...ethical philosophy for business managers? (Based on Business Ethics text Chapter 4; tied to course competencies 3 and 4) Ethical egoism is a normative ethical theory that assumes that people have a choice; that is, one is not always psychologically bound to act in one’s self-interest (Cavico & Mujtaba, 2013, p. 47). The idea behind ethical egoism is that the right and moral thing to do is look out for your own self-interest. It does not describe how people behave, rather, it describes how people "ought" to behave (Kang). While this might offer the egoist short-term satisfaction, it could make his/her life worse in the long run because if everyone acted only in their own self-interests, then a society might develop in which people lived under constant threat of attack (Kang). However, according to our textbook, an ethical egoist is not always egoistic or a selfish person. A person can act consistently with ethical egoism by treating people well, helping others, respecting their rights, and evidencing concern for their welfare in order to promote his or her own self-interest in the long run (Cavico & Mujtaba, 2013, p. 53). An example our textbook uses to show an advantage of ethical egoism is that improvements in working conditions for employees or contributions to the community can very well earn the ethical egoist’s approval. Since it can improve performance by decreasing turnover, improving productivity, and enhance reputation of the firm. Business managers can use such egoistic...
Words: 1121 - Pages: 5
...This essay will examine and analyze whether hiring ethical people is the key factor in encouraging and producing an ethical organization. Ethics refer to the moral standards set that enables an individual to tell what is right from wrong and what is good and bad. In today’s organizations, the importance of the code of ethics is more prevalent than ever. Code of ethics consists of various factors such as being honest, building trust, and upholding the ethical standards. Organizations that exercise ethical codes not only feel that it is a way to portray a positive image to the stakeholders, but also because it highlights its own organizational virtues and values. It is believed that such culture could cultivate and encourage more ethical behavior for the employees in the organization (Stevens, 2008).Code of ethics are also used to articulate the restrictions for the organization, and to set a benchmark of what is acceptable and unacceptable, boosting responsibility, and conveying the standard expectations demanded from the employees as well as the leaders in the organization (Stevens, 2008).The ethical codes can be described as an effective tool to promote ethical behavior in the organization(Stevens, 2008).However, researchers have came up with reports that hints that the practice of ethical codes are unproductive and they have failed to create an impact in an employee’s behavior(Stevens, 2008). One of the studies suggested that ethical codes are not suitable and were ineffective...
Words: 2459 - Pages: 10
...any initiative, particularly a business venture, typically with substantial creativity and risk, (Bolton and Thompson, 2000) have defined an entrepreneur as “an individual who usually makes and revolutionizes to build something of recognized importance around apparent openings”. According to (Onuoha, 2007), entrepreneurship is defined as the practice of starting a new venture particularly a business in response to a spotted window of opportunities. (Lowell & Sharon, 2001) entrepreneurship is the procedure of designing, starting and running a new business, which typically begins as a small business offering a product or service for sale or hire. It’s the capacity to organize resources for a profitable venture. Entrepreneurship entails total creativity and innovation, and usually, hard work to achieve the set objectives. It could be new and different ways of doing something much better, smarter, simpler and effectively. Entrepreneurship is a drive or a spirit to inspire others in what they do and how they have succeeded in the business. Ethics Ethics means doing what is right in a responsible and accepted manner, for example, putting something back where you found it, not yelling to your colleagues, always saying sorry and so on. (Rushworth, 2009) states that "standard definitions of ethics have typically included such phrases as 'the science of the ideal human character' or 'the science of moral duty' ". (Paul and Elder, 2009). define ethics as "a set of concepts and principles...
Words: 1445 - Pages: 6
...| The Role Of Ethics in Business | | | | 1/16/2014 | | In this paper I will discuss the role of business ethics as it relates to business operations and the challenges of starting and maintaining an effective business ethics program. I will begin with Jennings' (2012) definition of ethics in business and its role from his perspective. I will then make comparisons with other authors' opinions for discussion, including Peter Drucker’s (1981) take on business ethics and Carr’s (Jennings, 2012) viewpoint as well. How business ethics' role relates to the notion of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and ongoing challenges will also be discussed. I will conclude with my own comments on the relationship between personal and business ethics and my thoughts on how to start and maintain company ethical standards. Business Ethics And Its Role: Definitions and Discussion The concept of being ethical in business is a mercurial topic these days; given the expansive and rapid global reach of today's multimedia, it can take mere hours for a reputable business image to get tarnished because of one ethics-related incident. In his text, Jennings' definition of business ethics is "...not the study of what is legal but of the application of ethics to business decisions. (Jennings, 2012, p.45)" Many business leaders today focus on what is legally allowed--they are aware of the legal parameters within where they can operate, and simply execute their profit-driven...
