Free Essays on Business Ethics

CONTENTS PREFACE, OR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ii INTRODUCTION n I. Ethics: Boeing and Bell south Ethics policy 1 n APPENDIX n SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY n McLaws 1 Business ethics, I am writing my paper on business ethics, business ethics in society, and the ethics policies of Boeing and Bellsouth. I think to study business ethics you first have to understand what it is, business ethics defined is â€Å"The study of the general nature of morals and of specific moral choices; moral philosophy; and the rules or standards governing the conduct of the members of a profession† Building on this definition, we can begin to develop a concept of business ethics. Most people would agree that high ethical standards require both business and individuals to conform to sound moral principles. However, some special aspects must be considered when applying ethics to business. Let’s start with â€Å"What is ethics?† Simply put, ethics involves learning what is right or wrong, and then doing the right thing- but â€Å"the right thing† is not nearly as straightforward as conveyed in a great deal of business ethics literature. Most ethical dilemmas in the workplace are not simply a matter of â€Å"should Bob steal from Jack?† or â€Å"Should Jack lie to his boss?† Many Ethicists assert there’s always a right thing to do based on the moral principle, and others believe the right thing to do depend on the situation- ultimately it’s up to the individual. Many Philosophers consider ethics to be the â€Å"science of conduct†. Twin Cities consultants Doug Wallace and John Pekel explain that ethics includes the fundamental ground rules by which we live our lives. Philosophers have been discussing ethics for at least 2500 years, since the time of Socrates and Plato. Many ethicists consider emerging ethical beliefs to be â€Å"state of the art† legal matters, I.E. what becomes an ethical guideline today is often translated to a ... Free Essays on Business Ethics Free Essays on Business Ethics Ethics in Business From a business perspective, working under government contracts can be a very lucrative proposition. In general, a stream of orders keep coming in, revenue increases and the company grows in the aggregate. The obvious downfalls to working in this manner are both higher quality expected as well as the extensive research and documentation required for government contracts. If a part fails to perform correctly it can cause minor glitches as well as problems that can carry serious repercussions, such as in the National Semiconductor case. When both the culpable component and company are found, the question arises of how extensive these repercussions should be. Is the company as an entity liable or do you look into individual employees within that company? From an ethical perspective one would have to look at the mitigating factors of both the employees and their superiors along with the role of others in the failure of these components. Next you would have to analyze the final ruling fr om a corporate perspective and then we must examine the macro issue of corporate responsibility in order to attempt to find a resolution for cases like these. The first mitigating factor involved in the National Semiconductor case is the uncertainty, on the part of the employees, on the duties that they were assigned. It is plausible that during the testing procedure, an employee couldnt distinguish which parts they were to test under government standards and commercial standards. In some cases they might have even been misinformed on the final consumers of the products that they tested. In fact, ignorance on the part of the employees would fully excuse them from any moral responsibility for any damage that may result from their work. Whether it is decided that an employee is fully excused, or is given some moral responsibility, would have to be looked at on an individual basis. The second mitigating factor is the... Free Essays on Business Ethics "What is ethics?" Simply put, ethics involves learning what is right or wrong, and then doing the right thing, but "the right thing" is not nearly as straightforward as it seems to be. "Ethics is the careful study of standards of behavior that apply to real-world problems and decisions. It gives us insights into what we should do." The minute we put the word ‘should’ in a sentence, we are probably talking about ethics. Colleges should (or should not) take race into account in admissions. Health care coverage should (or should not) be a substantial part of the state budget. Although ethics deals with right and wrong, it is not a discipline that always leads everyone to the same conclusions. It is not the captive of liberals or conservatives. Of course, there are situations that are wrong by any standard. The recently reported advise given by former Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay to the investors to hold on their investments in the company while he himself kept selling the shares of the company is a case in point. But there are other issues where right and wrong is less clear. To guide our reflection on such difficult questions, philosophers, religious teachers and other thinkers have shaped various approaches to ethical decision-making. Many philosophers consider ethics to be the "science of conduct." Ethics includes the fundamental ground rules by which we live our lives. Philosophers have been discussing ethics for at least 2500 years, since the time of Socrates and Plato. Many ethicists consider emerging ethical beliefs to be "state of the art" legal matters, i.e., what becomes an ethical guideline today is often translated to a law, regulation or rule tomorrow. Values, which guide how we ought to behave, are considered moral values, e.g., values such as respect, honesty, fairness, responsibility, etc. Statements around how these values are applied are sometimes