This paper looks at different literature sources that discuss how a system of ethics affects the workplace, creating an environment that encourages people to develop their values and their skills.
Abstract The paper begins with a definition of business ethics, then looks into the history of the subject. The writer continues by looking into sources that criticize the approach of businesses in the area of ethics, followed by the subject of philanthropy.
Table of Contents:
Classical/Historical View
Criticism
Shared Values and Goals
Corporate Philanthropy Attracting and Building a Productive Workforce
Environmentalism and Corporate Responsibility
Conclusion
From the Paper "American business is under particular pressure to invest well in humans: to make them productive, motivated people working in a safe environment free from racial, sexual and other forms of discrimination. The social and political system sends signals to business about what is acceptable through trends in regulation and enforcement.
Managers often fail to understand that employees see work/life balance as a moral issue. Balancing work and family responsibilities is an ethical issue for everyone involved ? employees, employers and society; it's a matter of being socially responsible within the workplace. It is ethically positive to provide proactive family and flexibility programs for the workforce, but most companies won?t do so unless it's profitable or legally mandated. (Kleiman, 2000)."
This paper examines the ethics statement by the American Association for State and Local History to see how it might assure ethical behavior in large organizations and where it might be improved.
Abstract This paper briefly addresses the need for a process for making ethical decisions in companies and organizations. It goes on to examine the ethics statement offered by the American Association for State and Local History and uses it as an example for a company ethic statement. Finally, this paper analyzes some of the shortcomings of the ethic statement and provides some suggestions for improvement.
From the Paper "American society in recent years offers many examples of what happens when a company or an organization does not follow ethical rules. The need for a process for making ethical decisions in any organization is great. There are a large number of instances where ethical decisions are necessary, and corporations and organizations find that they can get themselves into trouble even when they are trying to be ethical if they do not have a strong and effective procedural structure to guide employees in making such decisions. An ongoing process of ethical decision-making creates an atmosphere in an organization that is beneficial, that contributes more to society, and that helps create an environment in which employees may flourish and do their best."
Abstract This paper examines the issue of corporate responsibility and the consequences of a lack ethics on today's business environment. The author attempts to define ethics and cites various studies which illustrate which ethical values people hold to be most important. The paper further discusses the intersection of ethics and sales. The author concludes by describing the relationship between ownership of values and ethical behavior.
Outline:
Introduction
Defining Ethics Finding the Connection of Ethics and Performance
Alleviating Ethical Meltdowns
Summary
From the Paper "There are as many definitions of ethics as there are of academicians, researchers, and scholars studying the topic. To align ethics with a specific religion is erroneous; there are many religions in the world that embrace honesty and truthfulness, yet do not provide the impetus for followers to willingly select these ethical approaches to interacting with others. One scholar, Josephson (2001), suggests that ethics involve first the ability to discern right and wrong, and second, the commitment to do what is good and aligning with what ethical conduct is. Ethics then requires action to be undertaken; to be ethical is to act in a consistently transparent and honest way. Josephson (2001) is specifically referring to the values a person has as shaped by their cultural, economic, religious, spiritual and social interactions accumulated over their lives. Ethical choices, according to Josephson (2001), place an equal weight of the values of an individual and their choice of behaving ethically or not. In a study conducted at the Institute for Global Ethics (1996), 272 individuals were asked to identify the 5 values from a list of 15 that were most important to them. Researchers found that the value of truth was by far the most frequent choice. What also emerged were the top three values of truth, compassion, and responsibility. When individuals were asked to pick the most important value, compassion was far and away the greater one chosen. The research went on to show that this small set of core values that is cross-cultural and universal."
Abstract The paper outlines the ethical value systems of virtue ethics, utilitarianism and the concept of equity. The paper then relates the writer's personal ethical perspective that the ultimate ethical virtue may be the willingness to depart from the strict application of any particular ethical philosophy for the overall purpose of achieving the most beneficial result for every particular circumstance.
Outline:
Introduction
A Survey of Ethical Value Systems
Personal Ethical Perspective for Responding to Ethical Dilemmas in the Workplace
Conclusion
From the Paper "Ethics is a set of principles or values that helps us define what courses of action in life are good and distinguishes them from courses of action that are bad. In the workplace environment, certain ethical issues arise that are defined by the rule of law (Daft 2005), but others may require us to apply personal values and ethical standards to determine the right course of action. Different systems of ethical analysis yield distinctly different results because they emphasize different criteria and underlying assumptions of the relative importance of the individual elements comprising ethical issues."
Abstract This paper examines two theories of ethics - Husted's symphonological ethic and the reflexive ethic. The author points out how ill-prepared nurses are to deal with ethical issues. The paper relates legal issues concerned with ethical problems.
