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BUSINESS ETHICS
What are Business Ethics?
Prepared by:
Hamdoon Hussain
B.Sc (Economics), MBA HRM
Karachi University Business School (K.U.B.S)
Business Ethics-
Terminologies
What is Business :
An entity which is engaged in industrial,
commercial to earn profit and also for non-
profit mission to served charitable mission.
OR
Business is just adding value in the
customer life through your product or
services.
What are Business Ethics
What are Ethics:
Ethics demonstrated to what is wrong? What
is right.
Ethics are the study of general morals,
specific morals philosophy and set of
professional morals, and standard which is
generated by the business or enterprise.
Ethics determine behavior in terms of right
and wrong.
What are Business Ethics
Business Ethics is a form of applied ethics or
professional ethics that examine ethical
principles and moral or ethical problems that
can arise in business environment. It applies
to all aspects of business conduct and is
relevant to the conduct of individuals and
entire organization.
Understanding of Business ethics
Business ethics ensure that a certain basic
level of trust exists between consumers and
various forms of market participants with
What are Business Ethics
Business ethics is the study of how a business
should act in the face of ethical dilemmas and
controversial situations. This can include a
number of different situations, including how a
business is governed, how stocks are traded, a
business' role in social issues, and more.
Business ethics is a broad field because there
are so many different topics that fall under its
umbrella. It can be studied from a variety of
different angles, whether it's philosophically,
scientifically, or legally. However, the law plays
the biggest role in influencing business ethics by
far.
What are Business Ethics
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Business ethics refers to implementing
appropriate business policies and practices with
regard to arguably controversial subjects.
Some issues that come up in a discussion of
ethics include corporate governance, insider
trading, bribery, discrimination, social
responsibility, and fiduciary responsibilities.
The law usually sets the tone for business ethics,
providing a basic guideline that businesses can
choose to follow to gain public approval.
What are Business Ethics
Understanding Business Ethics:
Business ethics ensure that a certain basic level
of trust exists between consumers and various
forms of market participants with businesses. For
example, a portfolio manager must give the
same consideration to the portfolios of family
members and small individual investors. These
kinds of practices ensure the public receives fair
treatment.
What are Business Ethics
The concept of business ethics began in the
1960s as corporations became more aware of a
rising consumer-based society that showed
concerns regarding the environment, social
causes, and corporate responsibility. The
increased focus on so-called social issues was a
hallmark of the decade.
Since that time period, the concept of business
ethics has evolved. Business ethics goes beyond
just a moral code of right and wrong; it attempts
to reconcile what companies must do legally
versus maintaining a competitive advantage over
other businesses. Firms display business ethics
in several ways.
What are Business Ethics
Varieties of business ethics
Many people engaged in business activity, including
accountants and lawyers, are professionals. As
such, they are bound by codes of conduct
promulgated by professional societies. Many firms
also have detailed codes of conduct, developed and
enforced by teams of ethics and compliance
personnel. Business ethics can thus be understood
as the study of professional practices, i.e., as the
study of the content, development, management,
and effectiveness of the codes of conduct designed
to guide the actions of people engaged in business
activity. This entry will not consider this form of
business ethics. Instead, it considers business ethics
as an academic discipline
What are Business Ethics
Why Business Ethics/Reason To Study
Business ethics are important because they add a
line of define to protect the company, enable
companies growth saved money and allow to avoid
certain legal:
Identify ethical issue of company.
Crises management.
Greater scrutiny of ethical misconduct.
Benefit of Business Ethics
Enhance a company reputation.
Retain good employee.
Positive work environment.
Avoid legal problems.
What are Business Ethics
Conceptual and evolutionary aspects of business
ethics:
Ethics is the part of philosophy that studies the
morality of human acts, as being free and ordered to
its ultimate end. Ethics was defined as an inquiry
about nature, based on morality. It is also
understood as moral judgments, standards and rules
of human conduct, with an emphasis on the
determination of what is right and what is wrong. A
company is considered ethical if it adopts an ethical
stance as a business strategy, that is, to act honestly
with all those who have some kind of relationship
with it, the stakeholders. Customers, suppliers,
partners, employees, government and society as a
whole are involved in this group.
