Analysis of Former IBM Employee Launches $1,1million Sex-Pest Action Article - Assignment Example

Business Ethics Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Summary of the article Marrianne Bett’s article “Former IBM Employee Launches $1.1million Sex-Pest Action” published in Herald Sun magazine on 15th April 2011 was a great shocker to the corporate world. It was an awakening story that came to record as one of the most extreme cases of sexual harassment. This is given the fact that the victim, an employee with IBM, had reported about her continued harassment to four of the company’s managers. However, no action had been taken against the senior in question. It was alleged that she had been harassed both verbally and physically. The lady in question had been harassed both publicly during the Christmas office party and even at the workplace. She alleges that the senior executive went as far as calling her late at night and threatened her. He is also believed to have used abusive language and is quoted to have said that she would make more sales of she were to remove her breasts out. He also rubbed himself against her. The senior executive also bullied her at work and was heard calling her ‘stupid.’ It is also believed that he made awkward demands at the workplace. The lady employee had no option but to resign from her job. This is because she could not take the harassment any more. It was then that she sued IBM for not taking any actions against the senior executive for sexually abusing her. She sued the company for a sum of $1.1million. Ethical issues Business ethics are the moral values that are accepted in the corporate world. All businessmen and corporations have an obligation to abide by these values. This ensures that there is no conflict between the players in the market. It also ensures that any conflict arising have a defined solution. It is business ethics that enhance respect while competitors face each other. Business ethics are generally the morally accepted values in the society. They define the conduct of both the individuals working in firms and the firms themselves as the entities. Failure to abide to the stipulation of business ethics could cause one to be sued. This ensures that they pay the damages accrued to their act or the injunctions as stated by a court of law. It is extremely crucial that individuals and firms abide to business ethics. This is because violation of these ethics could ruin the reputation that they hold. Consequently, this implies that they could lose their market share as their good will deteriorates. Violation of business ethics leads to ethical issues. This is because thy amount to disagreements. It is also attributed to the fact that they could lead to collision among the players in the market. Ethical issues are clear and not confusing. They are independent of other issues in the organization. This result from violation of moral issues and ethics accrued to the society. In the case involving the lady employee at IBM, several ethical issues are identifiable. The sexual harassment against the lady employee was against both the business code of ethics and the moral code of ethics. This is because he was taking advantage of his superiority at the company to issue continuous threats. It was also unethical when he publicly harassed and embarrassed her in front of her colleagues. His continued body contact with her was unethical. This is because he did so against his wish. Lifting her clothes and abusing her was unethical. This implied that the executive had violated the provisions of both codes of ethics. This was now an ethical issue that affected the reputation of IBM. This is because he was a representative of the company and all his actions directly affected the company. The fact that the lady employee reported the unethical behavior to the management but was ignored is unethical. This is because the managers had a responsibility to ensure that ethical stewardship was maintained in the company. Ethical stewardship, leadership and trustworthiness go hand in hand. A good leader is one who is ethical and trustworthy. Such a leader is goal-oriented and many re the times he achieves his set goals and objectives. Discussion Team leaders have great influence on the members. This implies that it is necessarily for these leaders to be credible and trustworthy. This will ensure that the team feels secure under that leadership. This can only be achieved through the continued conformity to ethical standards. Eventually, respect will be earned and efficiency in the performance of duties and responsibilities will be enhanced. Gradually, the organization will be reaping the benefits as the goals of optimization are achieved. The managers in IBM had a responsibility to ensure that they enhanced ethical stewardship. They also had a responsibility to ensure that they got to the root of the matter and find out whether the allegations were true or unfounded. They also had a responsibility to ensure that their employees were ethical in their undertakings. An organization needs to ensure that they recruit people who have good personal ethics. This will ensure that the same is transferred in their work. As a result, they will be able to abide business ethics. This needs to be the case especially for the management. This is because they are the leaders who are to be emulated by their subordinates. This is as provided by the concept of ethical stewardship. (Kaptein 1998, pp 89). In any organization, there are leaders who are incorporated in the management of the firm. They have the responsibility to carry out the managerial functions effectively and efficiently. They should be in a position to implement their leadership skills in performance of their duties and responsibilities. Leadership and management may appear to have the same meaning, but this is not the case. For effective management, one requires leadership skills in order to gain confidence and trust from the people served. As the proverbs goes, unity is strength”, the same applies to people working together in achieving the same goal. A good and successful leader should also be decisive in his entire decision making process. This goes hand in hand with self confidence even in the most difficult situations. This helps to instill confidence in the subordinates even when things are tough. A leader should also exercise humility and should occasionally take some time off to socialize with his followers in order to maintain a good working relationship with them. He should be able to work under pressure as showing any signs of weakness to his competitors would negatively impact the progress of the firm. A good leader will have some interest in the happenings both inside and outside so that they can effectively analyze the competition. By failing to ensure that actions were taken against the executive who was harassing the lady employee, the managers failed to effectively perform their managerial functions. This implied that the bore the consequences of the effects that this harassment would have on the employee. To the extent that the lady had to resign, they were the reason as to why she was not in a position to earn income any longer. Trust should also be built between seniors and juniors. This is especially so because of delegation of duties. A manager, for example, should trust his juniors so as to be able to delegate duties to them. This will enhance his fulfillment of his directing function in a firm. Juniors should be trustworthy. This ensures that they always act in the best interest of the company. By doing so, they work together towards achievement of the set goals and objectives. Enhancing trust in an organization helps the individuals in their quest to abide to business ethics. Trustworthy individuals always ensure that they accomplish the set goals and objectives in a firm. Studies have indicated that leaders who are termed as being ethical stewards tend to have committed followers. This is because the leader earns trust in the employees and they follow whatever choices he or she makes. This implies that all leaders should implement ethical stewardship form of governance in order to achieve the set goals and objectives. It has also been noted that successful team leaders are those who are ethical stewards. This is because leaders have a great impact on the direction and general perception of the team members or followers. (Bowie & Freeman 1992, pp 156). Ethical stewardship, leadership and trustworthiness go hand in hand. A good leader is one who is ethical and trustworthy. Such a leader is goal-oriented and many re the times he achieves his set goals and objectives. Team leaders have great influence on the members. This implies that it is necessarily for these leaders to be credible and trustworthy. This will ensure that the team feels secure under that leadership. This can only be achieved through the continued conformity to ethical standards. Eventually, respect will be earned and efficiency in the performance of duties and responsibilities will be enhanced. Gradually, the organization will be reaping the benefits as the goals of optimization are achieved. The ethical issues identified in the case of IBM affect both the primary and secondary stakeholders. This is because the company is bound to incur numerous losses due to the good will lost as a result of the scandal. It is also bound to incur losses in terms of the employees who are likely to accept certain positions in the company. This is because of the fact that they could be afraid of being subjected to similar treatment by their superiors. This implies that they could lose experienced potential employees because of the scandal. Also, if the company loses the case, it is bound to incur a huge loss in terms of damages amounting to $1.1million. The case of IBM is an indication of the moral decay that is existent in the society. It also shows the kind of difficulties that female employees are likely to be subjected to because of the masculinity stereotype that they are superior. I am of the opinion that such immoral and unethical behavior should not be tolerated either in the workplace or anywhere else. In the case of the manger who took no action against the executive, they should be summoned. Companies should also ensure that they run competency tests from time to time so as to ensure that they are efficient and effective. References Kaptein, P. 1998. Ethics management: auditing and developing the ethical content of organizations. Springer, New York:. Bowie, N. & Freeman, E. 1992. Ethics and agency theory: an introduction. Oxford University Press, New York. Read More