Words: 2963 - Pages: 12
...ABSTRACT The research precis is based on Engineering Management of the organizational of which it includes organizational structure, operational management ethics management, leadership, teaming and management system thinking. As an engineering manager, leadership is one of the skill that you must possess so that you can be influential to your employees rather than dictating, as a manager you must be able to lead by example. Employees wants to led by manager than are influential rather than dictation approach. As a manager, you must develop an operational management strategy so that you can align your vision with that of an organisation. As a manager, you abide by ethics management so that you know what is right or wrong within the organization....
Words: 1716 - Pages: 7
...JTB_Journal of Technology and Business. October 2007 Ethical Leadership Makes the Right Decisions Magdy Hussein Faculty, Northwestern Polytechnic University ABSTRACT This paper defines business leadership, review different types of leadership and examine how leadership ethics add great values and weight when making a business decision. The ethical scandals that have occurred in the last ten years have shaken the image of Corporate America. Leadership is on the test when business operators make competitive, strategic and tactical decisions that affect both stockholders and stakeholders such as downsizing and outsourcing. Ethical and moral obligations toward both parties require more than leadership with management skills and influential charisma. It entails visionary wisdom that makes possible moral decisions in the best interest of everyone involved. Key words: Leadership, Managerial Leader, Charismatic Leader, Transformational Leader, Strategic Leadership, Ethical leadership, Stakeholders, Corporate Social Responsibility Ethical leadership combines ethical behavior and ethical decision-making and is required by both individuals and organizations. One major responsibility of a leader is to build a foundation of ethical organizational behavior through ethical decisions and to differentiate between leadership compliance with codes of ethics and leadership values of business ethics’ practice. There is a need to synthesize these differences and evaluate the degree to which...
Words: 4223 - Pages: 17
...Research Quarterly Published by the Society for Human Resource Management Business Ethics: The Role of Culture and Values for an Ethical Workplace FOURTH QUARTER–2009 Whether in domestic or global companies, ultimately, the commitment to business ethics and the foundation is built through organizational culture, with ethical values reflected in the workplace. Business Ethics: The Role of Culture and Values for an Ethical Workplace Abstract An ethical workplace is established through an organization’s culture, values and leadership. To promote ethical behavior, human resource professionals, people managers and senior management need to be knowledgeable about business ethics—from leadership, codes of conduct and related legislation to compliance training, ethical decisionmaking, and cultural and generational differences around ethics. Transparency, fairness and communication are key for establishing and maintaining an ethical workplace. Introduction In the business world today, issues of trust, respect, fairness, equity and transparency are gaining more attention. Business ethics includes organizational values, guidelines and codes, legal compliance, risk management, and individual and group behavior within the workplace. Effective leadership, with open dialogue and thoughtful deliberation, develops the foundation of an ethical workplace, is woven into the fabric of the organizational culture and is mirrored in ethical decision-making. Toward this end, all organizational...
Words: 5913 - Pages: 24
...The Role of Leadership in Shaping Organizational Culture Laurita M Jones, MBA, MSA Walden University The Role of Leadership in Shaping Organizational Culture Leaders have a profound impact on their organization and how well their teams perform. Thus, organizational leadership plays an influential role in shaping culture and culture in return forms administration. As a leadership perception, corporate culture has been acknowledged as one of the various elements that leaders can utilize to enhance a dynamic business. The process of establishing the cultural foundation of a company begins with the appointed leadership of organizations. They do so by enforcing their assumptions and expectations of organizational culture onto their followers. High-level superiors are the major sources for communicating norms and core values in organizations. Therefore, it is imperative that leaders convey the organization leadership and cultural principles to their followers for utilizing their leadership powers to support and preserve an organizational culture that is ethical and healthy. With the attentiveness to culture in today’s business entities, and its resilient influence on the behavior of subordinates, leaders in company’s can produce a culture that supports high moral and ethical behavior. The subsequent analysis of leadership and organizational culture will attempt to discuss several mechanisms of leadership, and the role leadership plays in shaping the culture of an organization...
