...Legal and Ethical Environment of Business Thomas Matthew October 9, 2013 American InterContinental University Eric Baime * Analyze and explain the state of our legal system in terms of ethics. The basis of our legal system was and is to protect the wealth of a very few by imposing laws on the less fortunate class of society. Tribal leaders and kings that were capable of forming armies to their benefit developed this system years ago. They formed this cartel and enforced their rules upon a society who lacked the power to contest the laws imposed on them. This system has evolved in our society in the form of a government who utilize the police and military to dictate the lives of the public. They inform the public that these laws exist to protect the interests of the people within the society. If these laws were actually created for the overall good of humanity then indeed they would be ethical but in reality people in power abuse these laws for their benefit. The laws within our legal system do consist of some ethical components and are considered either valid or invalid. Since our legal system was created by the wealthy they essentially do have opposing ethical views. The conflicting viewpoints exist in the legal system because the laws strip freedom and justice from one person in order to provide it to another. This implies that unethical laws are present giving power to more and limiting it to some. The legal system consists of laws that prohibit ethical...
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...Everyone also has their own “moral compass” and can decide for themselves what they think is moral or not and act according to that. The concept of a “higher or moral law” that applies to all people also comes into play here. There are ethical laws that all humans must/should obey; for example, most people would agree that slavery is wrong. Yes, hundreds of years ago many people practiced slavery and didn’t think twice about it, but that does not mean that it is an ethical thing. Today, most people think that slavery is horrible; this shows how humans, over time, work towards justice and their actions become more “morally correct” over time. On the other hand, I am not sure that we can really concretely say if something is ethical or not. As I stated above we can assume that certain actions are ethical, but we cannot be sure until the day the moral code is revealing (That is if this day even comes. Humans are not perfect, so a perfect world in which everyone acts morally and a “moral code” detailing what is morally good or bad presents itself may never come). Moreover, what is unethical may depend on the...
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...Class: Business Ethics “The case of slavery in the chocolate industry” ‘ What are the systemic, corporate and individual ethical issues raised by the case? First of all what is ethics? According to Manuel G Velasquez “Ethics is the discipline that examines ones moral standard or the moral standards of a society. It asks how these standards applies to our lives and whether these standards are reasonable or unreasonable, that is, whether they are supported by good reasons or poor ones.” In a nut shell ethics is what individuals and the society view as being right or wrong. The case "Slavery in the Chocolate Industry" discusses labor exploitation in the chocolate industry. It specifically addresses the cocoa beans grown on farms in West Africa, especially the Ivory Coast and Ghana, which make up close to half of the world's chocolate. The cocoa farmers of these nations, rely on slaves to harvest their beans, and in some cases, enslavement of young males. The plight of the enslaved children was publicized around the world in September 2000 when True Vision, a British television company, took videos of slave boys on several Ivory Coast farms and broadcast a documentary in Britain and the United Sates. In 2002, the Chocolate Manufactures Association and the World Cocoa Foundations along with major producers signed an agreement to establish a system of certification to certify use of “slave free” cocoa beans. There are many ethical issues raised in this case, let’s commence...
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...Moral Relativism Moral relativism is the “view that ethical standards, morality, and positions of right or wrong are either culturally-based or subject to a person’s individual choice” (Klement, 2006). Most people hold to the concept that what is right and what is wrong is not absolute and that morals can be altered from one situation to the next based on these subjective choices. Individual moral relativism views that what is ethically right is relative to each individual person according to their own moral standards or ethical system (Yount, 2012). To elaborate: if a John Doe believes that stealing office supplies for personal use is ethical, it is; if Jane Doe believes that stealing office supplies for personal use is unethical, it is. Alternatively, cultural relativism views that what is ethically right is relative to one’s culture (Yount, 2012). For example: if Culture 1 believes cannibalism is ethical, it is; if Culture 2 believes cannibalism is unethical, it is. The main advantage of moral relativism is that it can allow people of different cultures or ideologies to co-exist together. However, disadvantages of relativism in morality would result in having no common framework for resolving moral disputes because the fundamental principles governing what acts are morally right or wrong vary from culture to culture or individual to individual (Klement, 2006). The third level of Kohlberg’s (1971) stages of ethical development asserts that individuals consider the expectations...
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...Ethical Consumerism: Opportunities and Challenges Globally Your full name Your ID no. Unit code and name Lecturer name Assignment # Completion Date Emergence of new business concepts resulted due to global pressures. This result is in the form of business ethics and corporate social responsibility. Besides economic and environmental diligence, these concepts have become a marketing instrument to evaluate the performance of businesses. They are now designing products that are ethical and consider factors like health, safety and morality in their offerings (Hamelin et al. 2012). Similarly, consumers are the ultimate users of the products. They make a huge influence on the offerings by the concerns by accepting it or boycotting it. They attempt to bring changes in the society through their purchasing decisions. So the special market segment could be seen as the "ethical consumers"(Deng 2011). Thus, ethical consumerism could be defined as the ethical concern about the organizations and their products and services by choosing or not choosing a product or service that meets or fails certain ethical standards respectively. There are many aspects and matters included in the ethical considerations. These include safe environmental concerns, fair trade, animal welfare, labor standards and health concerns (Cho and Krasser 2011). The consumers reject the unethical offerings by the organizations through boycott or buycott. Boycott refers to the negative ethical purchase behavior...