called moral or ethical principles. Most ethical dilemmas... Free Essays on Business Ethics Ethics in Business From a business perspective, working under government contracts can be a very lucrative proposition. In general, a stream of orders keep coming in, revenue increases and the company grows in the aggregate. The obvious downfall to working in this manner is both higher quality expected as well as the extensive research and documentation required for government contracts. If a part fails to perform correctly it can cause minor glitches as well as problems that can carry serious repercussions, such as in the National Semiconductor case. When both the culpable component and company are found, the question arises of how extensive these repercussions should be. Is the company as an entity liable or do you look into individual employees within that company? From an ethical perspective one would have to look at the mitigating factors of both the employees and their superiors along with the role of others in the failure of these components. Next you would have to analyze the final ruling from a corporate perspective and then we must examine the macro issue of corporate responsibility in order to attempt to find a resolution for cases like these. The first mitigating factor involved in the National Semiconductor case is the uncertainty, on the part of the employees, on the duties that they were assigned. It is plausible that during the testing procedure, an employee couldn’t distinguish which parts they were to test under government standards and commercial standards. In some cases they might have even been misinformed on the final consumers of the products that they tested. In fact, ignorance on the part of the employees would fully excuse them from any moral responsibility for any damage that may result from their work. Whether it is decided that an employees is fully excused, or is given some Moral responsibility would have to be looked at on an individual basis. The second mitigating factor is the duress or thre... Free Essays on Business Ethics How to behave toward oneself and toward other individuals is a matter of making choices: whether to be friendly or unfriendly; whether to tell the truth or lie; whether to be generous or greedy; whether to study in order to pass an exam or to spend valuable study time watching television and cheat to pass it. These, and all other questions about how people act toward themselves and one another are dealt with in a field of study called ethics. Another name for ethics is morality. Because both words suggest customary ways of behavior, they are somewhat misleading. It had to do with what should or should not be done. Divide practical wisdom into two parts: moral philosophy and political philosophy. They’re defined together as a â€Å"true reasoned state of capacity to act with regard to the things that are good or bad for man† (Drucker, 1996). One statement of the problem is business organizations, as well as members of society in general, are plagued by the fact that ther e are liars, cheats, and thieves among us. Liars, cheats, and thieves are not new nor are they likely to disappear. People will do anything and go to whatever extent to get what they want. This is why there’s a lack of ethics. Definition of terms: The word ethics is derived from the Greek ethos, meaning â€Å"character,† the pattern of behavior or personality found in an individual or group; moral constitution, moral strength, self discipline and fortitude (Compton’s Interactive Encyclopedia). The other is from the Latin mores, meaning â€Å"custom† (Compton’s Interactive Encyclopedia). Business Ethics refers to what is right or wrong, or good or bad, human behavior. The concept of business ethics is â€Å"being able to look at your face in the mirror†(Drucker, 1996). Ethics is a code of conduct and values that is accepted by society as being right and proper. Code of ethics is simply a compilation of the rules that are meant to govern the c onduct of members of a part... Free Essays on Business Ethics Why should social responsibility exist? Isn ¡Ã‚ ¦t the main role of the corporation to serve its stockholders? Isn ¡Ã‚ ¦t the main role of a sole proprietor to turn a profit? Yes, according to popular economist, Milton Friedman, who maintains that the main focus of corporate operations and business is to increase its profits but according to the American public and some corporate leaders, there is a clear command for corporate responsibility to society. In fact, there are many that believe that social responsibility is vital for business ¡Ã‚ ¦s success in the future. Many people wonder how such a narrow-minded question could even come about; should business be socially responsible? The main reason is that many people in the United States, not in business themselves, have demanded that companies respond to problems that may or may not have anything to do with their daily operations or business goals. To insist that corporations single-handedly solve the problem of racism in America is unreasonable and unfair. Of course, however, the citizen can reasonably demand that the corporation not contribute to or further the problem of racism. Corporations are legal inventions aimed at doing business, producing products and services, employing a plethora of people and marshaling together resources for further investment and material progress. To expect anything else of them, it is argued is both irrational and unjust. Why would anyone have such unreasonable expectations? It is not hard, however, to see why many Americans expect nothing less than miracles from our large corporationspublic services at the lowest imaginable prices as well as solutions to social problems that have escaped even the most imaginative and generous government programs. It is very ironic that these exaggerated social expectations are in fact the natural product of the enormous success of business