...recession can have a huge impact on morale throughout an organization. While management is busy considering where to cut costs and how to properly invest during the economic hardship, employees become disengaged due to their concern about what the future holds. Finding inspiration and motivation can be a real challenge when anxious about whether your position will be available tomorrow. It is during these times that management must carefully consider their strategy for keeping employees optimistic and engaged. Planning to survive the recession could have fatal implications if management is too short-sighted. Cutting costs alone will not see the company through the recession without seeing the investment opportunities that exist during these times; the most important of which is the investment in people. Managers at Bain & Company, Home Depot, and Best Buy have taken a variety of steps in the past to build and maintain talent during the recession; utilizing Schwartz’s value theory to keep employees engaged and motivated. According to Schwartz, values “represent broad goals that apply across contexts and time." He proposed that there are ten primary values that guide human behavior: Power, achievement, hedonism, simulation, self-direction, universalism, benevolence, tradition, conformity, and security. Shalom Schwartz, PhD (2012) explains that “values are critical motivators of behaviors and attitudes." Because of this, organizations often create strategy based on one or more these...
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...BUSI610: Organization Design and Business Ethics Mitzi N. Harvey Liberty University Abstract This literature review examines the concepts of business ethics and how it is related to the organizational design of a corporation. The first section of this review defines the concepts of business ethics and organizational design to establish their meaning and use throughout this paper. The second aspect of understanding the relationship between business ethics and organizational design comes from understanding how and/or why ethics is important to organizational design. This will illustrate any underlying influences ethics has on business structure and design. The third section of this paper reviews and groups the literature found linking ethics and organizational design. Literature is grouped together based on the similarities found in authors’ opinions, research and/or results. The next section discusses the ideas of micro and macro ethics; first defining them, illustrating the differences and then explaining how they come into play when examining the link between ethics and design. The following sections of the review, provides examples of formal organizational structures, ethical programs, and the ethical decisions that impacted them. Finally, in the conclusion of the review it summarizes the relationship between business ethics and organizational design, how this relationship impacts business, and what this means for business managers. Introduction To sustain...
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...Design- A Literature Review Abstract This literature review observes the views of organizational design and business ethics as they relate to one another in business. The first portion of this paper defines organizational design and business ethics to establish their importance and also examines managerial ethics and corporate social responsibility, sources of ethical principles. The second portion pursues to explain the relationship between business ethics and organizational design and how managers shape ethics through use of value-based leadership and formal structure systems. The third portion pursues to review the importance of ethics to organizational design and the structures that support or enforce ethical behavior in organizations. The fourth portion links literature reviewed and published over the past few years together based on their reference to ethics and organizational design. The literatures are linked together based on commonalities found in the opinions of the authors relating to a spiritual perspective, ethics and corporate structure, organizational and ethical theories, and ethical strategy. Last but not least, the review concludes with a summary of the important role that ethics plays in the organizational design and structure of a business and how it applies to members of management. Keywords: business ethics, organizational design, corporate social responsibility Outline INTRODUCTION I. Organizational Design/Business Ethics A. This...
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...BUSI610: Organization Design and Business Ethics Mitzi N. Harvey Liberty University Abstract This literature review examines the concepts of business ethics and how it is related to the organizational design of a corporation. The first section of this review defines the concepts of business ethics and organizational design to establish their meaning and use throughout this paper. The second aspect of understanding the relationship between business ethics and organizational design comes from understanding how and/or why ethics is important to organizational design. This will illustrate any underlying influences ethics has on business structure and design. The third section of this paper reviews and groups the literature found linking ethics and organizational design. Literature is grouped together based on the similarities found in authors’ opinions, research and/or results. The next section discusses the ideas of micro and macro ethics; first defining them, illustrating the differences and then explaining how they come into play when examining the link between ethics and design. The following sections of the review, provides examples of formal organizational structures, ethical programs, and the ethical decisions that impacted them. Finally, in the conclusion of the review it summarizes the relationship between business ethics and organizational design, how this relationship impacts business, and what this means for business managers. Introduction To sustain...
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...Ethical Behavior and Morality in Organizations begin with “The Tone at the Top” Executive Summary Unethical behavior in organizations creates many intractable problems which climax in fraudulent acts. When behavior in an organization is not ethical regulations are broken, and the likelihood of legal suits increase. Fraud in Enron and Adelphia in the early 2000s led to big bankruptcy filings resulting in huge losses in investments. Employees also lost jobs as well as significant portions of their retirement savings. Most of the fraud in these companies were committed or influenced by senior management. Executives did not demonstrate ethical leadership by sounding ethical tones at the top. The “tone at the top” has a trickle down on employees. If top management is comprised of ethical leaders, the employees are likely to behave ethically. Such leaders lead by example, and one important way to cultivate an ethical organization is to have an organizational code of ethics that is followed by all. However, these codes can only be as good as those who are responsible to enforce them. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has placed high importance in codes of ethics. In spite of the aforementioned disadvantage that is hinged on the values of unethical leaders, codes of ethics are good internal controls. Leaders can act morally and avoid unethical behavior if they also avoid setting unrealistic goals. If daunting goals are set for employees, they are likely to commit fraud...
