...world today, the idea of business ethics and its relation to Catholic Social Teaching are addressed very well within this essay. The examples given about the Ford Pinto and the DC-10 airplane are astonishing to read and make someone think twice about the huge corporations that dominate the nation’s and world’s economy. On the contrary, the example of the Tylenol incident can be perceived as a logical, right-minded way to do business. Though it may seem logical, in reality this is a moral way to do business. Acting as businessmen, the leaders of the Ford and Turkish airlines were thinking with their immoral minds, purely on profit and not about the lives and safety of their consumers. The Church’s numerous teachings and encyclicals on Catholic Social Teaching show their concern and mindset about the immoral and unethical behavior of such large and powerful companies. A very effective and accurate pastoral, Economic Justice for All teaches that “The moral precepts recognized by the Church apply to actions performed in the corporate name in the same way they apply to those performed in the individual’s private life” (69). Another topic this essay effectively covers is the human dignity of the laboring workforce. Pope Leo XIII’s reaction during the Industrial Revolution to this appalling immorality shows the Church’s great concern for the sacredness that is the human life. From hours to wages to working conditions, the Church voices its opinion for the business world. This essay very...
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...American Business Ethics a Modern Day Oxymoron The dictionary defines an oxymoron as a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms. Examples of this are dark light or living dead. This term is related with business because although most companies have a small book outlining ethics and guidelines that should be followed on a daily basis, many of them do not fully comply. The oxymoron “American Business Ethics” contradicts American Business with Ethics. The ethics of many American companies are not law but should be treated as such however these regulations are rarely followed and sometimes not followed at all. The risks that companies have been taking to increase profits and put more money into the CEO’s pockets use illegal actions. In recent times, companies such as Enron, Wal-Mart and BP have been guilty of multiple charges against ethical principles which have led to bankruptcies, housing market crashes and environmental disasters. The most famous case related to Enron and their aggressive accounting practices of reporting losses as profits to keep the stock price high. This act ultimately led to the bankruptcy of the company. Enron was founded in Omaha, Nebraska by Kenneth Lay in 1985. It was an American energy, commodities and services company based in Houston, Texas. Enron was once viewed as one of the best companies in America during its initial years of operation. Fortune magazine named Enron “America’s Most Innovative Company” for six consecutive years...
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...will be discussing Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) using Anglo-American and Primark case studies as examples. First, I will discuss what is meant by ethical business behavior. Second, I will discuss how Anglo-American and Primark apply ethics into their business practices. Third, I will discuss what the costs and benefits are to an organization when they behave ethically. Finally, I will choose one component from Svennson & Woods’ model from “A Model of Business Ethics”, and discuss how it is relevant for Anglo-American. Ethical Business Behavior Ethical business behavior refers to an organizations actions and policies that are synergetic with "doing the right thing" (Sethi, 2003). Similar to the inherent laws of society that man has established that promote specific behaviors and actions that are deemed appropriate to build trust and relationships that last, it is similar in corporations. In order to operate ethically, organizations must also establish a clearly defined set of principles and a culture of ethical compliance that builds trust and confidence with their employees and their customers (Paine, 1994). Ethical business behavior is a combination of values and normative ethics, which drive an organization. Additionally, ethical business behavior is expected by society as a whole. Svennson & Woods write, “Society does have expectations of business and of its business leaders” (Svennson & Woods, 2008). Anglo-American and Primark are two...
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...impact on both countries’ ethical norms. Japanese corporations can be contrasted to American corporations which stress the interests of stockholders and are more likely to emphasize short term goals. Leadership is a term that emphasizes three characteristics which are the human trait requited, to coordinate interests of the group, and towards the group’s goals (Taka & Foglia, 1994). Effective leaders maintain integrity and trust by communicating clearly, leading by example and fostering positive relationships with sponsors, stakeholders, suppliers and employees. When leaders establish a strong commitment to ethical behavior and demand that all employees adhere to a high standard of business conduct, confidence in the company tends to be high. When leaders show disregard for the rules, morale, productivity, and overall success suffer in the long-run. The problem of when and how to adapt to different ethical standards is best approached by examining two sets of issues: those faced by Americans doing business in Japan, and those encountered by Japanese working with Americans. Americans and Japanese each have their ethical strengths and shortcomings, and that neither has the exclusive right to set up standards by which they may judge the other (Gundling, 1991). Japan is a very traditional country, with strong business ethics being a major foundation. When dealing with the Japanese in a business atmosphere, there...