in our society in providing cheap public services and solving social ... Free Essays on Business Ethics From a business perspective, working under government contracts can be a very lucrative proposition. In general, a stream of orders keep coming in, revenue increases and the company grows in the aggregate. The obvious downfalls to working in this manner is both higher quality expected as well as the extensive research and documentation required for government contracts. If a part fails to perform correctly it can cause minor glitches as well as problems that can carry serious repercussions, such as in the National Semiconductor case. When both the culpable component and company are found, the question arises of how extensive these repercussions should be. Is the company as an entity liable or do you look into individual employees within that company? From an ethical perspective one would have to look at the mitigating factors of both the employees and their superiors along with the role of others in the failure of these components. Next you would have to analyze the final ruling from a corporate perspective and then we must examine the macro issue of corporate responsibility in order to attempt to find a resolution for cases like these. The first mitigating factor involved in the National Semiconductor case is the uncertainty, on the part of the employees, on the duties that they were assigned. It is plausible that during the testing procedure, an employee couldnt distinguish which parts they were to test under government standards and commercial standards. In some cases they might have even been misinformed on the final consumers of the products that they tested. In fact, ignorance on the part of the employees would fully excuse them from any moral responsibility for any damage that may result from their work. Whether it is decided that an employees is fully excused, or is given some moral responsibility, would have to be looked at on an individual basis. The second mitigating factor is the duress or threats that an employee mi... Free Essays on Business Ethics Business Ethics Ethics in Business From a business perspective, working under government contracts can be a very lucrative proposition. In general, a stream of orders keep coming in, revenue increases and the company grows in the aggregate. The obvious downfalls to working in this manner is both higher quality expected as well as the extensive research and documentation required for government contracts. If a part fails to perform correctly it can cause minor glitches as well as problems that can carry serious repercussions, such as in the National Semiconductor case. When both the culpable component and company are found, the question arises of how extensive these repercussions should be. Is the company as an entity liable or do you look into individual employees within that company? From an ethical perspective one would have to look at the mitigating factors of both the employees and their superiors along with the role of others in the failure of these components. Next you would have to analyze the final ruling from a corporate perspective and then we must examine the macro issue of corporate responsibility in order to attempt to find a resolution for cases like these. The first mitigating factor involved in the National Semiconductor case is the uncertainty, on the part of the employees, on the duties that they were assigned. It is plausible that during the testing procedure, an employee couldnt distinguish which parts they were to test under government standards and commercial standards. In some cases they might have even been misinformed on the final consumers of the products that they tested. In fact, ignorance on the part of the employees would fully excuse them from any moral responsibility for any damage that may result from their work. Whether it is decided that an employees is fully excused, or is given some moral responsibility, would have to be looked at on an individual basis. The second mitigating factor is the duress o... Free Essays on Business Ethics In Donaldson’s Values in Tension: Ethics Away From Home, he describes a policy that was standard at home, but unsuccessful elsewhere. In one example, the manager of a U.S. company in China caught one of the employees stealing. By following the company’s practice and turning the employee over to the authorities, which was the right thing to do according to our values. The employee was executed because he was judged based on China’s political, legal, and ethical codes, while to us (Americans) the punishment did not fit the crime. While many cultures believe in some variation of â€Å"The Golden Rule†, there really is no detailed international standard of business conduct. U.S. firms should, at the very least establish company policies that take into consideration the principles of different cultures. There is clearly a balancing act to develop policies that define the ethics of the corporation, while understanding that codes of conduct vary greatly around the world. Firms like Levi Strauss and Motorola, not only define their policies, they understand that their managers must be able to adapt to a great deal of moral uncertainty in international assignments. Many business practices are neither black nor white but exist in a gray zone, a moral free space through which businesses and their managers must find away to deal with. Levi Strauss and Motorola seemed to have helped managers by treating company values as absolute and insisting that their suppliers and customers do the same. How this was addressed by these companies, was the development of detailed codes of conduct that provides clear direction on ethical behavior, but leaves room for managers of these companies to use moral imagination that allows them to resolve ethical problems appropriately. Donaldson argues that companies must be guided by three principles in the shaping of ethical... Free