Reflective Register for Biz Moralities - Report Example

Name Student Id Lecturer’s Name Date My own reflection to the prescribed reading Reading 1: Author; Alzola. Question: Should corporations be morally accountable beyond legal obligations? Justify your response. Comment on how the readings help you in your understanding of business ethics. Corporations should be morally responsible and accountable to the society. The reason behind this is that they are members of the society and should work towards bettering such society. The corporations also have the responsibility to reduce or avoid harm in the society because they have the resources and can avoid the harm without incurring any cost. In scenarios where the corporations have caused harm to an individual or the society should take the responsibility to compensate such individuals. This means that corporations are made to act in a fair and just way to avoiding being forced into compensations. The corporations should work to have a better society because they are members of the society therefore, giving back to them will highly influence their society. This reading has highly helped to understand the roles the companies should have out of their rather the legal ones to the society. It has helped understand corporations are part of the society. Reading 2: Author Banerjee Question: Discuss: Banerjee article, Corporate corruption is widespread, how can CSR and stakeholder theory address such problems? How relevant is global ethics to business? Comment on how the readings help you in your understanding of business ethics. The society always has expectations towards the corporations and these views keep on changing with the current situations. This is known as a contingency model. The corporate social responsibility and stakeholders can help solve the problem of corruption in corporations. The reason behind this is that they set the standards that govern the corporations without the actual application of the law. Though there is diversity in ethics and morals in different societies. The two theories can help solve the problem of corruption because they provide norms, value and morals that should lead the people in the business world in doing what is right and what is wrong. Therefore, companies’ employees will have positive norms so as to avoid corruption. This has helped me to understand the norms provided by the theories. Reading 3: Author Carrol Question: Why is Corporate Social Responsibility important? What moral views inform this? Comment on how the readings help you in your understanding of business ethics. CSR is very important because social responsibility of corporation is giving back to the community part of their profits as a way of appreciating the general public. It can also be said to be a way of making up for the harm the corporation causes to the public in general, this include environmental pollution such as air and water pollution. This means that part of the shareholders earnings it taken away to improve the society surrounding the company. This means that CSR does not entirely represent the will of the shareholders because their primary goal is to make profits. This ensures that the company the corporations contribute to sustainable development in the economy. Ethics in the global context do not differ in anyway and therefore, they are applicable in every society. This has helped to learn and understand that ethics form a very important part in the running of the corporations. Reading 4: Author Visser Question: How has CSR evolved and what are the key challenges organisations faces? Is CSR a viable way to address moral dilemmas’ for business, if so how? If not, why not? Comment on how the readings help you in your understanding of business ethics. CSR has greatly evolved in the recent years because it has widened its scope to include environmental conservation aspects so as to protect environmental pollution. This has made corporations responsible in the activities they undertake. High institutionalization through ISO and SA has also been part of evolvement that the CRS has undergone, although this continuous improvement has failed to incorporate modern emerging issues. This has helped me to understand that CSR is very important to corporations and should not be ignored because they help them in their continued improvement. The reason behind this is that CRS incorporates the needs of the general public. Reading 5; Author Crane etc.. Question: What ethical problems has globalization created for business. Summarise non consequentialist ethical theories (Crane and Matten) Comment on how the readings help you in your understanding of business ethics Ethics of duty This theory focuses on the ethics of duty, in that it shifts focus from consequences to the sense of duty when performing any action. It judges morality by looking at the willingness of the actor, and the nature of the action, not the goals achieved in the end. It also emphasizes respect for people, in that people should not be used or seen as merely as a means to something, but as an end. The reason for shifting from consequences to duties is that human beings cannot control the future, and that people are judged for actions within human control including what they will, not because of their outcome. Rights and Justice Theory Rawls theory of justice is based on fairness, equality and free choice. The theory accepts the Kantian approach, and advocates for rationality acceptable to all, respect for all people as well as the universal notion. He also tries to reach the distributive justice principle acceptable to all rational people. The theory emphasizes equal distribution of resources except in cases where unequal distribution is beneficial to everyone. Reading 6: Author: Howell How does ethical theory and anthropocentric views inform how we view the environment? Highlight key arguments around environmental ethics. Comment on how the readings help you in your understanding of business ethics. The ethical theory and anthropocentric views sate that environment is just like any other resources in the world and should be protected. This should be done by improving the relationship between the humans and the earth resources. This means that human will not see the environmental resources as tools to satisfy their utility but tools that they have an obligation to preserve and protect. This means that the general public has a responsibility to take care of the environment. There are arguments that there is no need to assign human ownership to ecological resources. This reading has helped me to understand that environment is very important and has attracted attention from the United Nations which has assigned human rights to the environment. Reading 7: Author: Parker and Pearson Question: Discuss Parker & Peason in relation to can a corporation have a conscience? Can a corporation be a good corporate citizen under capitalism, justify your response from arguments in the readings. Comment on how the readings help you in your understanding of business ethics. According to this reading a corporation cannot have a conscience because they do not have feelings. The corporations are in the business to make profits. It is stated that social responsibility was unjust and it should be avoided as much as possible for better operations of the business. It is explained that social responsibility of the companies will deal a heavy blow to capitalism because it will reduce their profits. The move of social responsibility will lead to totalitarianism. According to this view the doctrine of business of business is business meaning that the role of corporations should be to increase the value of shareholders value. Reading8 Author: Shaw et al Question: Discuss Shaw et al, in relation to the features of capitalism and the moral challenges facing capitalist economies today? What are the moral justifications of capitalism? Comment on how the readings help you in your understanding of business ethics. According to this view taking care of social responsibility such as social and environmental issues that do not increase shareholders value should not be undertaken. They called taking care of social activities subversive doctrine because it will interfere with the foundation of free society which will interfere with business operations. To capitalists corporations should aim at increasing profit so as to benefit their shareholders. A company taking care of social responsibility will not be competitive in the business because they will reduce their profits and, therefore, they will not increase the value of shareholders wealth. The reason behind this is that the corporations will not be able to reinvest because of increased cost on the social responsibility. Capitalism states that a corporation should increase the shares of those who have invested in the business directly. The value might increase to benefit the investors in the long term. This reading has helped understand other roles of the corporations. References Carey, L. 2013. Business Ethics Managing Values and Corporate Responsibility. Pearson: Frenchs Forrest, Sydney. Carroll, A. 2003. Business & society ethics and stakeholder management (5th ed.). South- Western Publishing Co: Cincinnati Ohio. Crane, A., Matten, D. & Spence, L. (Eds). 2008. Corporate Social Responsibility. Readings and Cases in a Global Context. Routledge: London. Shaw, W., Barry, V. & Sansbury, G. 2009. Moral Issues in business First Asia-Pacific Edition. Cengage Learning: South Melbourne, Aust. Read More