...Christian Values Enhancing Business Ethics. In today’s business world it seems that profit is the driving force behind the company as a whole. Good stewardship seems to take a back seat in every aspect of business in the modern world. When is the last time that you read an article, or saw a news story of a CEO giving their time or money to help out the community in which they operate their business? Sometimes it seems like this is a phenomena in the business community today. I believe that these types of stories could be commonplace if would try to embrace Christian values. It says in Matthew 22: 37-39, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind”. I think that this should be the driving force for us as humans, but especially as business people. So what does Matthew 22:37-39 mean to today’s business owners? It seems to me like this statement doesn’t mean a lot. Everywhere you look today there is examples of corruption, purely profit-based decision making and power hungry executives. When you take a look at today’s business world, it is hard to imagine a world where CEO, Executives, and business owners will through away their selfishness and adopt a selflessness way of thinking. Only if this could happen imagine the good that could be done within our own societies, if the rich were thinking about others instead of themselves. Many businesses today don’t grasp the good that could come out of the Christian view as...
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...Just Business Christian ethics is the application of Christian values to the business world. One approach is to view Scripture as a book of rules to be applied to specific situations. Simply find the right rule and match it with the current problem and, bingo, the two pieces fit like a puzzle. This is a life time tool throughout life. While people misunderstands the heart of Christian ethics, it should give pause to those who would take a rules-based approach. Ironically, research indicates that corporations with strict codes of ethics actually are cited more often for breaking the law than their counterparts without such spelled-out rules. Perhaps either human nature rebels against minute regulations or a rule-keeping perspective provides little guidance in morally ambiguous situations. Other critics attack the idea of a Christian business ethic from a different angle, arguing that Scripture has nothing relevant to say about business today. Using Scripture as a business rule book, they contend, would be like using ancient medical scholars such as Galen and Hippocrates to train modern doctors. This approach is quite different from human-based ethical systems, which generally focus on egoism, utilitarianism or deontological reasoning. Christian ethics don’t reject all of these values. To the contrary, there is much overlap between Christian ethics and many human-centered ethical systems. While concerned with human happiness and the fulfillment of ethical obligations...
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...Business Ethics and Employment Name: Course: Tutor: Date: Business Ethics and Employment Every business needs to have moral guidelines that govern its operations. These moral guidelines are referred to as ethics. Businesses have an obligation to behave ethically, that is, doing what is morally right. Behaving ethically in the business environment is widely considered to be a good business practice. Werhane (2015) sums it when she says “being good is good business.” Ethics in business cover almost every aspect of business for example, in finances, in handling customers, in waste disposal and also in staff recruitment. This paper will discuss why discrimination in hiring, retaining and remunerating staff is unethical in business. Discrimination in the workplace was such a serious and frequent occurrence that the government developed the affirmative action policy. Affirmative action requires that business when hiring recognize the fact that all people to need be accorded equal and full consideration on the basis of their qualifications and merit. Affirmative action was created in order to promote the hiring of individuals in protected groups especially minorities and women (Rowland and Loury, 2010). The policy allows for active measures to be taken in order to avoid the non-discrimination of women and minorities in the work place. Rowland and Loury (2010) explain that affirmative action is the banning of discrimination against disadvantaged people. It requires that equal...
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...Businesses and people associated with businesses have a vast amount of ethical responsibilities. Some people may say that good ethics and good business do not correlate with each other because all that really matters for a business is profitability. Even though a business cannot thrive without money, that doesn't mean that organizations and businesses should ignore ethics entirely. “In the most basic sense, ethics is a set of values, principles, and rules that define right and wrong conduct,” (Hellriegel, Jackson, Slocum, 2007, p. 80). Consumers nowadays expect businesses to be socially and morally ethical while also working to increase and sustain profits. Businesses want to make sure the materials they are using are environmentally friendly and have come from a legitimate source. For instance, if a gun company received parts from a country who used the money to fund terrorist activities and the company knew this but still purchased the parts anyways because it saved them money. A business who deals with waste removal should have a proper site to dump the waste and be licensed and qualified to do so. Ethical responsibilities aren’t just for the business itself. The employees of a business must also follow a moral and ethical code that is familiar with the business itself. They represent the business in just as many ways as the actions the business does as a whole. For instance, it would be extremely unprofessional for an employee to show up to work intoxicated either through...