Essays on Business Ethics Ethics in Business From a business perspective, working under government contracts can be a very lucrative proposition. In general, a stream of orders keep coming in, revenue increases and the company grows in the aggregate. The obvious downfalls to working in this manner is both higher quality expected as well as the extensive research and documentation required for government contracts. If a part fails to perform correctly it can cause minor glitches as well as problems that can carry serious repercussions, such as in the National Semiconductor case. When both the culpable component and company are found, the question arises of how extensive these repercussions should be. Is the company as an entity liable or do you look into individual employees within that company? From an ethical perspective one would have to look at the mitigating factors of both the employees and their superiors along with the role of others in the failure of these components. Next you would have to analyze the final ruling from a corporate perspective and then we must examine the macro issue of corporate responsibility in order to attempt to find a resolution for cases like these. The first mitigating factor involved in the National Semiconductor case is the uncertainty, on the part of the employees, on the duties that they were assigned. It is plausible that during the testing procedure, an employee couldnt distinguish which parts they were to test under government standards and commercial standards. In some cases they might have even been misinformed on the final consumers of the products that they tested. In fact, ignorance on the part of the employees would fully excuse them from any moral responsibility for any damage that may result from their work. Whether it is decided that an employees is fully excused, or is given some moral responsibility, would have to be looked at on an individual basis. The second mitigating factor is the duress o... Free Essays on Business Ethics Ethics in Business From a business perspective, working under government contracts can be a very lucrative proposition. In general, a stream of orders keep coming in, revenue increases and the company grows in the aggregate. The obvious downfalls to working in this manner is both higher quality expected as well as the extensive research and documentation required for government contracts. If a part fails to perform correctly it can cause minor glitches as well as problems that can carry serious repercussions, such as in the National Semiconductor case. When both the culpable component and company are found, the question arises of how extensive these repercussions should be. Is the company as an entity liable or do you look into individual employees within that company? From an ethical perspective one would have to look at the mitigating factors of both the employees and their superiors along with the role of others in the failure of these components. Next you would have to analyze the final ruling from a corporate perspective and then we must examine the macro issue of corporate responsibility in order to attempt to find a resolution for cases like these. The first mitigating factor involved in the National Semiconductor case is the uncertainty, on the part of the employees, on the duties that they were assigned. It is plausible that during the testing procedure, an employee couldnt distinguish which parts they were to test under government standards and commercial standards. In some cases they might have even been misinformed on the final consumers of the products that they tested. In fact, ignorance on the part of the employees would fully excuse them from any moral responsibility for any damage that may result from their work. Whether it is decided that an employees is fully excused, or is given some moral responsibility, would have to be looked at on an individual basis. The second mitigating factor is the duress or threats t... Free Essays on Business Ethics Business Ethics in Business From a business perspective, working under government contracts can be a very lucrative proposition. In general, a stream of orders keep coming in, revenue increases and the company grows in the aggregate. The obvious downfalls to working in this manner are both higher quality expected as well as the extensive research and documentation required for government contracts. If a part fails to perform correctly it can cause minor glitches as well as problems that can carry serious repercussions, such as in the National Semiconductor case. When both the culpable component and company are found, the question arises of how extensive these repercussions should be. Is the company as an entity liable or do you look into individual employees within that company? From an ethical perspective one would have to look at the mitigating factors of both the employees and their superiors along with the role of others in the failure of these components. Next you would have to analyze the final ruling from a corporate perspective and then we must examine the macro issue of corporate responsibility in order to attempt to find a resolution for cases like these. The first mitigating factor involved in the National Semiconductor case is the uncertainty, on the part of the employees, on the duties that they were assigned. It is plausible that during the testing procedure, an employee couldn’t distinguish which parts they were to test under government standards and commercial standards. In some cases they might have even been misinformed on the final consumers of the products that they tested. In fact, ignorance on the part of the employees would fully excuse them from any moral responsibility for any damage that may result from their work. Whether it is decided that an employee is fully excused, or is given some moral responsibility, would have to be looked at on an individual basis... Free Essays on Business Ethics