...Challenge Essay Contest Social Responsibility and Managerial Ethics A Focus on MNCs Prepared by: Kidus G.Mehalu Addis Ababa, Ethiopia August 2011 Social Responsibility and Ethics of MNCs The 2nd Peter Drucker’s Challenge Social Responsibility and Managerial Ethics -A Focus on MNCs . 1.1 Introductory Remarks Managers today are usually quite sensitive to issues of social responsibility and ethical behavior because of pressures from the public, interest groups, legal and governmental concerns, and media coverage. It is less clear where to draw the line between socially responsible behavior and the corporation’s other concerns, or between the conflicting expectations of ethical behavior among different countries. This essay on social responsibility and ethics set externally to international managers and thus in a sense outside their realm of control, is the expectation of appropriate behavior. This behavior is measured both in terms of social responsibility of the organization as such, as well as ethical behavior of individual managers. In addition to these expectations there is an onus on organizations and managers alike to manage the relationship with the host country. Having noted this, I shall now move on to the main issues this essay has set out to address in the following manner: 1.2 Global Interdependence Global interdependence is a compelling dimension of the global business environment, creating demands on international managers to take a positive stance on issues...
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...INTRODUCTION What is accountability? The definition states: The obligation imposed by law or lawful order or regulation on an officer or other person for keeping accurate record of property, documents, or funds. The person having this obligation may or may not have actual possession of the property, documents, or funds. Being accountable means being dependable-arriving to work and appointments on time, meeting deadlines, being in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing at the right time. Accountability is a valuable piece of life. We as humans are accountable for every action we take and every decision we make. To be an effective leader you must understand the power of accepting responsibility for the results you create. When something goes wrong or does not turn out the way you wanted it to, a leader possess the skills to be held accountable for what they may have done to cause this problem. Once you can accept responsibility for what went wrong you can spend more time on finishing a goal versus more time placing the blame on others. Personal accountability is the key to success in both our personal and professional lives. BODY One of the issues facing police throughout time is the issue of police accountability. When the police are doing a “good job” in the public’s eye, no one has complaints or questions how things are done but the minute a situation arises that is out of the ordinary or one that is manipulated by the media there is public outcry and...
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...reinforce the actions of the non-state actors through either sponsorship, or even inaction in the face of genocide. Civil society actors have taken steps to act where the nation-state has failed to do so out of what Ayers identifies as labeling the conflict as internal or a civil war. Ultimately, both Ayers and Power agree that labeling genocide as what it is, and taking other steps outside of raw military force can go a long way in preventing the atrocities of the 20th century. More specifically, since the nation-state alone cannot be trusted to handle these situations, civil society must take steps to better the diplomacy of the nation-state, along with creating an international community that can work together to remedy the problems of human and inalienable rights violations. In her article “Raising the Cost of Genocide,” Samantha Power examines the historical response to genocide by discussing the ways in which western powers have avoided responsibility for 20th century atrocities. She begins her article by explaining the invention of the word genocide as a word meant to “send shudders down the spines of those who heard it and oblige them to prevent, punish, and even suppress the carnage” . This notion opens up the main point of the article which is that western powers have not been reacting in this way when genocide comes up. The first case that Power points out is the Armenia genocide in the early 20th century. According to Power, the Western powers had knowledge of what Turkey...
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...Personal Responsibility Quianna Watkins GEN/200 April 7, 2013 Connie Amenta Thesis Statement: Personal responsibly can have numerous meanings depending on who ask. To me, personal and moral responsibility goes hand and hand. Personal responsibility means that I am going to live my life by setting standards, being accountable for my actions and behavior. Personal responsibility, in my opinion, is the key to being successful. Outline: I. Explain why/how personal responsibilities and moral responsibilities are linked Remembering the golden rule do on to others says we have them do to us. Ask yourself is this right or wrong, legal, honest, not hurting anyone feels hoping not to step on anyone toes along the way. That is way I feel they are linked and that you’re personal behavior can impact everything around you. Personal responsibility equates to not only what you do, but the manner in which you do it. I believe that without morals one wouldn’t truly understand the meaning of success. Personal responsibility gives me choices help me learn in return helps with over all colleges success. II. Explain how honesty relates to personal responsibilities Personal responsibility is doing what you say our going to do. That’s an important attribute because all we have in this world really is our word in life for others to judge us on. When you’re honest it helps to build relationships both on a personal and/or professional level. We make judgments calls daily, but in...