Words: 1911 - Pages: 8
...Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative University of New Mexico http://danielsethics.mgt.unm.edu Integrating Business Ethics in Business Courses INTRODUCTION Teaching business ethics requires an understanding of the organizational dimensions of ethical decisionmaking. Although most people believe that employees learn to be ethical at home and school and through life experiences, the work environment creates challenges for even the most ethical person. For example, employees cannot always make independent ethical decisions due to a corporate culture that has many types of managers and employees using their own concepts of right and wrong. Managers sometimes pressure employees into questionable activities. However, business ethics becomes more transparent once an organization establishes codes of ethics, as well as compliance requirements and ethical leadership. The objective of this chapter is to provide some essential strategies for integrating business ethics into business courses. The authors examine the role of stakeholders, implications of the global financial crisis, and important issues in teaching business ethics, as well as providing resources to integrate business ethics successfully into a course. THE IMPORTANCE OF BUSINESS ETHICS Business courses provide an essential and dynamic foundation for students developing their business careers. Although it is important to teach many traditional concepts such as human resources and marketing, emphasizing emerging topics that are...
Words: 7020 - Pages: 29
...organizational ethics. To discuss how personal differences and preference can impact organizational ethics, one must first define organizational ethics. According to Wikipedia, organizational ethics is defined as “how an organization ethically responds to an internal or external stimulus.” Personal differences and preference of people can create biases and conflict of interest since people have different likes and dislikes as well as different attitudes about culture, morals, and the way an individual carries theirself. If organizational ethics are not clearly defined within an organization, then chaos can occur. Companies need to make sure that there is a set standard of ethics and codes of conduct to assure an organization remains consistent and compliant. For example, preferences of a high-level manager on the gender of the people of whom he/she would like to work with, a specific type of educational background, or a certain income bracket of a person can lead to discrimination and prejudices against employees within that company. Personal differences of one’s culture, race, or even their appearance or characteristics should not come into play when working at a company. Diversity of an organization is vitally important and if someone is bias to a person’s personal difference, then someone can be treated unfairly or overlooked when that said person may have valuable input and resources that could help a department or company. In the 2005 National Business Ethics Survey conducted...
Words: 2610 - Pages: 11
...Organizational Design & Business Ethics: A Literature Review Abstract A review of the current literature regarding business ethics was conducted analyzing scholarly peer-reviewed articles about business ethics and their relation to leadership, managerial decision making, corporate social responsibility and overall corporate structure. Increased corporate scandals and the discovery of a rise in unethical business practices have thrown the topic of business ethics into the spotlight. Organizations are expected by their stakeholders to implement strong ethics within their corporate structure and culture. This expectation could be accomplished through strong ethical leadership, formal structures and regulations that place emphasis on ethics, and by making a commitment to corporate social responsibility. Using these guidelines will help organizations overcome the various challenges allowing the business to build a strong ethical foundation that will ultimately benefit the company through increased customer and employee satisfaction, which could result in increased profits, organizational sustainability and social status. The review of the literature reveals that there is still plenty of room for exploration on the topic of business ethics and particularly with the topic of ethical leadership. It is recommended that more focus be placed on understanding the influence of strong ethical leadership within an organization and how this influence flows down the organizational...
Words: 6417 - Pages: 26
...1.0 Introduction Leadership can be defined as the process in which leaders influence their followers to achieve predefined organisational goals (Yukl, 2010). A leader is a person who the subordinates look up to for advices, guidance and also to make decisions which will benefit not only the ones directly involved, but everybody else as well. A leader is an important figure in an organisation because the way the subordinates perform will be the reflection of their leader’s calibre. Therefore, to ensure employees and other staff members to behave and comply with business ethics, the leader must set a good example to them by being ethical. This can also be known as ethical leadership. Brown, Trevino & Harrison (2005) has defined ethical leadership as it being the demonstration of normatively appropriate conduct, shown through personal actions and interpersonal relationships and also the promotion of those conduct to the followers via a two-way communication, reinforcement and decision making. With that definition, it can be said that leaders play a very important role in ensuring that their subordinates behave and act ethically because they are their role model and whatever they do or say are being watched by their subordinates, whether they are aware of it or not. Subordinates, employees, they all watch how their leader acts and react both consciously and unconsciously (Huhtala, Kangas, Lamsa & Feldt, 2011), thus picking up habits and also making their leaders’ actions into...