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...Ethical Issues Ethical Issues in Corporate America Larry Goodman Business 610/ Organizational Behavior Prakash Menon April 10, 2011 Ethical Issues 1 The purpose of this paper is to look at the Ethical Issues in Corporate America. This paper will address areas regarding why ethical issues are a major concern in organizations, what influences impact ethical behavior and how organizations can influence ethical behavior in employees. To complete this task outside resources, such as books and articles will be utilized. According to Wise Geek.com, Ethic is defined as, “the behavior that a business adheres to in its daily dealings with the world”. Ethic takes on many different forms with any organization, how ethics impacts employees is very important to the success and failure of the company. Organizations are more likely to achieve ethical success with the employees if the employees are properly trained to complete any desired task. Given the fact that the employees are not trained properly, makes them more likely to make a mistake or incapable of performing job duties, this is a condition that will influence the ethical behavior of the employee. Properly continued training will enable the employees an opportunity achieve better results and it will help the organization produce better products. The employer may utilize other areas to help drive desired ethical behavior. The employer may take steps to help increase the desired ethical behavior. The employer may use...
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...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, the focus is on outcomes rather than motives. This view is most closely associated with the 18th and 19th century philosophers Jeremy Bentham (Goldworth1983), Mill (2002) and Sidgwick (1981). Non-consequentialists take a similar view of the importance of ethical values, but deny that the rightness or wrongness of behavior is determined by the goodness or badness of its consequences. They...
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...INTRODUCTION Values and ethics are central to any organization; those operating in the national security arena are no exception. What exactly do we mean by values and ethics? Both are extremely broad terms, and we need to focus in on the aspects most relevant for strategic leaders and decision makers. What we will first discuss is the distinctive nature of ethics for public officials; second, the forces which influence the ethical behavior of individuals in organizations; and third, explore the actions strategic leaders can take to build ethical climates in their organizations. THE CHARACTER OF VALUES AND ETHICS Values can be defined as those things that are important to or valued by someone. That someone can be an individual or, collectively, an organization. One place where values are important is in relation to vision. One of the imperatives for organizational vision is that it must be based on and consistent with the organization's core values. In one example of a vision statement we'll look at later, the organization's core values - in this case, integrity, professionalism, caring, teamwork, and stewardship- were deemed important enough to be included with the statement of the organization's vision. Dr. John Johns, in an article entitled "The Ethical Dimensions of National Security," mentions honesty and loyalty as values that are the ingredients of integrity. When values are shared by all members of an organization, they are extraordinarily important tools for making...
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...Ethics Behavior and Social Responsibility International Accounting Member of Group : 1. Rahmawati Yulistya C1I015026 2. Muhamad Ilham Akbar C1I015012 3. Astria Wulan P C1I015013 4. Siffa Sandi Sasmita C1I015025 5. Cita Husna Raisya C1I015026 6. Wulan Nilam Sari C1I015031 7. Karina Aprilia W C1I015037 8. Riyan Ardiyana C1I015043 Jenderal Soedirman University Faculty of Economics and Business I. Introduction I. Background Ethics Behavior and Social Responsibility Ethical behavior is that which is morally accepted as “good” and “right”. And opposed to “bad” and “wrong”. Social responsibility is a moral principle of an entity, be it an organization or individual, to act towards betterment of society at large. It is a duty that every firm and individual should perform so as to maintain the balance between the environment and economy. Their actions should lead towards sustainable development so as to safeguard the interests of the coming generations and at the same time fulfilling the needs of present population. The responsibility can be active, by performing activities that directly advance social goals, or passive, by avoiding any engagement in socially harmful act. Organizations can manage ethics in their workplaces by establishing an ethics management program. Brian Schrag, Executive Secretary of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, clarifies. “Typically, ethics programs convey corporate values...
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...Ethical Breaches ACC 557 Name Date Instructor Introduction In recent years, accounting ethical breaches has emerged as a major problem for most of the organizations. With growth of businesses, the number of accounting ethical breaches has also increased in organizations. Accounting ethical breaches may be defined as the misappropriation and misconduct of financial data by the auditors and accountants of the company (Duska & Ragatz, 2011). The accounting ethical breaches not only affect the organization, but also the stakeholders involved with the organization. The paper will discuss the accounting ethical breach in Enron. The paper will also discuss the ethical issues, accounting ethical breaches and the recommendations to prevent such breaches. Ethical Behavior in Current Business and Regulatory Environment With increasing number of corporate ethical breaches, the role of ethical behavior has increased in organizations. The organizations are more supportive to ethical behavior ensuring risk, compliance and governance culture within organization. As a part of this culture, effective communication around ethical practices has been followed by the organization. Since ethical breaches are mainly done for the sake of money, rewarding and ethical practices has effectively helped organizations to minimize the ethical breaches (Ferrell & Fraedrich, 2009). At the same time, ethical breaches have not only affected the image of the company, but are also responsible for...