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...| Test Unit 5 | | | | Take Home Test –Business Ethics for Healthcare Institutions, 1.Describe the Tripartite Ethics Theory by answering the questions below : * What is the primary decision criterio for each of the following theories ? a.Utilitarianism – The primary decision criterion for utilitarianism is if a decision or act would lead to the greatest good for the greatest number of people. An example would be a patient is on the waiting list for an organ and as a result decides to make a sizeable donation to the hospital..Because of this donation the hospital will benefit tremendously and as a result the patient’s status on the waiting list changes. One large problem with Utilitarianism is that it justifies things that are clearly immoral if such act produces a maximization of consequences. Utilitarianism can be used to justify punishment or enslaving a small group of people if such acts produce a maximization of consequences .But such an act is clearly immoral regardless of how fruitful they might be for the greatest number. c.Virtue Ethics.- Virtue ethics is a person rather than action based: it looks at the virtue or moral character of the person carrying out an action, rather than at ethical duties and rules, or the consequences of particular actions. Based upon virtual ethics a person’s character would come into play when deciding on consequences for any inappropriate actions. The decision criterion here would be focused on the person’s character...
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...1. Discuss the challenges regarding corporate social responsibility that companies in the apparel industry face in their supply chains around the world: The apparel industry faces many challenges in regards to corporate social responsibility in their supply chains around the world. Today factories in Asia and Africa are suffering from abusive treatment and unsafe working conditions. Statistics suggest that between 25% and 50% of factories treat their workers as nothing more than means of generating a profit and deny their workers’ rights that we take for granted here in the states. Reports have confirmed that there are factories that restrict access to drinking water and restrooms during working hours. Additionally, there have been reports that employees work more than 60 hours a week and that workers who refused the overtime hours were punished as a result. Further, there have been reports of workers not being paid at all and reports of workers who are forced to work for wages below the minimum but who have to continue working because those are the only jobs available to them and without them they would not survive. 2. Discuss the meaning and implications of the statement by a Nike representative that “consumers are not rewarding us for investments in improved social performance in supply chains: Nike’s vice president of corporate responsibility, Hannah Jones, explains that “premium brands are in a lonely leadership position” and that premium brands are not being rewarded...
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...Kantian Ethics……………………………………………………………………16 Ethical Egoism…………………………………………………………………………….....18 Consequentialist Ethics.……………………………………………………………………..21 Chapter Two: Corporate Social Responsibility Introduction 27 Corporate Social Responsibility 27 Summary 34 Chapter Three: The National Football League’s Blackout Policy is Unethical Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….…35 The History of the NFL Blackout Policy: The Legal Test…………………………………..37 The Economic Test: Do Blackouts Have a Positive Economic Benefit?...............................39 The Philanthropic Test……………………………………………………………………….43 The Ethics Test………………………………………………………………………………47 Summary……………………………………………………………………………………..51 Chapter Four: Effective Communication Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….....50 Effective Communication Defined………………………………………………………..…50 This Student’s Display of Effective Communication…………………………………….....51 Written Communication……………………………………………………………….…51 Verbal Communication……………………………………………………………….…53 Electronic Communication……………………………………………………………....53 Summary……………………………………………………………………………………..61 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………62 References…………………………………………………………………………………….63 Abstract The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate this student’s understanding of the ethical decision...
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...the questions with some guidelines 1. Can you envisage reasons/scenarios where markets just don’t work or inefficient? Explain those reasons. Try to define markets and market failures. You may think of characteristics of public goods and conditions for market efficiency. Do companies have their internal resources distributed through an internal market of supply and demand for works? Suggest implications for you as future managers. 2. (a) It has been said that we are ‘addicted to oil’. How can you explain this in terms of income and price elasticity of demand? Try to define income and price elasticity, definition of in-/elastic demand, implications for revenue and pricing strategy. (b) Give some examples of things that could make the demand for oil more elastic. What specific policies could the government or companies take to make demand more elastic? (c, optional, harder) Which reasons may explain the recent drop in oil prices in 2015? Suggest some implications for you as future managers. 3. Milton Friedman famously wrote an article entitled “The social responsibility of business is to increase its profits.” After reading the article and related literature, consider the question of whether projects aimed at enhancing social responsibility are undermining the goal(s) of shareholders? Explain your reasons for and against, think of modern changes in the world that enhance or disable Friedman’s statement, suggest implications for managers. QUESTION 1 A real market economy ensures...
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...guidelines? What are the implications for health care? How does this affect the thought that "every person is responsible for his/her own actions"? In this discussion I will attempt to explain why the healthcare industry does not have a set of clearly stated legal and ethical guidelines, what the implications for health care are and how does this affect the thought that "every person is responsible for his/her own actions.". When it comes to the healthcare industry we have to remember that there are many gray areas when it comes to legal and ethical guidelines. Healthcare providers are here to care for the people they are providing healthcare for and every healthcare provider has his or her beliefs on what they may feel is ethical or with in the standards of the law in their practice. On the other hand, the healthcare provider can only does so much as what the patient would like for them to do base on their own personal beliefs and what they believe is ethical. If medical professionals are put in a situation in which hard decisions need to be made, laws and guidelines are set in order to help them make the right decisions. With that being said, this can affect how an individual in the medical profession performs their duties. From an ethical standpoint, it is up to the healthcare professional to asked themselves is what they are doing in order to help their patient if what they are doing is legal, balanced and how it will affect them emotionally (Fremgen). What a medical...