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...Conundrum in Business; Christianity vs. Naturalism In a society that is increasingly hostile to the Christian worldview, one must understand that that hostility is forming changes in the culture. Many businesses in America have operated under the presupposition that Business’ only mandate is to make money with no further responsibility to society. It is the philosophical belief of Naturalism that society owes business the framework upon which to operate with no corresponding obligation to benefit society in return. As America continues to struggle economically it is fair to wonder why. In Business, the conflict between differing worldviews is paramount to the health and sustainability of the economy. Understanding the differing beliefs between the Christian worldview and the worldview of Naturalism, as they pertain to business, will help people see the affect those views have, and potentially have, on the economy of the United States. It is important to define these two worldviews philosophically in order to fully grasp their intent and scope. The metaphysical, epistemology and axiological beliefs of Naturalism will introduce a deeper understanding of this particular worldview. The metaphysical belief of Naturalism is that the natural order is eternal, self sufficient and uncreated. The epistemological belief of Naturalism is that knowledge is gained through human experience and scientific method. Finally, the axiological belief of Naturalism is that ethics and beauty...
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...Discussion Board 1/Week 1 Business Ethics To imply the ethical and spiritual perspective and keenly advise Benji Watson on accepting or refusing the contract offered by New Gen Health Sciences, it is imperative to define the parameters of Christian spirituality and ethics. As Christian, we are guided by many Commandments and teachings and examples set by many prophets, noble men, and many parables from Jesus, where upholding higher moral and ethical standard for the good of others, not self, was dear to him. In Luke 10: 29-37, Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan, a traveler from Jerusalem attacked and mocked by bandits. Two individuals, presented with the similar fate, were the least expected person to turn away and ignored the wounded person, by walking away and leaving the man stranded. Another important aspect to draw from the Christian spirituality mindset to advise Benji Watson, comes from Matthew 7: 12, commonly known as the Golden Rule. In this text, it is written that you do unto others as you would expect them to do unto you. Using the ethical perspective to advise Benji Watson, understanding of ethics, particularly business ethics, must be brought to bear. Ethics, in simplification is the study of good and bad behavior; whereas business ethics, a detachment of ethics, is what makes up good and bad behavior as related to business activities and values. From the definition of business ethics, we are left to decide what constitute the ambiguous terms...
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...Orissa Stewart Liberty University Business 530, Faith Integration Ethics and business is a practice that most businesses follow, although ethical and moral issue is a debated issue. Ethical and moral issues extend far beyond on treating others in a certain way. It begins with a belief system and faith in God. Once a person develops a relationship with God, they usually change for the better. In addition, the words ethics and morality in religion and theology may have been the cause for academia in the field of finance and economics which stray’s away from identifying ethical and moral considerations in the practice of finance and economics (Gupta, Rakesh, & Sukumaran, 2013). Unfortunately, if you are a Christian in the business world then the possibility of compromising your faith increases from even the smallest decisions such as prayer in the workplace. Whatever the case, there are numerous opportunities to compromise faith when it comes to business ethics. Christians need to be aware of this weakness and fight becomes hard to stand firm. According to authors Gupta, Rakesh, Sukumaran, and Aswini (2013), Ethics and morality in finance, discusses the issue of ethics and morality in finance that extends to accounting in the area of marketing. Regardless if you work for yourself or someone else Christians will face the time when they have to make decisions that can affect the way their walk in Christian faith at work. Mark 7:20-22 (ESV) And he said...
