Forms of Effective Communications - Case Study Example

Issues of Sustainability  Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Main issues of sustainability as detailed in the Wells supplementary text Organizations and businesses working to maintain sustainability will seek to ensure relevant stakeholders concern and sustainable issues are well understood and acted upon. Many issues of sustainability are very complex. It is therefore, recommended for the organizations to work within relevant stakeholders in order to understand these issues especially if they are relevant to the organization. One of the major issues that enhance sustainability in organizations is ethics in communication (Woiceshyn, 2011). This is enhanced by ensuring good marketing, public relations, advertising, and other forms of effective communications that shows sustainability of values and ethics. Ethics of communication is a virtue that declares the increment of profit as the social sustainability of a business. Corporate officers lack any obligation to support social issues. Social issues referred to in this context are the likes of hiring the unemployed and reducing pollution beyond what the law requires of them. Economists state that the sole task of an organization should be limited to profit maximization for stakeholders. This is, however, subject to laws that ensure free and open competition without fraud or deception. Hence, it follows that marketing, operations management and finance are ethical instructions needed for career in business. According to Wilhelm and Czyzewski, activities such as sponsoring social organizations and supporting arts are not a mandate. However, they are justifiable when they improve an organization's image. This is on the ground that, a good image is a promise of a long-term profitability and sustainability of the business (Wilhelm & Czyzewski, 2012). 2. Ethical Behavior in a management context and in line with course contents Ethical behaviors are principles that govern operations in an organization. The principles promote good values such as trust, kindness, fairness and good behaviors. To have a smooth running in an organization, ethical guidelines that favor its objectives should be formulated. When people working in an organization conform to Business Ethics and Virtue Ethics, they increase their likelihood of achieving their goals and objectives. In order to be successful, businesses need to espouse virtues that are based on reality. Business and Virtue Ethics provide a context of strategic plans and tactics of attaining the stated mission and goal in a business (Ferrell, Thorne & Ferrell, 1998). Various scholars in their different articles have explored the significance of Business Ethics and Virtue Ethics. They have identified how virtues and values have been translated into social responsibilities in organizations. They have also indicated that virtues facilitate successful cooperation and management that enables the companies and organizations to run successfully (Collins, 2009). One of the examples of non ethical behavior in organization that demean their objectives is conflict of interest. This is a situation whereby business administrators lack transparency and accountability about objectives of the organization and other individuals. Their roles lead them to making inappropriate decisions that highly affects an organization negatively.   3. Types of organizational controls and systems found in contemporary management Organization control and systems are management roles that are tailored towards attaining goals and objectives in an organization. Organizations should, therefore, enhance effective control systems that share common characteristics with their objectives. There are several organization control are highly required in a business to enhance its success, some of these are concurrent control. This is a situation whereby management takes the initiative of monitoring ongoing activities of their employees in order to enhance consistency of quality work. This control relies on rules, performance, and regulations that guide employees’ activities. Feedback control is another type of organization control that review information in order to endure an organization meets its established goals. It allows organizations to monitor their profits on monthly basis to ensure profit maximization goals are reached. On the other hand, there are various types of organization control systems which include; availability of the required information. This is a situation whereby an organization provides the needed information on projects required in an organization as well as their cost. Another type of organization control systems is focusing of the main points by the management. This is enhanced by addressing areas in an organization that highly leads to the success of the business. Lack of good organizational control and systems leads to rise of moral issues between employees and employers (Aultman, 2008). These issues include discrimination, harassment and underpayment of the employees. All these are business practices that have raised controversies in the society concerning good ethics. Many businesses all over the world engage in decisions and practices that favor their goal of maximizing profit and minimizing cost. 4. Compare and contrast the Contingency approaches to leadership, giving examples to illustrate.  