It is also attributed to the fact that they could lead to collision among the players in the market. Ethical issues are clear and not confusing. They are independent of other issues in the organization. This result from violation of moral issues and ethics accrued to the society. In the case involving the lady employee at IBM, several ethical issues are identifiable. The sexual harassment against the lady employee was against both the business code of ethics and the moral code of ethics. This is because he was taking advantage of his superiority at the company to issue continuous threats.

It was also unethical when he publicly harassed and embarrassed her in front of her colleagues. His continued body contact with her was unethical. This is because he did so against his wish. Lifting her clothes and abusing her was unethical. This implied that the executive had violated the provisions of both codes of ethics. This was now an ethical issue that affected the reputation of IBM. This is because he was a representative of the company and all his actions directly affected the company.

The fact that the lady employee reported the unethical behavior to the management but was ignored is unethical. This is because the managers had a responsibility to ensure that ethical stewardship was maintained in the company. Ethical stewardship, leadership and trustworthiness go hand in hand. A good leader is one who is ethical and trustworthy. Such a leader is goal-oriented and many re the times he achieves his set goals and objectives. Discussion Team leaders have great influence on the members.

This implies that it is necessarily for these leaders to be credible and trustworthy. This will ensure that the team feels secure under that leadership. This can only be achieved through the continued conformity to ethical standards. Eventually, respect will be earned and efficiency in the performance of duties and responsibilities will be enhanced. Gradually, the organization will be reaping the benefits as the goals of optimization are achieved. The managers in IBM had a responsibility to ensure that they enhanced ethical stewardship.

They also had a responsibility to ensure that they got to the root of the matter and find out whether the allegations were true or unfounded. They also had a responsibility to ensure that their employees were ethical in their undertakings. An organization needs to ensure that they recruit people who have good personal ethics. This will ensure that the same is transferred in their work. As a result, they will be able to abide business ethics. This needs to be the case especially for the management.

This is because they are the leaders who are to be emulated by their subordinates. This is as provided by the concept of ethical stewardship. (Kaptein 1998, pp 89). In any organization, there are leaders who are incorporated in the management of the firm. They have the responsibility to carry out the managerial functions effectively and efficiently. They should be in a position to implement their leadership skills in performance of their duties and responsibilities. Leadership and management may appear to have the same meaning, but this is not the case.

For effective management, one requires leadership skills in order to gain confidence and trust from the people served. As the proverbs goes, unity is strength”, the same applies to people working together in achieving the same goal. A good and successful leader should also be decisive in his entire decision making process. This goes hand in hand with self confidence even in the most difficult situations. This helps to instill confidence in the subordinates even when things are tough. A leader should also exercise humility and should occasionally take some time off to socialize with his followers in order to maintain a good working relationship with them.

He should be able to work under pressure as showing any signs of weakness to his competitors would negatively impact the progress of the firm.

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