more of an ethical system which attempts to balance morality and faith that believing in God and doing something good is a source of blessings and eternal life. This also applies to behavior in business in the contemporary period where secularism suggests that business organisations are obliged to do something that is morally good to the societies they would be operating at large. On the other hand, it can also be noted that religious fundamentalism is more of a political movement than a religious one. It represents the conservative, reactionary wing of Catholicism, Islam and Judhaism (Hiti 1999). However, there are other moderate wings of these religions which are just as holy and religious just like Christianity. On the contrary, the globalised world is often seen as a secular world as a result of the fact that its business structures are designed in the mold that combines the ethics of religious tradition with the new theories of democracy and equality. It can be noted that various multinational companies (MNCs) operate effectively in various parts of the globe regardless of the fact that they would be operating in areas that are comprised with people from different cultural backgrounds that also shape their religious beliefs. The success of these organisations can be attributed to the notion of best practice which is aided by secularism which is accommodative and which also promotes equity and understanding. The notion of best practice is mainly concerned with consistency in the operations of an organisation where stated principles are pursued in a transparent and accountable manner. Best practice entails that the best organisations are the ones that are accountable for their actions and they are also accommodative to different views and ideas. An organisation with policies that are open and accommodative is likely to adapt easily to different social and religious backgrounds. Against this background, it can be noted that the stakeholder approach to business ethics is very important particularly in a secular world. It might be difficult to determine somebody who is right or wrong but the approach used is accommodative which removes the likely chances of an explosive situation. The stakeholder approach is an analytical way of observing and explaining how different constituencies are affected and affect business (Bowie and Duska 1991, cited in Weiss 1994). Underlying this stakeholder approach is the ethical consideration that businesses are obliged to act in the best interests of their stakeholders while at the same time fulfilling their rights. This approach is best in attempting to measure the social and moral responsibility strategies of the managers and outcomes toward other stakeholders. It also informs the management about the ethical status and direction of the company which is seen as a pragmatic way of understanding the moral claims of the host constituencies (Weiss 1994). The best way to appeal to the interests of the people in host countries is to value their beliefs so as to create mutual understanding. This same applies to the employees who also happen to hail from different cultural backgrounds. It becomes relatively easier to effectively manage people from diverse religious backgrounds where their interests are taken into consideration and they are also treated as equal. In most cases, failure to observe or respect the interests of the host constituency is often detrimental to the organisation as there would be a tendency of the local people shunning the organisation as well as the products offered. In this way, it can be noted that the notion of religion plays a role in influencing the behavior of the people operating in a global organisation. The investor is made to behave in a particular way where they will take into consideration the belief system of the local people where they also need to be accommodative to different people from different areas. By virtue of treating each individual as equal, the organisation would have managed to influence the behavior of different people towards the attainment of the same goal. This can be difficult where the fundamental principles are strictly upheld as this does not allow growth with equity. In a secular world, there is nothing that is wrong or punishable where there is a dispute but a compromise is reached to mollify both sides. It is against this background that various MNCs are successfully operating in different parts of the globe including those countries that are emerging from fundamentalist regimes. For instance, the two concepts of homosexuality and abortion are tightly contested in many sectors of the organisation. However, the success of many organisations is that their policies are silent about and individual’s sexual orientation. The aim is not to probe personal attributes like that but to operate meaningfully in a way that ensures that there is a fine balance between the needs of the organisation and the interests of the stakeholders at large. It can be noted that where there is co-existence, there are likely chances of positively influencing behavior change among all the members of an organisation which is something that is recommendable. In some instances, people’s eating habits are determined by their religion. Some food is not allowed in some instances and this is not a contested debate to those organisations which are concerned about the interests of their employees. For instance, there is a special kind of food which is Halaal which should be made available for the sake of those who like it. Any person has a choice of food so at individual level, allowing everyone to enjoy something of his choice is advantageous in that it influences positive behavior change in an organisation. To those MNCs which are into food production and manufacturing, their operations should be guided by the societal requirements where in some cases they would not be allowed by their religions to consume certain kinds of food. This helps build trust between the organisation and the other stakeholders where there would be mutual understanding on the basis that the organisation would be upholding the religious and moral principles of the people in the host country in which they would be operating. Structures should be put in place that would be meant to protect the interests of the local people and the government should take a leading role in spearheading such an initiative. If a multinational organisation fails to observe the values of the local people, it may be difficult to be profitable as there would be other problems related with managing the human resources since there would be some elements within the new value system that would not be compatible with their own culture. Thus, it can be noted that this has a bearing on influencing behavior change among the members of any given organisation. The fundamentalist religion tends to be authoritative and dictatorial in nature where setting up business in countries with die hard believers of this kind of religion is often problematic. In some countries, women are not allowed to wear trousers owing to the harsh belief systems that are imbedded in their religions. Given such a scenario, it becomes very difficult for companies which hail from secular democracies to operate effectively in such a country. This would relegate the women to second class treatment where they are not treated as equal human beings and are often exposed to violent treatment by the behaviour of their male counterparts. In some cases, the religious beliefs of people from a particular region often shape their behaviour even at work places. Religious fundamentalists still believe that women are inferior to man which has seen the rise of sexual harassment lawsuits in some instances which clearly spell out the struggle between the old and new politics. Whilst globalisation sought to liberalise trade and investment among nations across the globe, it can be seen that some religious beliefs act as impediments in promoting this cause. Such behaviour such as the practice of homosexuality is often controversial in different contexts. While in other sections of the globe it is seen as something that is morally good to those who belief in it, it can be noted that it is a punishable offense in other areas as a result of the religious structures they believe in. Many people who hail from western cultures which are more industrialised often see nothing wrong in this practice and in some cases, those who hail from other parts of the globe treat this as sinful behaviour which is a punishable offence by a jail term. It becomes a bit challenging therefore for such organisations which are not very strict about this practice to operate in areas where it is prohibited on the basis of religious beliefs. Over and above, it can be concluded that while the concept of ethics is contested in different circles, religion has a role in informing business behaviour in a globalised and apparently secular world. The concept of secularism encourages tolerance and understanding of the other people around which encourages personal development. It is based on the notion of rationality and equity where all the interests of the stakeholders are taken into consideration regardless of religion or creed contrary to the dictates of fundamentalism. It can be noted that secularism helps promote positive behaviour among all the people who are affected by the operations of an organisation as well as those who affect its operations. Contrary to the dictates of fundamentalism, secularism is often seed as more ideal in informing behaviour of the people especially in a globalised economy. It is based on the notion of mutual understanding and respect for individual rights. Bibliography Barrientos S and Dolan C (2006). Ethical sourcing in the global food system. London. Earthscan. Buckman G (2004), Globalisation: Tame it or scrap it, Zed Books, New York. Bugela M.J. (1996). Living ethics. 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