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...collectively, an organization. One place where values are important is in relation to vision. One of the imperatives for organizational vision is that it must be based on and consistent with the organization's core values. In one example of a vision statement we'll look at later, the organization's core values - in this case, integrity, professionalism, caring, teamwork, and stewardship- were deemed important enough to be included with the statement of the organization's vision. Dr. John Johns, in an article entitled "The Ethical Dimensions of National Security," mentions honesty and loyalty as values that are the ingredients of integrity. When values are shared by all members of an organization, they are extraordinarily important tools for making judgments, assessing probable outcomes of contemplated actions, and choosing among alternatives. Perhaps more important, they put all members "on the same sheet of music" with regard to what all members as a body consider important. The Army, in 1986, had as the theme for the year "values," and listed four organizational values-loyalty, duty, selfless service, and integrity-and four individual values- commitment, competence, candor, and courage. A Department of the Army pamphlet entitled Values: The Bedrock of Our Profession spent some time talking about the importance of values, and included this definition: Values are what we, as a profession, judge to be right. They are more than words-they are the moral, ethical, and professional...
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...r Ethical Issues in Organizational Behavior Erin Kelly October 3, 2011 BUS 610: Organizational Behavior Professor Katheryn King-Metter Ethical decisions play a very important role in an organization. Ethics is the concept of good and bad behavior. Ethical behavior is governed by state, federal, and local laws. It is important for an organization to promote good moral choices and do everything in its power to prevent unethical behavior from taking place in the workplace. This can be achieved through continuous training and reinforcement of the desired behavior. Unethical behavior in the workplace can be detrimental to an organization because it is both costly and can ruin a good relationship between business associates. There are several influences on ethical behavior. They can range from the diversity of the workforce to the technology used in the organization to the quality that is now required of the products produced by an organization. Diversity can become an issue when a manager uses personal race related biases in organizational decisions. Technology can be an issue when proper training is not available to the employees in an organization. The fact that the employee is not trained properly makes them more likely to make a mistake or incapable of performing job duties. Quality can become an issue when an organization does provide its employee with the tools necessary to provide products within the specifications of their customers’ requirements. An employee...
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...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 structure. Once this flow of influence is understood, exploration is necessary to identify the best procedures for developing and sustaining strong influential leadership ethics within the organizational structure. Organizational...
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...Ethical Issues Ethical Issues - Why are ethical issues a major concern in organizations? What individual influences impact ethical behavior? How can organizations influence ethical behavior in employees? Use a recent article from the Wall Street Journal, or other reputable publication, for an example of ethical issues being addressed by a corporation today. Ethics is a major concern and plays a significant part of the US society it is a crucial part in the world of business. The Unique characterization of ethics all though it is part of law ethical behavior comes down to what is right and what is wrong ethically. This paper will look at ethical behavior within an organization. It will look at what is right and what is wrong ethically and moreover how it affects society within an organization. It will reflect on some history of ethics to describe and discuss ethical behavior. Ethical behavior can have an enormous impact either positive or negative, ethically, financially, and emotionally to the people who make up the organization. We will look at why is ethical behavior a major concern within an organization. It will look at the individual influences impact of ethical behavior. Finally, how an organization influences ethical behavior in employees. Ethics is a term that has existed in years before (BC) and continues to exist today. Ethics is philosophical moral treatment of the moral order. According to Socrates the ultimate object of human activity is happiness and...
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...Chapter 5 Social Responsibility and Ethics How important is it for organizations and managers to be socially responsible and ethical? In this chapter, we’re going to look at what it means to be socially responsible and ethical and what role managers play in both. Focus on the following learning outcomes as you read and study this chapter. LEARNING OUTCOMES 5.1 Discuss what it means to be socially responsible and what factors influence that decision. 5.2 Explain green management and how organizations can go green. 5.3 Discuss the factors that lead to ethical and unethical behavior. 5.4 Describe management’s role in encouraging ethical behavior. 5.5 Discuss current social responsibility and ethics issues. SPOTLIGHT: Manager at Work Chapter 5 presents contemporary concepts of managerial ethics and social responsibility to help your students explore and appreciate the critical role of these issues in today’s complex business environment. In the opening case, “A Manager at Work,” we see firsthand the complications that arise when companies are caught in the middle of unethical and illegal allegations. The case revolves around allegations of attempted bribery by three Renault executives. After an investigation, all three of the employees were dismissed, but the story doesn’t end there as the Paris prosecutor in charge of the case later dismissed the charges for lack of evidence. Renault would eventually backtrack on the firing of the executives, rehiring all three...
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