Business ethics is a well-institutionalized academic field, which deals with the moral dimension of business activity. In the context of international business, it means the treating of moral questions of international cultures and countries. International business should be sensitive to the environment and not just selfish for its own profits. Ethically, safety comes first and the profit comes last. The various issues that ethics target are diverse environmental concerns, animal welfare issues, labor practices, fair trade, health concerns, genetic modification, patenting of genes, cloning etc. International business is both more exposed to a variety of ethical conditions as well as in a position to exploit business ethics due to the sheer size an international company has. The end result of an ethical judgment entails its authenticity from being morally correct. But moral correction itself is a relative concept and is based upon the cultural perceptions as well as traditions. TheContinue reading
Business Ethics
Aligning Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
History tells us that ethics generate trust. But before anything else, ethics create a reputation, which in turn develops the elements of trust between people. The thrust of intensive ethical attention in business is brought about by the growing power of consumers towards businesses. Gone are the days when they would just buy products based on what it offers because now they would likely care about the brand’s practices. Consider the impact of Nike’s marred reputation on its economic activities when unethical workplace environments and practices were made public. The company was quick to decide on what it should do to the situation, which is to gain public trust again through public showmanship of ethical efforts. Although ethical choices are unavoidable and ethics is inescapable even in business, the intensity of such phenomenon has increased due to the growing concern on the collective impact of a business’ unethical action. TheContinue reading
Moral Hazards in Workplaces
In the economic literature nowadays, moral hazard is studied in various fields. There are two major categories of researches on moral hazard. One is originated from the early literature about insurance market; the other is about economic decision-making, such as finance, banking, accounting and management. In the recent financial crisis, moral hazard is more frequently discussed and blamed as one of the causes of the banking problem. What is Moral Hazard? Moral hazard is defined in various ways in different aspects. The earliest explanation is from the perspective of insurance sector. Marshall provided the definition as ‘any misallocation of resources which results when risks are insured with normal insurance contracts and only with such contracts’. Briefly, moral hazard as the risky behavior an insured individual may act because of the insurance cover. There are two kinds of moral hazard in insurance field. One of them is ex ante moral hazard,Continue reading
Business Ethics in Human Resource Management
Business ethics are the moral doctrines that direct the way to business behave. Business ethics determines the actions of every individual that distinguish the right or wrong. Every business organization must develop the codes of conduct and ethics that should be followed by all the members. Ethics can be taken as the crucial way to self-presentation and public perception of the organization. Business ethics in human resource management is related to the employee’s issues. Human resource management plays an important role in setting up and implementing ethics in the workplace. Implementation of ethics in the workplace has been one of the challenging tasks for the organization. Various human resources issues can be handled properly by the application of ethics and code of practices by the managers in the workplace. Ethics generally determine what is right and what is wrong. With the help of business ethics, proper allocation and maintenance ofContinue reading
Case Study: The Financial Collapse of the Enron Corporation
Enron began its life in 1985 and appeared to be a rising star in the business world. In conjunction with the accounting firm Arthur Anderson Enron became one of the biggest accounting scandals in history. There were numerous ethical dilemmas in addition to the many illegal acts during rise and fall of Enron. The Enron scandal was the biggest bankruptcy in United States history which cost 4,000 employees their jobs. Once it was obvious that something was amiss with Enron’s bookkeeping, there was action on behalf of the Securities and Exchange Commission. By October 31, 2001 the inquiry had upgraded into a formal investigation and on December 2, 2001 Enron filed for bankruptcy. It was an event that will always be remembered as one of the most disastrous events in the financial world. In late 2001 Enron’s shares drastically dropped from over $90.00 to just pennies which was seen asContinue reading
Arguments For and Against Social Responsibility of Business
Business entities should pay attention to the welfare of workers, consumers needs and their security, the well-being and privileges of creditors, government regulations and the obligations of the enterprise towards the social order as a whole. Nowadays, numerous organizations are concerned about social activities and are playing an active role in the same. While the outlook of the society have transformed, companies have become further conscious of their social responsibilities. A cautious analysis of opinions for and against the participation of organizations in social welfare activities is essential to conclude whether an organization should employ social programs. Arguments Favoring Social Responsibilities of Business The needs of present day customers have changed, ensuing in a change in their outlook of businesses. As businesses oblige their profits to humanity, they have to thus counter to the needs of the society. Society and business gain mutual advantage when there is a symbiotic associationContinue reading