From the Paper "Nurses usually receive little or no formal training in ethics and law and so are unqualified to deal with these issues when they encounter them in the clinical setting. Ethical and legal issues stemming from such medical issues as organ donation, end-of-life care, euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, genetic engineering and managing patient confidentiality in the age of electronic data management are all part of the modern practice of nursing. There are ethical legal and regulatory mandates that require a knowledge of these subjects in healthcare professionals so they ..."
Abstract The paper discusses the code of ethics that professional organizations use to provide their membership with a framework to guide them in the performance of their duties in situations that might be otherwise ethically incorrect. The American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) provides just such a code of ethics for its healthcare professionals. The paper defines the code of ethics and discusses how it is applied and adhered to and its importance as a function of standard business relationships. The paper highlights that the extent to which an organization's membership adheres to such ethical codes can therefore be the extent to which such membership performs in an ethical fashion.
From the Paper "Indeed, broaching the subject of the ethical aspects of a given healthcare situation may involve overcoming some powerful organizational cultural forces concerning the need to remain profitable in order to provide healthcare services for other consumers. Not surprisingly, virtually every such instance of healthcare delivery is replete with ethical considerations. In this regard, Greisler and Jackson (2000) note that, "A [healthcare providers'] use of power as s/he interacts with patients is a matter fraught with ethical dimensions. Concern has rightly been expressed that we may be entering a period of great moral danger as strong price competition, weak quality competition and fragmented government controls have created an environment that is easy to exploit" (p. 260). This inextricable relationship between healthcare professionals and the patients they serve demands that a thoughtful and balanced approach be used in assessing the ethical dimensions involved in each and every case, and the use of ethical self-assessment tools such as those provided by the American College of Healthcare Executives can help healthcare providers become more aware of these dimensions as they go about their day-to-day routine."
Tags:ethics, self-assessment, ethical, legal, compliance, communication, tool, periodic, training
Abstract The paper first looks at the forms of deontological ethics, that include ethical formalism, religion, natural law and the ethics of virtue. The paper then turns to the teleological ethical systems, that include utilitarianism, the ethics of care and the ethics of egoism. The writer
considers himself first and foremost to be a utilitarian since he believes that the best criterion to judge our actions is by how they impact the world around us.
From the Paper "All ethical systems can be categorized as one of two types. The first type is the deontological, meaning that right and wrong are thought of as independent categories and that ethical decisions are made without regard to a specific outcome. In the other kind of ethical system, the teleological, there is an ultimate goal towards which the individual or the community is striving. The realization of that ultimate goal is what guides ethical decision-making. Pollock (2003) has identified seven separate ethical systems, each of which can be categorized as either a deontological or a teleological perspective."
Tags:ethical, formalism, religion, natural, law, virtue, utilitarianism, care, egoism
Abstract The moral stance on ethical vitalism affirms that living organisms deserve respect for their intrinsic self-worth. Humans, therefore, must simply have a certain ethical code of behavior toward nature. There approach to the living world must be life-centred, not human centred. This is the belief of Paul Taylor, who argues that the belief that human life is superior to any other living organism is flawed. While some of Taylor's assumptions have their own weakness, this essay will contend that his overall view is legitimate. There does need to be a moral stance on ethical vitalism. If there is not, then humans must concede their subjectivity in defining the worth of human and non-human life.
Abstract This paper discusses from an ethical perspective issues of accounting fraud, whistle blowing, sexual harassment, workplace privacy and duties to employees. The author explores the ethical responsibility of businesses to their stockholders, vendors and stakeholders. The paper examines ethical dilemmas.
From the Paper "There are many aspects of business ethics, including the company's obligation to its employees and to its stockholder workers, duties to their employer and the organization's duties to workers customers, vendors, stockholders and stakeholders. Business ethics is difficult to define or describe. Business ethics includes concepts including honesty, trustworthiness, respect for others, accepting responsibility for the actions of the company and its employees and respect for the rights of others. According to Diane Dixon, writing in "Executive Excellence", one recent study on why ... percent of all managers ..."
Tags:ethics, right and wrong, business ethics, whistle blowing, sexual harassment, workplace privacy, duties to employees, stockholders, vendors, stakeholders, ethical dilemmas, accounting fraud.
Abstract This paper first takes a close look at what ethics are, in relation to humankind and its history. Next, it
differentiates what ethics are as opposed to morals, values, and beliefs. Third, it discusses exactly what the writer's ethics are, discussing some reasons why they are what they are and what their development was. Next, how these ethics are manifested in the writer's professional life is discussed, along with these ethical implications in professional decision-making. Finally, the critical thinking that this writer has gained while furthering education is discussed.