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...What are International Business Ethics? International Business Ethics The importance of international business ethics has been rising steadily along with the growth of international business. Technologies like the Internet have made international business all the more viable, and many companies can only find the desirable growth and profit they seek by expanding into new markets. This means that just as business ethics domestically have grown in importance along with the power and significance of major businesses, so must international business ethics take center stage as a major concern of the modern era. The primary problem of international business ethics lies in the fact that most cultures and nations hold entirely different standards of both law and ethics. In America, business ethics can be employed because, in general, the disagreement between what actions are ethical and what actions are unethical in a single culture will be lesser than the disagreement between two entirely different cultures with different values and cultural practices. As a result, one business might believe it is acting perfectly in accordance with international business ethics, while another would view that first business as acting in a completely unethical fashion. Many businesses adopt the policies of cultural relativism, in which they attempt to take on the business ethics exhibited by the nation in which the business is working a particular deal, as opposed to attempting to carry any...
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...XMGT/216 Business Ethics Across Cultures In this paper, I will be reviewing the business ethics found in two countries, each from a different continent. The two countries I have chosen are China and Mexico. The articles I have located for this research are both drawn from the University Library, the first one being Business Ethics and Social Responsibility in Contemporary China, by St. Clair and Norris, the second being Introduction to Central America and Mexico: Efforts and obstacles in creating ethical organizations and an ethical economy, by Collins and Whitaker. I will be reviewing China first, followed by Mexico. Chinese Business Ethics In their article, St. Clair and Norris examine the source of Chinese business ethics from multiple angles. Socially, culturally, and politically, the business atmosphere is quite different in China than it is here in the US. There is, really, no formal culture or system of business ethics for the general, private business sector (St Clair & Norris, 2011). Since its induction into the World Trade Order in 2001, China has modified its business regulations quite significantly to ensure that its businesses operate within the WTO guidelines. However, transition and reform aside, centralized decision making, internal bargaining, and bureaucratic red tape still seem to be the norm, despite the decentralization of many industries and the growth of consumerism. This turn towards progressive business ethics could be due to the recent scandals...
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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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...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...
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...The University of Pikeville Business Administration Program Assignment for Couse: BUS 583 Contemporary Issues in Business Submitted to: Dr. Kossuth M. Mitchell Submitted by: Devon Akers, Jan Hunt, Kandi Justice and Ray Justice Date of the Submission: April 10, 2013 Title of Assignment: Case Decision Making Paper- Red Cross CERTIFICATION OF AUTHORSHIP: We certify that we are the authors of this assignment and that any assistance we received in its preparation is fully acknowledged and disclosed herein. We have also cited any sources from which we used data, ideas or words, either quoted directly or paraphrased. We also certify that this assignment was prepared by us specifically for this course. Student’s Signatures ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Table of Contents Definition of Problems 3 The Lack of Ethical Culture and Stakeholder Orientation 4 Low Board’s Professionalism 5 Poor Trust and Excessive Emphasis on Marketing 5 Identification of Possible Action Alternatives 6 Analysis of Each Alternative 7 Doing Nothing 7 Hiring a New Board of Directors 7 Developing a New Code of Conduct 8 Developing a New Organizational Strategy to Reconstruct...
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...Business Ethics I have chosen to write my paper on business ethics and the different things that are being done to improve ethics in the business world. This tends to be the majority of what our book has focused on and what much of the corporate world is spending tons of resources to improve. I think much of the hype for improving business ethics stems from the most recent economic downturn in the world and America especially. This has led people to realize that corruption and unethical behavior was behind much of the financial meltdown that happened. People greed and selfish behavior led to doing bad business. That being said the government also had much to do with the business world becoming corrupt as well they seemed to promote this unhealthy greed and made people do the unethical decisions upon the basis that it felt good. It was the governments idea that everyone needed a home and should have a right because they live in America to own that home. Somewhere we forgot that owning a home has an ethical side to it as well. The ethics of owning a home are that a person makes a commitment to buy a home at a price and are obligated to pay for that home. An Ethical person would do everything necessary to pay for that home and honor the deal they made. On another Ethics note related to home mortgages if you look at the ethics of the lenders who are a business and the poor ethics that they maintained. An ethical company would not have given loans to people who could not afford...
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...Running head: PROFESSIONAL VALUES AND ETHICS Professional Values and Ethics University of Phoenix Professional Values and Ethics What is the difference between values and ethics? Values are rules by which people make decisions about what is right versus wrong; good versus bad and what one should or should not do. The definition of values according to Dictionary.com is “the ideals, customs, institutions, etc., of a society toward which the people of the group have an affective regard. These values may be positive, as cleanliness, freedom, or education, or negative, as cruelty, crime, or blasphemy” (The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 2009). Examples of values include: respect, empowerment, commitment and teamwork. Ethics on the other hand, are generally a formal set of rules which are openly adopted by a group of people; such as a company’s code of conduct or a code of ethics handbook. The definition of ethics according to Dictionary.com states “a theory or system or moral values; the rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the member of a profession” (The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 2009). Examples of ethics might include: bribery is not acceptable or treatment of customers. Many people question the values and ethics of professional establishments, especially those in the financial industries. American’s today are going through...