Contingency approach to leadership is a style that deals with finding the best match between situations and their role. Contingency theory of leadership states that successful leadership is a function of various contingencies in form of tasks and other variables. Effectiveness of various patterns of leadership’s behaviors is a contingent imposed by situations. Therefore, different styles of leaderships are caused by different situations in an organization. Contingency theory indicates that leadership styles can be relationship motivated or task motivated. Leadership motivated leaders are leaders that are highly concerned with developing close relationship with their employees and other subordinate staffs in an organization. Therefore, leader- member relationship refers to atmosphere in an organization that increases loyalty, confidence, and attraction of workers to their leaders (Arel, Beaudoin & Cianci, 2012). On the other hand, task motivated leaders are leaders that are mainly concerned with attaining objectives and goals in an organization. These goals are primarily maximizing profit and minimizing cost. Task structure of these leaders refers to the requirement of clear tasks that need to be accomplished within a stipulated time. This is by demonstrating clear paths to success of the business. The contrast between contingency approaches to leadership is that they show their effectiveness in various situations (Collins, 2009). This is because they always focus on their orientation regardless of whether conditions are favorable or unfavorable to them. 5. Organizational change that move organization from a product to customer oriented If I had the responsibility to oversee organizational change that would move the organization from product to customer oriented I would enhance professionals and management staffs that portray moral courage and understand their roles and responsibilities in their workplace. This is because moral courage is the foundation upon which ethical actions are based in professions. In a case of managers who are morally responsible have capabilities of recognizing and responding to unethical values in order to provide quality services to their customers. The foundations of quality services and responsibilities are guided by codes of ethics in their profession. Familiarity of these practices will allow managers and other subordinate workers in an organization to question actions and practices in their workplaces which they believe does not work to the interest of their customers (Lachman, 2009). Ethical principles and profession codes of ethics are important in guiding actions that are sufficient in providing better services to customers in an organization. This is because moral ideas are required so as to facilitate individual’s obligations in their workplace. In addition, managers should have moral commitment that makes them offer quality services to their customers. This can be enhanced through holding virtues such as compassion, faithfulness, love and sympathy in their working environment. Therefore, managers who perform their duties under moral courage are always committed to the welfare of their customers regardless of their individual’s risk. Additionally, responsibilities of morally courageous managers are to ensure success of their customers as well as that of the organization. They offer all these services despite ethical problems they encounter in their workplace (Lynton & Lyndall, 2000). 6. What management entails Management in organizations or business entities entails board of directors who are entrusted by shareholders with responsibilities of running the business because they have the required expertise. Management should hire temporary workers and upgrade old machines in the firm in order to lower cost of input. Additionally, they should also ensure the optimal parts kept in the shelf have the capacity to sustain demand in the product market and give optimal profit. It is agreed in all business circles that firm’s management should also look over shareholders’ interest. This is in an effort to maximize shareholders’ value by engaging in decisions that that facilitate rise of value and economic growth of the firm (Arel, Beaudoin & Cianci, 2012). In order to have an efficient financial and product market, stock prices should be addressed because it holds the present and future information of the firm. This implies that great performance of firm’s managements should be focused and reflected in price stock. Therefore, every decision made by the management should address stock prices of the firm in the financial market. This is in an effort to maximize profits thus reflecting to the growth of the economy. In addition, the management should embark on decisions that lower cost of the input in a firm. This is in an effort to increase profit margin, which is achieved when cost of inputs is lower while stock prices increases (Wilhelm & Czyzewski, 2012). References Arel, B., Beaudoin, C., & Cianci, A. (2012). The Impact of Ethical Leadership, the Internal Audit Function, and Moral Intensity on a Financial Reporting Decision. Journal of Business Ethics, 109 (3), 351-366. Aultman, J. (2008). Moral Courage Through a Collective Voice. American Journal of Bioethics , 8 (4), 67-69. Collins, D. (2009). Essentials of Business Ethics: Creating an Organization of High Integrity and Superior Performance. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Ferrell, O. C., Thorne, L. D., & Ferrell, L. (1998). The Federal Sentencing Guidelines for Organizations: A Framework for Ethical Compliance. Journal of Business Ethics, 17 (4), 353-363. Lachman, V. (2009). Ethical Challenges in Health Care: Developing Your Moral Compass. New York: Springer Publishing Company. Lynton, J. S., & Lyndall, T. M. (2000). Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility. Stamford: Cengage Learning. Wilhelm, W. J., & Czyzewski, A. B. (2012). Ethical Reasoning Instruction In Undergraduate Cost Accounting: A Non-Intrusive Approach. Academy of Educational Leadership Journal, 16 (2), 131-142. Woiceshyn, J. (2011). A Model for Ethical Decision Making in Business: Reasoning, Intuition, and Rational Moral Principles. Journal of Business Ethics, 104 (3), 311-323. Read More