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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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...Instructor Name: Professor Alicia Plant Reference Cite for the book: Fisher, M. P. (2014). Living religions (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Week 1 Discussion for World Religions – REL212 "Understanding Religions and Indigenous Sacred Ways" Please respond to the following: Define indigenous religion, and describe at least one aspect of indigenous religions that exists in a similar form in a traditional mainstream religion. Define religion, and discuss why it is useful in society. Explain why it is important for you personally to understand the beliefs of other religious groups. Unlike many of the world’s major religions, indigenous religions often centers their spirituality within the context of the natural world and on particular geographic features, including bodies of water, trees, mountains, animals and everything is perceived as being alive with sacred existence. The word indigenous means originated in, and thus the term indigenous religion means the original religion of a place. Indigenous religions in the majority include those not considered to be 'world religions', such as Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism, but instead are often rural in nature, do not seek converts, and identify with specific ethnic groups. One aspect of indigenous religions that exists in a similar form in a traditional mainstream religion is African indigenous tradition is conceived as continuum, that follows the process of birth, death and rebirth, the same as Christians...
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...Many evil actions have taken place and people blame god for not stopping it. In contrast to that many good actions have occurred and people thank god. My thesis is God is all loving but does not interfere with any actions that occur he only provides us with free will. Is free will a gift or a curse? Free Will as a Negative Moral evil is from intent of person to person. In addition, moral evil can cause natural evil to occur, for example global warming. A corporation contributing to global warming might not care that they are hurting the environment. In result of hurting the environment a complete type of animal might be killed off....
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...Module One Essay Murder is wrong. One should always tell the truth. It is not right to steal. Most people would agree with the aforementioned phrases. However, what are they classified as? Do these expressions deal with morality, ethics, or both? Although these terms are often confused, morality and ethics are very distinct. On the surface this terminology may seem analogous, but their definitions are quite dissimilar. Morality and ethics are major components when examining the decision making of corporations. Despite having different meanings, morality and ethics are interrelated words that play a major part in business organizations. Morality The term morality deals with an individual or groups interpretation of what is right and wrong. In fact, it can be defined as the standards that a group or individual has about what is good and evil or right and wrong (Velasquez, 2006). Morals for the most part, are fairly unwavering within a group. The vast majority of people would agree that it is wrong or immoral to murder, steal, lie, or cheat. These are examples of moral standards. Moral standards are described as the types of behaviors or actions believed to be morally good or bad (Velasquez, 2006). There is also what is known as nonmoral standards. These principles judge what is good or bad in a nonmoral way such as good grammar or proper etiquette (Velasquez, 2006). In addition to understanding the meaning of morality, it is important to understand where these...
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...Activity 1 1. What Characteristics do you believe a positive role model in the workplace should demonstrate? A positive workplace should demonstrate the following 10 characteristics according to Cox(2002) These are: 1. Uncompromising integrity 2.High energy 3.Good at working priorities 4. Courageous 5. A committed and dedicated hard worker 6. Unorthodox and creative 7. Goal Orientation 8. Inspired and contagious enthusiasm 9. Staying level headed 10. A desire to help others grow and succeed 2. Describe a person you have looked up to as a positive role model. What qualities in them did you admire? What made them a suitable role model? What did you learn from them? Sir Richard Branson is one of the worlds most intriguing, succesful and enduring entrepreneurial business leaders. The founder of the Virgin Group, he has established a very interesting background and approach to both leadership and where he chooses to put his resources to work. He is an extremist in serial entrepreneurship and has a very interesting and exciting leadership style. Qualities:Creativity : Richard Branson’s ventures portray creativity, venturing into airliners using new creative measures such as touch-screen ordering of food and comfortable planes. This comes in an era where most other airliners are figuring out how to remove the last remaining frills to cut costs.Adaptability : One of his strong characteristics, besides his charisma, seems to be his adaptability to situations...
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...the story in media res? What antecedent action does Valgardson provide? An in media res opening wrenches the reader into the heart of the action and encourages dramatization. By beginning a story in media res, the author adds interest to the story. As the reader does not know what events lead up to the start of the narrative, it raises many questions- hooking the reader. In “Saturday Climbing”, Valgardson opens the plot in media res, with the narrator hanging off of a cliff. By choosing to enter the narrative in the heart of the action, the author bypasses the antecedent action and launches right into the action. However, antecedent action is provided throughout the story with flashbacks. For example, the father in the story remembers when his daughter would come home smelling of marijuana and how helpless he felt in that situation. By choosing specific points in the past, the author provides information that adds to the story, clarifies conflicts, and provides...
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