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...will talk about critical thinking and ethical application. There are two approaches to the role of critical thinking in management education. The first approach values critical thinking as a necessary component of good decision making and a prerequisite to becoming a wise consumer of management knowledge. The second point of view experiences critical thinking as yet another example of scientific method applied to management problems. These techniques includes the familiar tools of decision science, such as decision trees, along with less quantitative methods of organizing thinking such as force field analysis. The common thread of the scientific approach is that all these methods, including critical thinking, purport to be able to make objective analyses of subjective information. We can reconcile the two views of critical thinking by agreeing that knowledge is largely a social construct and that there is value in looking for alternatives to any assumption or conclusion. CRITICAL THINKING AND EFFECTIVE ETHICAL DECISION MAKING An ethical decision does not necessarily arise with a sense of urgency. There is usually time available to consider alternate actions and possible consequences. This is where critical thinking adds to and informs our ethical analysis. Critical thinking might lead to an ethical outcome, and ethical intent might also lead to an ethical outcome. However, when both are used in conjunction, we can suggest that an ethical outcome is more likely. That’s look...
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...Slavery is a common topic debated in America. Several persons disagree with this action in history, but some tend to agree. Slavery in America dates all the way back to the 1600’s. The first slaves were brought to Jamestown, Virginia. These slaves were brought to America to aid the production of crops. Generally slaves were used to harvest large amounts of tobacco. When slaves are bought by production farmers, the slaves are considered property. These slaves are brought to their plantation to work under the order of farmers. Owners of the slaves are entitled to give slaves orders/jobs. In other words, the farmer gives slaves jobs he/she does not want to accomplish. If slaves were to act up, the farmer would progressively beat/abuse the slave....
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...business ethics comprises the principles, values, and standards that guide behavior in the world of business. Being ethical in business is nothing new and has been around a long time. Business ethics are both good and bad. Unfortunately we hear more about the unethical business behavior than we do about the good behavior of the business world. Unethical business practices have been around since slavery and continue today in the corporate world with firms such as Enron and Lehman Brothers. As a baby boomer and a part of the work force since 1967, I have seen a lot of changes in the corporate world of business ethics. After reading our text, it seems to me that teaching business ethics to the corporate world is the same as what most of our parents taught us growing up, “do the right thing”. They taught us the difference between right and wrong and the golden rule to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Ethical issues have been around since the beginning of time and the majority of those issues were social and moral issues. As the times and cultures changed so did the social and moral issues but they are still either right or wrong and given different names. Gone are the days when a business deal was decided by a handshake and a promise. In today’s society a handshake is only a formality to introduce two people who may make a decision to choose unethical practices to be sure that the bottom line is met in a business partnership. There is more to business ethics than...
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...Surroca, J., & Tribo, J. CORPORATE ETHICAL IDENTITY AS DETERMINANT OF FIRM PERFORMANCE: A TEST OF THE MEDIATING ROLE OF STAKEHOLDER SATISFACTION. Universidad Carlos Ill De Madrid, Departamento de Economía de la Empresa . Universidad Carlos Ill De Madrid. Friedman, M. (1970, September 13). The Social Responsibilty of Business is to Increase Its Profits. The New York Times Magazine . George, D. (n.d.). A History of Business Ethics. Retrieved from scu.edu: http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/focusareas/business/conference/presentations/business-ethics-history.html Hansman, H., & Kraakman, R. The End Of History For Corporate Law. Yale Law School. Hasbro. (2013). Ethics. Retrieved from Hasbro: http://csr.hasbro.com/rul04-ethics.php Hill, M. Mcgraw Hill. MacDonald, L. (n.d.). Advantages & Disadvantages of Business Ethics. The Houston Chronicle . The Economist. (2011). Milton Friedman goes on tour. The Economist . Zeiger, S. Effects of Lack of Ethics on a Business Environment. Houston: The Houston Chronicle. Introduction Business ethics is the general application of ethical behavior and conduct towards the way a business conducts itself. Business ethics do not involve a specific set of standards but rather are general ethics applied to business conduct. Often, they can determine what strategy and decisions a company will make and what the conduct of the company’s employees will be. There is a concept called ethical universalism, which states that what...
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...Unethical practices of a society can not be blamed on the individual’s within that corrupt society, but instead the leadership that guides their blind thinking. This concept of the corrupt elite influencing the society below them can be seen throughout the history of America. One such example of this in America is the idea of African American oppression. The Framers themselves failed to address the issue of slavery, so the African American community had to endure intense oppression until the Civil Rights movements. However, at every turn the American leadership in power either pushed the public to see the heinous acts as justified or enacted laws to create a further inability to escape the oppression. As a result, the initial creation of the...
