Persons Capacity for Understanding Himself - Research Paper Example

 A person’s capacity for understanding himself and his capacity to correlate this with his interactions determines his relationships. Our moral foundations guide us in every decision that needs to be done. Ethical behavior is established based on a number of things. No longer are businesses guided by the evils of capitalism, they must also adhere to the calls of society to promote the general welfare of more people. In this understanding, businesses are faced with the concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility, moral behavior and ethical standards in how they conduct business. The duty of businesses and individuals, and people in particular, as human beings should be able to guide them into a path that is not solely profit-oriented but also advantageous to more people and most especially to the care of the environment and its concurrent preservation and protection. We are judged in a number of ways and for a number of reasons. Gaus (1999), in his book ‘Social Philosophy,’ presents an interesting scenario that differentiates value judgment from moral judgment. Though Alf, a store clerk, we have a tangible example on how people put judgment on other people. Betty who also works with Alf calls on his flitting behavior and the prospect of a better life other than eating pizza at the store. This is value judgment because she seeks to alter the behavior of Alf into something that is and desirable. Then we have Charlie who saw Alf taking $10 from Doris’s wallet. Immediately, Charlie places a moral judgment on Alf telling him directly what he did was wrong. He was not enticing him into action, he was imposing on Alf that he is liable for his deeds based on what is right. This is a teleological approach which is the most common that we do. We have in one way or another experienced being the subject of moral and/or value judgment. In the same way, that we might have forced it on other people. In this age most of what we do is influenced by value judgment. We study because we want a better life. We are predisposed to the belief that a good education is a key to a successful life. Our diploma, in the way that it is regarded, is an access to a life of monetary fulfillment and a tool in our hopes of achieving the prospect of a rewarding career. It also yields the opportunity to also one day provide for our family. Such is the cycle of life that an economy hopes to achieve. The value of self-worth as exhibited in the hierarchy of needs is the summit of contentment that Abraham Maslow concedes. Our parents, which personally reins true, encourages us to study because it is best tool that is plausible to achieve that guarantees a better life for us. Finishing secondary education is good; it more or less gives us a chance at a blue collar job. Having a college degree is even better. It opens up doors for us especially in this current economic situation where everyone must learn to assert for himself. There is always an opportunity and it is always up for grabs so one must to fit in the requirements that ensue. We all hope to be one day become part of the corporate world and in order to do that we must follow steps if we want to ensure that it recognizes us. Nobody wants to become Alf. Who is stuck in a dead-end job eating pizza all day with no clear goals for the future and lives one day at a time. In more than once in our life we have also experienced passing on moral judgment or may have been subject to one. Whenever we see scandals in the news or television, we have already set our minds in how we take them. Being right supersedes the humiliation of being wrong. When we are in the opposite end of the equation, placing blame is easier said and done. But when we are on the receiving end, it becomes harder to be accepting of our actions and it becomes even harder if there is such a need for vindication. When we are younger we were guided by what our parents taught us to be good and to refrain from what is bad. Our moral foundations was established when we were younger by authority figures that guided us from the beginning. Their moral aptitude becomes our own. This is why there are some providers of higher education that no longer teach ethics. It is based on the belief that this is inane in us as individuals and it can no longer be taught once a particular age is reached. Thus, if we had weak moral foundations from influential people in our lives it would most likely follow that we’ll be the same. This induces us to consider that there is much truth that children will emulate what they see in elders. Capitalism and its Effects The open market capitalism that prevails that prevails in the current economy gives rise to ethical questions that executives face. Because of the yearning for profit which supersedes all other precedents, businesses tend to become greedy and opt to compromise people and the environment in order for more revenue. This becomes the case for most of the scenarios that shows how corporations subordinate the common good for monetary gain. Much like the Ford Pinto Scandal, these ethical questions gravely affect the authorities that decide on the course the company takes. This is why there have been so many scandals and lawsuits which have been filed against large corporations who deliberately take advantage of their position at