The Business Ethics Unit - Essay Example

Reflection journal Student’s name Professor’s name Course title Date Part A Individual learning. The business ethics unit has equipped me with necessary ethical principles besides equipping me with the techniques of doing ethical business operations. Most influential Firstly, the task of critically examining ethical business operations in organizations has been a useful tool in understanding how organizations undertake their business operations. Additionally, the task enabled me to understand how business organizations act in certain ways and what critically determine their manner of actions. Secondly, the task of critically analyzing the ethical theories to solve business problems enabled me understand the limitation of various ethical theories. Business operations face various challenges that need to be ethically solved (Beauchamp, Bowie, and Arnold, 2012). However, the mode of solving them is bound my ways that have already been documented through established theories. For example, there are a number of theories that have been put across to explain ethics in an organization and what drives ethical actions. For example the utilitarian theory explains the ability of people predict actions. However, this theory has a limitation because in real life situation, at times it is hard to predict the outcome of a certain action. Therefore, the task on theory analysis enabled me to understand the applicability of theories in business decisions. Thirdly the task of solution creation equipped me with techniques of problem analysis and solution recommendations. Problems facing businesses today range from those which are within the control of an organization to those that are without the control of an organization. However, irrespective of the framework, recommending solutions for business problems require professional judgment. Therefore, the tasked enables me to consider ethics in professional judgment. Least influential However, a number of tasks least affected my learning owing to various views held regarding ethics. Firstly the task of forecasting the consequences of unethical behaviours and effects in communities both local and global was least effective in my learning. Forecasting, being a process of making future predictions, is applicable in certain scenarios and inapplicable in others. It is hard to make a prediction of other things, especially making a prediction regarding future consequences of present actions. The concept of forecasting, I believe is best applicable in cases that involve computation other than in ethical matters. Secondly, the task of advocating for ethically, socially and culturally ethical solutions was also least influential in my learning. This is because in as much as it is important to consider factors like cultural background in decision making, at time it proves to be hard. This is because out of the need to achieve organizational objectives, an organization can at times make decisions which can go against the provisions of certain cultures or rather, can’t be accommodated by certain cultures. Part B Being based on the ability to enable students not major in memorizing printed materials but rather equipping students with skills to enable them learn through investigations and research, EBL proved to be instrumental in achieving this. However, I realized that EBL is not actually a technique per se, but it’s rather a process that encourages students’ intellectual engagements besides fostering professional understanding of matters. The Enquiry based Learning Model (EBL) helped me understand business ethics through a number of ways. i. By developing and enhancing my research and communication skills. Besides, it fostered my critical thinking through ability to relate between theoretical concepts and practical application of ethical issues. ii. By enabling me undertake collaboration outside classroom. This is because the unit equipped me with virtues that foster togetherness and collaborations, not only in class but outside the classroom too. iii. By equipping me with problem solving skills and techniques besides enhancing my ability to create solutions and making recommendations on how to solve real life problems. iv. By enabling me to participate in the creation of ideas. This is because EBL model encourages practical application of issues rather than mere memorization of printed materials. Group I contributed a great deal to my group work by undertaking planning requirements and encouraging group members to keep time every other time we scheduled for discussion. However, there are instances where others failed to keep time and I had to understand their explanation. Therefore, I feel i immensely contributed to the group through the development of a plan for them. Regarding my own improvement, I learnt the concept of time keeping and the inclusion of others in decision making because the act is ethical. Part C: Business ethics A moral dilemma happens in a scenario where there are more than two options to choose from, and any action chosen will have a consequence (Stanwick and Stanwick, 2013). Having learned ethics and ethical principles, I feel equipped to undertake ethical practices; a skill I knew little about in the past. The course on ethical principles has equipped me a great deal, to say the least. This precious gain will be demonstrated by a personal story, a scenario where I was in a dilemma, ethical dilemma that is, and didn’t know of a move to take. The ethical or rather moral dilemma I faced is found in the following short narrative. One day, on a Saturday, my friend Ruby and I decided to take a work downtown. We both love shopping and therefore we were determined to do shopping the same day from a favorite store where we would pick our favorite stuff. After finalizing on the day’s activities, we decided it was time to visit the store and do shopping. While walking around the store picking our favorite items, we met my friend Gia. I have always known Ruby to be a naughty girl. While walking as