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...Many of the ethical issues and dilemmas in international business are rooted in the fact that political systems, law, economic development, and culture vary significantly from nation to nation. Consequently, what is considered normal practice in one nation may be considered unethical in others, resulting in bad reputations for UK businesses if found to be linked to business that would be reflected as unethical in the UK. It is important for a multi-national business to behave ethically in order to succeed because the long-term implications of being unethical could result in the business having a negative image. Unethical is considered to be lacking moral principles; unwilling to adhere to proper rules of conduct. If a business is unethical consumers are less likely to buy from the business if their products come from a business whose factories, for example, use child labour or providing misleading information. As a result of this a negative image is developed and the businesses sales will decrease, as the consumers will purchase their products from other businesses whose products are produced in a more ethical way. The decrease in sales will mean that the businesses profitability will also fall. Moreover, due to the negative image the business will also struggle employing workers, as people may not want to work for a business that has an unethical image. One example of a business that has been affected due to being unethical is Nestlé, as in the 1970’s they were causing infant...
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...Ethical Scrapbook Part II Rosieanna Smith-Lee, April Chiofalo Johnson, Eddie Little, Inez Gonzales, Melody Kibbe CJA/324 June 2, 2014 Instructor Angela J. Sonsalla Ethical Scrapbook Part II Clearly for one to understand and practice ethical behaviors, they must know what ethics means. Ethics is a set of standards that informs individuals how they should behave in every aspect of our lives. Because ethics involves seeing the differences between right and wrong, an individual must make a commitment to do what is right by any means necessary. Ethics is not just doing what an individual must do but also doing what an individual should do. Many individuals failed to realize when they perform unethical behaviors there is a price to pay and not taking the time to think things through before they act may cost them their livelihood as well as damage their credibility and character. However, practicing good ethics can result in one gaining respect integrity among the individuals one interacts with daily. Because all individuals are different and not one individual thinks or view things the same, it easy to determine that as it relates to ethics each individual may have different viewpoints. This ethical scrapbook explored 12 examples related to ethical and unethical values and morals as a team to determine what examples we agreed on and what examples we did not agree on as well as allowed the team to discuss what the disagreement...
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...their society, by maintaining their personal character traits and standards, and by making and demonstrating good choices in their personal and professional lives. A person who is ethical and moral may not be considered virtuous, because of the differences between the three concepts. Virtuous Virtuous is used to describe a person who strives for excellence, in both their ethical and moral behaviors. Virtue, demonstrated as one who has good character traits, is often associated with ethical and moral beliefs, which is necessary for people to function in society with distinction. Virtuous examples are demonstrated in one who shows honesty, forgiveness, kindness, and respectfulness; among other exemplary character traits. A person who is virtuous shows commitment to doing the right thing, no matter what the cost; personal or not. Someone who is virtuous does not bend to desires, urges, or impulses, but acts according to their principles and values. Ethics Ethics are the rules and principles that govern the actions of people in comparative societies, while morality may differ from person to person. Ethics are described in our reading as, “what constitutes right and wrong, or good and bad behaviors,” and is understood when all of our ethical decisions are guided by the application of our ethical principles, (Boylan, 2009). Potter Stewart, an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court once said, “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and...
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...The Ethics of Abusive Behavior in Leadership When determining the ethical, or unethical, stance of a situation, one must understand what ethics refers to and that each person has his or her own value system. Ethics is the analyzation of the morality, or beliefs, of a person, group, society, culture, etc. The standards by which a person formulates morals can be by a variety of circumstances and acquaintances in life, generally beginning in adolescent years when a child learns the difference between right and wrong. Adults face situations every day where ethics are involved, especially those in leadership positions. As history has shown, the line dividing right and wrong is obscure for some leaders who display abusive behaviors. Through the course of this paper, the ethics of abusive behavior in a variety of leadership positions will be critiqued as well as history of abusive behaviors in leadership and warning signs for preventative measures. Abusive Behavior...
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...Synthesis on Ethical Foundations Of An Enterprise By: Rufino A. Santos III For many years people in "business" have had the reputation of needing to be ruthless in order to succeed. We've all heard remarks and jokes that perpetuate such stereotypes and caricatures, to the effect that there is no such thing as an honest person in business. Such comments would not be made unless there were at least some truths behind them on many occasions. We all know examples of people in business who have done things we consider dishonest, repugnant and socially irresponsible, all for the sake of personal monetary or material gain and, in many cases, ‘got away with it’ as far as the law is concerned. According to Charles Francis Adams “Failure seems to be regarded as the one unpardonable crime, success as the all redeeming virtue, the acquisition of wealth as the single worthy aim of life. The hair-raising revelations of skullduggery and grandscale thievery merely incite others to surpass them by yet bolder outrages and more corrupt organisations”. These were words written over a hundred years ago not by a management guru but an ordinary person who have concretely experienced such trends. In fact, so many revelations are reported that people who wish to be honest in the business world may be tempted to believe that they, too, must be sneaky, deceitful or dishonest in order to pay their way and make a decent profit. Various gurus have consciously defined ethical conduct in which one view...
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