the expense of the public’s unawareness. The Ford Pinto was a popular subcompact car introduced in 1971. It was released massively in the United States and Canada to impede the progressing popularity of foreign-made cars. Later on it was exposed that Ford knew that the car could be a deathtrap as it could easily be set on fire because of its substandard design in its fuel tank and rear when a collision happens. The automotive giant figured that it would cost much less if they ignore this major glitch and pay for the insurance should an incident happen (Bizcovering, 2008). Instead of recalling the units and replacing them after they have rightfully corrected the inaccuracy they decided to not only continue with misrepresenting the product but sold the product as is. The lawsuits that could arise from the slipup were computed to be much cheaper than the insurance premiums that the victims could claim including the lawsuits that they file. This is the primary downside of capitalism, as stakeholder’s benefit is placed above all else. The Possibility for Convergence When corporations act with such disregard for the general good, it becomes apparent that business is as they say ‘business as usual’ which is why there is the connotation that corporations are evil in nature. This should not be the case as any business is formed not by inanimate and emotionless machines but by people. Being such, people are governed not by their pockets but by their emotions. These emotions could arise from rationality and vice versa which simply means that being governed by emotions does not necessarily mean that it does not involve reason. What this implicates is the fact where it figures that these two factors could merge and provide a form of synchronicity. The basic idea is that when we are run by emotions, it subordinates rationality and thus we act incongruously. This means that passion equates to illogicality. If let’s say that if one is of the conviction that environment protection should be above everything else then everything that could affect it, no matter to what extent, should be hindered. Let’s say for example an ocean park-type theme park which features animals as their main attraction. It is not a secret that animal activists protest such places because they consider the caging of the marine animals as cruelty to animals. But at the same time, no one can deny that these places provide jobs to hundreds of people and also a different experience to visitors who do not have direct access to a wild encounter with such animals. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is among these groups that oppose the exploitation of animals in marine parks. One of their concerns is that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) no longer have authority since 1994 over the Swim with the Dolphins (SWTD) attractions worldwide. This has been displaced to the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s jurisdiction. The HSUS affirm that the capture of marine mammals may affect their behavior as they are accustomed to the wild and such changes could arouse varied emotions in them. Dolphins are known to travel for miles in a straight manner. Subjecting them to entertaining humans could affect the social bonds that they have previously established in the ocean. The country is among the few that offers SWTD attractions that offer ‘educational opportunities’ in different facilities. One of its most admirable projects that the group disputes include Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT) for those with special conditions such as cancer, cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, autism etc. Although there is no direct relationship to the therapeutic effect of animals, the effects is what they are trying to prevent (The Humane Society of United States, 2009). The main concern of HSUS is the lax procedures that other countries may impose in the capture and use of dolphins for marine attractions. They cited a couple in Bahamas, one in Tahiti and another in Mexico where a controversy ensued when eight dolphins in the Baja Peninsula were caught. A female died and it finally closed after another four dolphins died due to a hurricane. Being captured could pose trauma to the dolphins who are used to being in the wild for their whole life. Not only this, their social proclivity could also be affected when a member is lost. A compromise should be considered to let the various groups come to terms (The Humane Society of United States, 2009). The best possible solution is to ensure that dolphin captivity should be eliminated as the whole process brings forth casualties prior and subsequent to the catch. The best possible solution is to take care of doplhins who are born to the facilities. This way, the dolphins are already accustomed to their surroundings compared to wild dolphins that are later domesticated. These dolphins are originally domesticated in a manner of saying. This may not completely appease environmental groups and animal activists but it is much better that completely asking marine parks to close down which is also next to impossible. This is usually the question for environment protection and preservation, who should prevail, the needs of humans or the protection of animals? The Need for Sustainability The awareness that is now taking over corporations and all that make up the business