the three of us in the store, Ruby slightly pushed Gia and dropped a pair of gold coated earings into Ria’s purse. While we were walking out of the store heading to the counter to pay, the alarm rang the moment Gia tried to pass through. She never suspected anything because perhaps she had come into the store to window shop and didn’t pick any item in the store. Gia was pulled aside by the security guards because they suspected she had shoplifted items from the store. Upon frisking, the earrings were found in her purse and immediately the security guards called on the police. Her plead that she was innocent went unheard. She really pleaded that she was innocent and that she suspects that Ruby had dropped the hearings on her purse. Out of defense, Ruby calls Ria a liar and asked me to defend her. I knew of a story where Ria had stolen money from the school cafeteria and had gone unpunished. I was in a moral dilemma because I knew if I tell the truth, Ruby, my close friend will be punished by both the police and probably her harsh parents, whereas Ria will be free but will go unpunished for stealing money from the school cafeteria. Similarly, I knew if I don’t tell the truth, Ria will be punished for a crime she never committed and probably she would want to revenge to Ruby. The police arrived and asked me to give them a version of my story. My actions then Because Ruby is my closest friend, I had to lie to the police that it was Ria who actually picked the earrings and that she really deserved to be punished. What my action would have been. After learning ethics and being conversant with ethical principles, I would act differently regarding the case. According to Bok (2002), different ethical theories approach lying differently. For instance, people who follow the consequentialists’ theories have their concerns on the consequences of telling lies, but if telling lies would lead to a better result than telling the truth, according to them, telling a lie is good (Chonko, 2012). I would however not tell a lie because a lie cannot be sensibly made into a principle universally accepted. I would therefore tell the police the truth which would mean my friend Ruby would be punished for her actions, a move she deserves because actions have consequences too. Understanding of ethical theories An understanding of ethical theories and moral reasoning will go a great way in assisting me apply the concepts of business ethics in my future professional practice by: i. Making decisions after considering outcomes - Considering the outcomes of one’s decisions is important, especially in making business decisions. For example, when making a decision regarding which product to produce and how it should be packaged, it is important to consider how customers would react and how the move will affect an organization (VÄYRYNEN, 2006). Besides, considering the customers concerns is important too. This is supported by the understanding of the utilitarian theory. The utilitarian ethical theories are based on an individual’s ability to make a prediction of the consequences of one’s actions. According to the theorist, an action is considered ethical if it benefits many people. Utilitarianism is precisely based on the belief that a person performs an act that is meant to be of benefit to many people, regardless of feelings people have and constraints brought about by law. Utilitarianism therefore considers the law and take fairness as its first consideration. Additionally, utilitarianism seeks to benefit most people, but through means considered fair and friendly. ii. Making decisions considering other people’s background- An organization, being a system is made up of different subsystems. These subsystems represent the various departments that make up the organization. An organization has its subsystems managed or controlled by people of different caliber and backgrounds (Beauchamp, Bowie, and Arnold, 2012). Understanding different people in terms of their cultural backgrounds, belief and norms are important, especially in making decisions because it leads to rational decision making (Dion, 2012). This important technique is what i have learnt in business ethics and is cemented on the theory of relativism. The theory of relativism is based on an individual’s ability to make a decision of whether an action is deemed right on wrong, but guided by moral norms that bind an individual’s culture and society (Ludwig, 2015). Therefore, this explains why an action may be seen to be ethically right in one society and ethically wrong in another society. Contrary to what is believed by Kantian Deontology theorists, relativist theorist belief that universal law is not applicable in determining an acceptable set of maxim (Chonko, 2012). iii. Making decisions based on rights- Decision making is a simple yet a complex technique that requires consideration of a number of factors not limited to human rights. With the help of the rights ethical theory which states that every individual is entitled to human rights acts, I have learnt how to make rightful decisions. Bibliography Beauchamp, T.L., Bowie, N.E. and Arnold, D.G 2012, Ethical theory and business, 9th edn. Boston, Pearson. Bok, S 2002, lying: Moral choice in public and private life, 2nd edn., New York, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Dion, M 2012, ‘Are ethical theories relevant for ethical leadership?’ Leadership & Organization Development Journal, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 4–24. doi: 10.1108/01437731211193098. Chonko, L 2012, Ethical Theories. Available at: http://www.dsef.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/EthicalTheories.pdf (Accessed: 12 October 2016). Ludwig, K 2015, ‘The sources of relativism’, Ethics, vol. 126, no. 1, pp. 175–195. doi: 10.1086/682185. Stanwick, P.A and Stanwick, S 2013, Understanding business ethics, 2nd edn., Thousand Oaks, CA., SAGE Publications. VÄYRYNEN, P 2006, ‘Ethical theories and moral guidance’, Utilitas, 18(03), pp. 291-309. doi: 10.1017/s0953820806002056. Read More