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...Business Ethics across Cultures Article Review XMGT/216 3/24/13 Jennifer Moore Globalization is a process which has taken place since the first traders and merchants began visiting other countries to bring food and goods back for sharing with their country. Countries take pride in sharing their culture and perspectives with any person whom enters their country. In today's economy we have the Internet, and the use of digital information to help focus on globalization. The updated technology helps create a well-planned business strategy for merging with organizations in different organizations. Creating a business transaction with organizations is difficult because most countries have different religious beliefs, they eat different foods, and speak a different language, and this becomes a difficult task to accommodate to what people of other countries are wanting from the business transaction. Organizations that choose to work with companies in other countries make take caution in how they communicate with one another. Through time organizations doing business with other countries have begun taking all steps necessary to make business transactions with international businesses. Many large corporations have begun doing successful transactions with other large corporations, and governments of various countries have begun working together to help better businesses throughout the world. If two international businesses choose to combine practices to better both parties involved...
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...HEALTH CARE ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Michael B. Boone Code of Ethics A Look at the American Red Cross Date: January 25, 2015 The American Red Cross has been known to be one of the most humanitarian organizations in the United States and throughout the world aiding and helping in different series of generous contributions in many disaster areas as well as bringing health care advancement to communities in the Unites States and in the world that need help in development (Dulles, 2014). For an organization it is important to make sure that their values and organizational ethics are reflected in what they do and how they do within the organization as well as the community. In order to speak about ethics it is important that we understand the definition of ethics. Ethics are the ideologies in which a person runs his or her choices. In an organization such as the Red Cross a code of ethics are the principles that guide the organization, its decision making , its programs and the way that they conduct business (Kelchner, 2010). A review of the American Red Cross Mission Statement is their basic core beliefs. It states, “The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of others” (American Red Cross, 2007). The organization was founded by Clara Barton and friends to assist in the issue of service members and their families in 1881. To this day, the Red Cross’s mission...
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...A New Work Ethic A New Work Ethic Let’s examine work ethic today and how it has changed. We will look at personal experiences and the typical attitudes in the work place and the implications of work ethic for the future of American business. Finally, we will examine the reasoning behind employee theft in the workplace. Describe how typical the attitudes that Sheehy reports appear to be in work environments you have experienced. As I read “A new work ethic“and the experience of James Sheehy, how typical the attitudes are in the work environments that I have experienced. I was working in a management position where the typical employee was from 18 to 25 years of age and they regarded the work as something to do until they get a real job or graduate from college. The worst offenses would come with opening and closing of the store, includes washing floors, taking out trash, cleaning the tables and cleaning of kitchen and prep for the following day. Consistent with Sheely’s observation, they would find any shortcuts and did not have any pride in their work. When I approached one employee whose assignment was to wash the floor, and mentioned he missed a section behind the bar his response was that customer’s will not see that spot. They studied the attendance policy and they knew how many times they could call off before getting written up. I also experienced the attitude of I can’t wait to graduate and get a real job leaving this job for the uneducated person. In My...
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...Running head: “THE AMERICAN RED CROSS (ARC)” “The American Red Cross (ARC)” Risa Stokes Strayer University Assignment # 01 Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Course HRM 522: Ethics and Advocacy for HR Professionals Dr. Bob Barrett Spring 2012 “The American Red Cross (ARC)” Discussion 1 Determine the impact of this even on ARC’s “benefits of business ethics” (employee commitment, investor loyalty, customer satisfaction, and bottom line). Answer According to Ferrell and Fraedrich (2011) stated that, “business ethics relates to rules, standards, and moral principles regarding what is right or wrong in specific situations. Business ethics comprises values and standards that guide behavior in the world of business” (page 7). Producing responsible leaders has always been a part of business education, but it seems overtime to have become more of incident by product than by central content. Business leaders must embrace ethical standards and those standards need to be communicated through all levels of the business, mostly importantly among shareholders and with employees. There are several benefits of business ethics according to the text. The benefits contributed based on ethics according to (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Farrell, 2011, p 18-21): * Employee commitment-employees who believe their future is tied to that of the organization and their wiliness to make personal sacrifices for the organization. * Investor loyalty-...
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