From the Paper "Ethics have been around as long as humans have roamed the earth, interacting with each other in appropriate or inappropriate manners and deciding which is the best way to lead life while around others. Throughout the centuries and millennia, thinkers and scholars and clergy have argued and defined, discussed and written, while attempting to define just what is ethical and how such behavior and actions should best be incorporated into the ethical individual's everyday life and overall existence. Yet, despite the innumerable words and volumes that have been designated to the study of ethics, despite all of the thought and prescription by government and religious institutions which have been made to individuals, ethical decisions and theories are just that: individual, personal, only able to be defined and made and instituted by each individual person for themselves."
Abstract This paper discusses the role of business ethics across the multinational enterprise. It discusses the role of ethics in the executive decision making process and offers several recent examples of ethical failings in multinational enterprises. The result of this examination concludes that ethic decision making begins with, the appointment of ethical people.
From the Paper "The preponderance of evidence seems to support that ethical decision making on the part of international business organizations tends to provide positive financial results in the long term. The inverse is true as well in that short term unethical decision making tends to produce better financial results. This is Occam's razor at its purist which postulates that the simplest explanation, especially in this case, is always sufficient. The complete lack of ethical decision making, within the last five years, has singularly led to a host of spectacular multinational enterprise (MNE) corporate implosions: "WorldCom, Adelphia, Global Crossing, Qwest, Tyco...These...ethical failures in...business...have taken a terrible toll. They have: destroyed some of the world's largest companies and hundreds of billions of dollars in shareholder value..."(Copeland, 2005, p.36)."
Abstract One of the greatest social debates over the past several decades has centered on the government providing welfare or government assistance to those who cannot fully take care of themselves. With the number of those who are poor ever growing, those who have no means of gainful employment, no way to provide themselves or their families with things needed for survival, such as shelter, clothing, or sustenance. While the hard numbers of welfare can be discussed and analyzed all day this issue mostly comes down to being one of ethics. Using the ethical theories of the classic philosophers, arguments can be made that are both for and against government-based welfare programs. This paper argues that by applying Aristotle's ethics, we can determine that welfare is not an ethical way to combat poverty, as it does not nurture the poor to develop ethical behaviors.
Abstract This paper discusses how promotion of ethics in the workplace is important to the business environment because it provides a framework for how individuals will function within the organization. Strong ethical concerns shown by management and the company will offer an example to workers. According to the paper, a code of ethics produced by the business will further provide guidelines for employees to follow, and organizational support for ethical practices will ensure a reduction in ethical concerns over the life of the business.
Abstract This paper reviews the recently developed a code of ethics by the American Psychological Association.
This paper discusses ethics and the practice of clinical psychology, the evolution of ethical guidelines and then focuses on the issue of dual relationships of the therapist and patient in greater detail. This is followed by a brief discussion of the trends of ethics and ethical guidelines in clinical psychology.
From the Paper "Every health care profession has a standard of ethics they must follow. While many professions have a strict code of conduct within the guidelines or policies of their parent organization, such as the American Medical Association or American Bar Association, the American Psychological Association (APA) finally approved a code of ethics in 1952, 60 years after the association's inception (Pope & Veeter, 1992). The code of ethics was considered unique in that it was "based upon the day-to-day decisions made by psychologists in the practice of their profession" (Pope & Veeter, 1992). This paper will present a brief discussion of professional ethics as they relate to the practice clinical psychology, highlight common ethical danger areas and focus on the ethic dilemma of dual relationships. "
Abstract This paper highlights business ethics with three case studies. The author discusses the issues of bioethics, the management of human resources, and ethics orientation in the case studies and uses companies such as Wal-Mart and Wayne Hills Hospital for illustration. The paper explains how investment in infrastructure, as in the case of Wayne Hills Hospital, labor management and ethics orientation play a big part in an organization. The author also stresses that good business ethics practices result in a positive brand image, something every company strives for.
Outline:
Case 1: Bioethics
Case 2: Human Resource
Case 3: Ethics Orientation
From the Paper "Regrettably, all evidence suggests that the model currently defined by Wal-Mart is unlikely to be disrupted, and to the negative impact on a broad array of players, not the least of which is the supplier. The globalization scheme promises that as new developing markets open to free trade, the opportunity for a corporation such as Wal-Mart to find yet cheaper labor and yet more lax environmental standards in the nation of a supplier will tend to draw it away from those to whom it had previously established a unilateral relationship."
Tags: healthcare facilities, human resource, ethics orientation, bioethics, companies, economy