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...Being a Christian in the workplace is very hard with an ever present changing society. However, having a Christian worldview is important in any field of study and workplace. In this essay I will seek to show how the belief that mankind is created in the image of God is Foundational to the Christian faith, and explain how this belief affects the way I interact with people within my chosen vocation. To begin, a person who has a Christian worldview perceives the world from a biblical standpoint. George Barna wrote in Think Like Jesus, “That having a Christian worldview means that you think like Jesus and practice your faith in every aspect of your life” (Barna, 2003). This is how we make sense of the world, through a Christian worldview and living this life style. We choose to have a Christian worldview. We choose to live a life like...
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...Just Business Briefly summarize this concept, and discuss how it is helpful in thinking about business ethics. Hill argues that Christian ethics in business is not rules but the change-less character of God (Hill, p. 14). Scripture describes how we were created in the image of God and we are expected to behave in a manner consistent with God’s character, therefore, acting ethically (p. 14). Hill goes on to suggest that behavior consistent with God’s character is ethical and that there are three divine characteristics which have a direct bearing on our ethical decision making process; holiness, justice and love (p.15) and how all three are necessary, comparing them to the skeleton, muscles and skin. An interesting way to think of them, I thought. He goes on to suggest that in being “ethical” in business...
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...Religion and ethics are obviously intertwined as it exist countless studies of Christian ethics, Islamic ethics, Hindu ethics and so on. Both religion and ethics serve a common need in our society. Societies are built on the plank of co-existence and mutuality. Ethics is the study of what "ought" to be. It is a theoretical study and is otherwise referred to as the study of morality. Moral is an important part in ethics. Ethics as a branch of “philosophy”, has three components (Feiser 2003): "meta-ethics" studies the sources and meaning of ethical terms; "normative ethics" does the more practical task of examining the moral standards that regulate right and wrong conduct; and "applied ethics" examines controversies such as abortion, infanticide, animal abuse, environmental concerns, homosexuality and capital punishment. To behave ethically is to behave in a manner consistent with what is right or moral. Ethics is simply the principles used by people that control their conduct. Religion is a system of thoughts, feelings, and approach that is shared by a group of members and that gives the members an object of devotion; a code of behavior by which individuals may judge the personal and social consequences of their actions, and a frame of reference by which individuals may relate to their group and their universe. There is a spectrum of views about how religion and ethics are related from the view that religion is the absolute bedrock of ethics to one that holds that ethics is based...
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...OC College of Business Administration MGMT 5603.93: Ethics, Decision Making, and Communications Fall 2015, Term 2 Online _______________________________________________________________________________________ Professor: Dr. Phil Lewis, Professor of Management Phone (Work): (405) 425-5561 or 425-5560; (Home): (405) 475-7070 Email: phil.lewis@oc.edu Virtual Office Hours: Email responses normally within 24 hours. Mission of Oklahoma Christian University Oklahoma Christian University is a higher learning community that transforms lives for Christian faith, scholarship, and service. MISSION OF THE OC SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Within a framework of excellence in contemporary business education, the School of Business Administration will build a community of lifelong relationships upon a foundation of enduring Christian values. CONTRIBUTION OF COURSE TO CHRISTIAN SERVICE AND LEADERSHIP For I have walked in my integrity … I will walk in my integrity … Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Psalm 26:1, 26:11, 119:1 (NKJV). THE OC COVENANT The Covenant for Oklahoma Christian University is posted under Course Information. REQUIRED TEXT Phillip V. Lewis, Ethics in the World of Business, Kendall-Hunt Publishing Co., 2014 (ISBN: 978-1-4652-3979-2). COURSE DESCRIPTION This course examines the basic ethical issues involved in the conduct of business from a biblical perspective. Critical thinking of organizations as...