Words: 5500 - Pages: 22
...Introduction of the relationship between leadership and ethics. First, leadership is a process that is not specifically a function of the person in charge. Leadership is a function of individual wills and individual needs, and the result of the dynamics of collective will organized to meet those various needs. Second, leadership is a process of adaption and of evolution; it is a process of dynamic exchange and the interchanges of value. Leadership is deviation from convention. Third, leadership is a process of energy, not structure. In this way, leadership is different from management-managers pursue stability, while leadership is all about change (Barker 2001, p.491). In organizational terms, as in life in general, ethics are beliefs about what is right or wrong, they provide a basis for judging the appropriateness of behavior and they guide people in their dealings with other individuals, groups and organizations, managers are witnessing to those right and wrongs. (Khar, Praveen & Aggarwal,2011; Hansen, 2011). As Wines (2008, p.484) commented: ‘At bedrock, those who profess ethics believe that human beings are autonomous moral actors capable of making meaningful choices’. 6Approaches to ethics tend to fall into one of two philosophical camps: the consequentialist (teleological) and the non-consequentialist (deontological) (Pettit2003; Harper et al, 1996). Consequentialists argue that ethical values are meaningless unless they are actively promoted. For consequentialists...
Words: 10596 - Pages: 43
...The Moral Compass Leadership for a Free World Lindsay J Thompson Leadership Ethics Course Manual ~ © 2005 Lindsay J Thompson ~ All rights reserved 2 THE MORAL COMPASS Leadership for a Free World Table of Contents introduction page 5 core learning page 9 the leadership labyrinth page 11 the m oral com pass page 27 values and global value creation page 73 corporate citizenship page 93 bibliography page 109 the case lab page 113 Leadership Ethics Course Manual ~ © 2005 Lindsay J Thompson ~ All rights reserved 3 Leadership Ethics Course Manual ~ © 2005 Lindsay J Thompson ~ All rights reserved 4 introduction Moral Leadership for a Free World If you read a newspaper this morning, you almost surely read something related to morality, leadership, and freedom. From international relations to neighborhood and family life, concerns about leadership ethics and human welfare are the focus of news, political movements, and civic initiatives. Emotionally engaging terms like “moral leadership,” “the free world” and “human freedom” are often used in the media without much explanation or clarification. Momentous decisions are made and life choices established in the name of values attached to these and similar terms. What do we really mean by “moral leadership,” or “freedom?” If two people use these terms in a conversation, do they explicitly share a common understanding of them or just assume common ground? For instance...
Words: 29833 - Pages: 120
...examine leadership behaviours especially Ethical Leadership as it impacts the third sector organizations’ performance. This chapter is comprised of reviewed literature regarding leadership, ethical leadership and the third sector organisations. Specifically, this chapter will be broken down into (a) Leadership (b) leadership behaviours (c) ethical leadership in the Third Sector (d) Organisation Performance (e) the impact of ethical Leadership in the third sector’s performance. 2.1 LEADERSHIP Leadership is one of the world’s oldest preoccupation. The understanding of leadership has figured strongly in the quest for knowledge (Bass 1990). Purposeful stories have been told through the generations about leaders’ competencies, ambitions, and shortcomings; leaders’ rights and privileges; and the leaders’ duties and obligations. A review of relevant literature has uncovered many different definitions of leadership. Leadership remains one of the most relevant aspects of organizational context (Nwokocha 2011). For more than five decades ago, the term leadership has been a researchable topic. Mostly, the research work focuses on issues of quality of leadership, ability of a leader, or leadership effectiveness, or leadership styles (Daft 2008, Bass 1990, Erez et al 2001 & Yukl 2006) Stogdill (1974, p. 259) stated that “ there are almost as many definitions of leadership as there are persons who have attempted to define the concept” and Yukl (2006) highlighted that leadership is a...
Words: 10651 - Pages: 43