world recognizes the importance of sustainability. “Sustainability has been defined as economic development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. For businesses, this includes issues of corporate social responsibility and citizenship along with improved management of corporate social and environmental impacts and improved stakeholder engagement. The consequences for businesses when they do not effectively consider the impacts of their activities on society are often substantial. Thus, effective management of stakeholder impacts and relationships is critical” (Epstein, 2008). Here, we are presented with a wider presentation of Corporate Social Responsibility that includes a rippling effect that is not constricted to making the company look good but also in giving a corporation a sense of direction that is in line not only with what is lawful but also with what is righteous. The stakeholders are not just capital providers and dividend acquisitive individuals but most importantly, they are also citizens who have direct responsibility towards the fulfillment of a better world. These external activities of a company extends to the envirnmental and economic impacts apart from the social aspect particularly their commitment to sustainability which therefore leads to revenues for the corporation and financial value through the initiative of the manager. It is a given fact that there is no single company which has already achieved full sustainability but more and more companies are taking necessary steps into advancing their sustainability footprints and diminishing harmful environmental and social impacts. More and more Guidelines and models are presented for companies to take as blueprints for the actions they should take. Top companies are now taking charge in assessing the impacts of how they conduct production in a broader sense. The manager is tasked to deal with the intersts of the stakeholders alongside the development of the corporate’s environmental, social and financial performance. Because it is perceptible that they should carefully tread in addressing the calls of activists to ensure that they are not dismissing the concerns of the business or that they are just balooning a problem. Sustainability comes with a risk as it more than just simple publis relations to placate the apprehensions of the stakeholders. It is imperative that sustainability is integrated in the execution of the company’s business for it to suceed (Epstein, 2008). Where We Are Today Even the renewal of the Kyoto Protocol in Copenhagen which aims to reduce the emission of green house gasses stands of shoddy footing as it ended early this year. There is a disconnect between rich countries and developing countries about certain distrust issues. The convention where delegates from 175 countries attended hoped to create a consensual deal to heed the calls to hamper global warming, debatively the most pressing issue of this generation. The Copenhagen Accord hopes to be able to reach an agreement with over 110 nations on board by the December summit. The debate between the United States and China concerns the major goal of the provision to cut down global warming by 2 degree celsius, a specific target-goal advocated by the United Nations. Even environmental protesters have joined in the clamor by the seeming deadlock that Copenhagen has produced. Regardless, their aim to generate funds to help developing countries in adapting to climate change is slowly coming into focus (Lawrence, 2010). What we do today determines where we are tomorrow. This is not only true for ourselves but for the future generation as well. It is our duty to retain the beauty of the earth as we see it today for the benefit of the next generations who are in actuality versions of ourselves. The small ways that we enforce to revive the earth into its previous glory and wonder is something that we owe to future generations that will inhabit it. Stakeholders also has this duty as citizenship is the call of the times. The most important thing is to remember that more than anything, we are first and foremost human beings and our duties trascend to this lifetime because we have the capacity to define what is forthcoming. Ethical integrity, above all else, should guide us in every decision as it integrates our responsibility and our capability into the realization of the most that we can for the society and the environment not only as part of corporate America but because we are citizens of the world. Bibliography Bizcovering. (2008, December 15). Scandals in the Corporate World. Retrieved May 25, 2010, from http://bizcovering.com/business-law/scandals-in-the-corporate-world/ Epstein, M. J. (2008). Making Sustainability Work. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Gaus, G. F. (1999). Explorations in philosophy: social philosophy. New York: M.E. Sharpe, Inc. Lawrence, J. (2010, April 9). China, U.S. clash over 2010 U.N. climate talks. Retrieved May 25, 2010, from Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6372AT20100409 Stace, W. T. (1937). The concept of morals. London: Macmillan Company. The Humane Society of United States. (2009). Swim-with-the-Dolphins Attractions. Retrieved May 25, 2010, from http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/what_are_the_issues/marine_mammals_in_captivity/swim_with_the_dolphins_programs/ Read More