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...Code of Ethics Comparison Abstract This paper is a comparison between the codes of ethics of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC). This paper aims to present the similarities and differences between the two codes of ethics. There are two main sections on this paper. The first section presents the general similarities and differences of the two codes of ethics. The second section presents the similarities and differences of the two codes of ethics on three specific areas: Confidentiality, Sexual Intimacies and Informed Consent. The author used the codes of ethics of both organizations in the process of comparing and contrasting. The general comparison reveals that the codes of ethics of the two organizations apply to the same profession but they differ in the foundation upon which their codes of ethics were crafted. The comparison on three specific areas reveals similarities in contents but differ in depth and details. Introduction The code of ethics is the heart and soul of any business or professional organization. This code of ethics sets the standard to which all business or professional activities of all of its members are measured. This code is the ultimate guide on how members of the organization should act in connection with the performance of their duties and obligations. Likewise, it is the basis upon which disputes can be settled or decisions are to be made. This is the protection of each member...
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...able to discern the gross lack of ethics within the company. Viewing this case from both a spiritual and ethical perspective it was easy to see that New Gen is not the company for Benji. If Benji were to funnel this decision through his Christian worldview he would see the inconsistencies throughout. The negative articles which Benji had read while in the airport should have been the first sign that New Gen was not the ideal company. While, admittedly, it would be easy for one to find a negative article on just about any widely known company, the information contained within these periodicals should have enlightened Benji to a level of concern. One can not speculate that just because the CEO has had a pattern of building up companies and selling them off at their financial height that he would do this again. It is the fact that New Gen is a “ big contributor” to Planned Parenthood that should have been alarming. Could Benji sleep well at night knowing that he was aiding the abortion of children? I would reason that his Christian morals would prevail, and that he would shutter at the thought that he would support such an organization. God declares, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness (Genesis 1:26, English Standard Version).” When God created mankind, He created beings that are His image-bearers. We are all individually valuable to God. We exhibit specific characteristics as humans that reflect God. As Christians we are commanded to not murder. Benji...
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...Ethical Dilemma: Before going into any discussion and solution I would like throw some light on what is Ethic, how it came into concept and what does Biblical point of view is related to it. Going by definition Ethics means “a set of moral principles, especially ones relating to or affirming a specified group, field, or form of conduct”. In this case we are dealing with two types of Ethics: corporate and individual. But that doesn’t mean that it changes the basic meaning of Ethics for them. Coming on to Christian / Biblical point of view, in a nutshell it clearly mentions that our sole purpose of existence is development of this world with mutual harmony, fellowship and humane attitude and by not following that we are committing a sin against god. A Christian worldview leads us to believe in moral absolutes, miracles, human dignity, and the possibility of redemption. So keeping both Ethics and Christian / Biblical point of view in my mind one can easily figure out that ethics is nothing but an extrapolation of Christian view be it corporate or individual. Corporate sectors adapt the ethical values from Biblical point of view to a writ which is compulsory as it is a formal world. But it doesn’t mean that they disagree or deviate from it. Now let’s take a look at the case provided. Some of the points that I would like to highlight are: 1. The coffee was spilled in a car that was not moving neither was she in the driver’s seat. 2. Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old lady who...
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...Knowledge and Ethics, because they shaped my thoughts, experiences, and education and life decisions. Believing in God can gives me the knowledge and the ethics that are needed to succeed in life. Believing in God gives me the inner strength to overcome the adversities that this modern world throws at me on a daily basis. Knowledge is never ending, and can help me obtain the information that is necessary to get through difficult times throughout my life. Knowledge is the key to understanding Gods word. Having ethics will help me when I am communicating with others whether it is in school, business or my personal life. In a world full of different cultures and races, ethics are an important part of communicating and understanding others. My comparison between Naturalism and Christianity is that Naturalist believes that there is no supernatural, only material and matter. They also believe they control their own destiny and that God has nothing to do with it. The Christian view is that everything we do is influenced by God and that everything we do is influenced by God. Christians also believe there is more to life than matter and materialism. My comparison between Secular Humanist and Christianity is that Secular Humanist believes that God doesn’t exist. My Christian worldview believes that God is the highest entity. Secular Humanist believes that people are basically good, and that they should feel good about themselves regardless of their behavior. My Christian worldview believes...
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