CONTENTS PREFACE, OR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ii INTRODUCTION n I. Ethics: Boeing and Bell south Ethics policy 1 n APPENDIX n SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY n McLaws 1 Business ethics, I am writing my paper on business ethics, business ethics in society, and the ethics policies of Boeing and Bellsouth. I think to study business ethics you first have to understand what it is, business ethics defined is â€Å"The study of the general nature of morals and of specific moral choices; moral philosophy; and the rules or standards governing the conduct of the members of a profession† Building on this definition, we can begin to develop a concept of business ethics. Most people would agree that high ethical standards require both business and individuals to conform to sound moral principles. However, some special aspects must be considered when applying ethics to business. Let’s start with â€Å"What is ethics?† Simply put, ethics involves learning what is right or wrong, and then doing the right thing- but â€Å"the right thing† is not nearly as straightforward as conveyed in a great deal of business ethics literature. Most ethical dilemmas in the workplace are not simply a matter of â€Å"should Bob steal from Jack?† or â€Å"Should Jack lie to his boss?† Many Ethicists assert there’s always a right thing to do based on the moral principle, and others believe the right thing to do depend on the situation- ultimately it’s up to the individual. Many Philosophers consider ethics to be the â€Å"science of conduct†. Twin Cities consultants Doug Wallace and John Pekel explain that ethics includes the fundamental ground rules by which we live our lives. Philosophers have been discussing ethics for at least 2500 years, since the time of Socrates and Plato. Many ethicists consider emerging ethical beliefs to be â€Å"state of the art† legal matters, I.E. what becomes an ethical guideline today is often translated to a ... Free Essays on Business Ethics Contents 1. Introduction 2. What is Business Ethics? 3. The 10 Benefits of Business Ethics 4. Case Study on Nestlà © 4.1. The Impact of Business Ethics on Nestlà © 4.2. Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s view on Business Ethics 4.3. The Implications of Business Ethics on Stakeholders 5. Conclusion Introduction Every business has the power through their ability to spend vast amounts of money. They have the ability to change or enhance situations in which many common individual does not. As organizations may affect some people, they have obligations to their employees, consumers, community and the outside world. They have the responsibility to manage or control the business in a way that it won’t harm and in which, positively benefits as many people as possible and themselves. This sounds simple, it is "easier said than done!" as there will always be a conflict of interest between various groups of people. Any decisions made by businesses need to be made with an informed awareness of the specific situation and then act according to some sort of system of principals, which is Business Ethics. What is Business Ethics? Business ethics is exactly the same as normal ethics, and that knowing what is right or wrong, and learning what is right and what is wrong in a business environment. Then doing the right thing, but "the right thing" is not as straightforward as explained in many business ethics books. Most ethical dilemmas in the workplace are not simply a matter of "Should she steal from him?" or "Should he lie to his boss?" Businesses cannot function without ethics, why? Society dictates a set of rules and conformities and seeing as all businesses strive after common goals it means that these goals can only be achieved on the basis of standards, values and morals in society. It can be assumed that business life has to be called 'moral' as well. As in society, standards and values are spontaneously formed once pe... Free Essays on Business Ethics How to behave towards oneself and toward other individuals is a matter of making choices: whether to be friendly or unfriendly, whether to tell the truth or lie, whether to be generous or greedy, whether to study in order to pass an exam or to spend valuable study time watching television and cheat to pass it. These, and all other questions about how people act towards themselves and one another are dealt with in a field of study called ethics. Another name for ethics is morality. Because both words suggest customary ways of behavior, they are somewhat misleading. It has to do with what should or should not be done. Divide practical wisdom into two parts: moral philosophy and political philosophy. They are defined together as a "true reasoned state of capacity to act with regard to the things that are good or bad for man"(Drucker, 1996). One area of the problem is business organizations. They are plagued by the fact that there are liars, cheats and thieves among them. Liars, cheats, and thieves are not new, nor are they likely to disappear. People will do anything to get what they want. This is why there is a lack of ethics. The word ethics is derived from the Greek ethos, meaning "character," the pattern of behavior or personality found in an individual or group, moral constitution, moral strength, self discipline, and fortitude(Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia). Business ethics refers to what is right or wrong, good or bad, human behavior. The concept of business ethics is "being able to look at your face in the mirror"(Drucker, 1996). Ethics is a code of conduct and values that is accepted by society as being right and proper. The code of ethics is simply a compilation of the rules that are meant to govern the conduct of members of a particular organization or profession. Moral and political philosophy are the true and reasoned state of capacity to act with regard to the things that are good or bad for man. ...