“Having ethical standards means maintaining
good business in a more lasting way”
What are Business Ethics
Determining Right and Wrong
Acting ethically ultimately means determining
what is “right” and what is “wrong.” Basic
standards exist around the world that dictate
what is wrong or unethical in terms of business
practices. For example, unsafe working
conditions are generally considered unethical
because they put workers in danger. An example
of this is a crowded work floor with only one
means of exit. In the event of an emergency –
such as a fire – workers could become trapped
or might be trampled on as everyone heads for
the only means of escape.
What are Business Ethics
Ethics Improves Your Business Reputation
When you have a reputation for consistently being ethical in
how you source and build products, and treat employees,
customers and the community.
Business Ethics Help You Retain Top Talent:
Good ethics at a business start at the top. If you’re a business
owner or manager, it’s important to lead by example. When
employees see you make ethical choices, it lets them know that
they can have confidence in the company; they know that
you’ll do right by them and your customers.
Limit Risk with Good Business Ethics:
Businesses that practice good business ethics face less risk for
fines and other legal trouble. Sure, the law and regulations are
complicated, but a lot of trouble can be avoided just by doing
what’s morally right. If business decisions are made with that in
mind, you can save the stress of having to defend your
company against lawsuits and fines.
What are Business Ethics
Understanding Business Ethics in Three
Parts
To truly break down business ethics, it’s
important to understand the three basic
components that the term can be dissected into.
#1 History
#2 Scandals
#3 Integration
What are Business Ethics
#1 History
The first part is the history. While the idea of
business ethics came into existence along with the
creation of the first companies or organizations, what
is most often referred to by the term is its recent
history since the early 1970s. This was when the
term became commonly used in the United States.
The main principles of business ethics are based in
academia and on academic writings on proper
business operations. Basic ethical practices have
been gleaned through research and practical study
of how businesses function, and how they operate,
both independently and with one another.
What are Business Ethics
#2 Scandals
The second major meaning behind the term is
derived from its close relationship and usage
when scandals occur. Companies selling goods
in the U.S. that were created using child labor or
poor working conditions is one such scandalous
occurrence.
What are Business Ethics
#3 Integration
Perhaps the most recent and continually
developing aspect of ethics is the third piece –
the idea that companies are building business
ethics into the core of their companies, making
them a standard part of their operational
blueprint. As the world continues to grow more
political – and more politically correct – an
increased focus on proper business ethics and
strong adherence to them become ever more the
norm.
What are Business Ethics
Examples of Ethical Behavior in the
Workplace
While understanding the basic principles of
business ethics is important, it is arguably more
important to understand how these ideas apply
to day-to-day business operations. Here are
some examples of how ethical behaviors can be
practically applied.
What are Business Ethics
Putting Customer Needs First
Companies that build their workplace culture
around putting customer needs first and hiring
people who engage in this behavior are
participating in ethical behaviors. For example, if
a customer comes into a store looking for a
product that meets very specific needs, it's
important to provide them the best product for
the situation described instead of up selling them
or encouraging them to buy a product that won't
meet their needs
What are Business Ethics
Being Transparent
Transparency and clear communication is
paramount when it comes to ethical workplace
behaviors. For example, when faced with a
public relations crisis, companies should call a
meeting and address the problem directly with
their employees. It's important to truthfully
describe the situation as it unfolded, present
solutions, and accept criticism humbly.
What are Business Ethics
Prioritizing Workplace Diversity
Part of being fair is providing everyone with an
equal opportunity to be employed at the
company.
For example, if someone notices that
management tends to hire the same type of
person, they may suggest getting employees
more involved in the hiring process. This will
introduce different perspectives to the hiring
process and increase the possibility that different
kinds of applicants will be selected for a position.
What are Business Ethics
Respecting Customer Information
Many businesses collect the personal
information of their customers, whether it's
payment information, health information, or
similar. For example, a hospital may create and
enforce aggressive policies around staff sharing
patient information on social media. Having an
employee share this kind of information on their
personal accounts is not only disrespectful of the
patient's privacy,
What are Business Ethics
Providing Resources for Reporting Unethical
Behavior
If an employee notices unethical behavior in the
workplace, they should have an outlet to report
these behaviors For example, a research
university should have a neutral office of
compliance that is organizationally detached
from the research arm of the institution. This
provides a neutral space where academics can
report unethical studies or harmful practices
without fear of workplace repercussions.
What are Business Ethics
Quality Control
For another example, consider the matter
of quality control for a company that
manufactures electronic components for
computer servers. These components must ship
on time, or the manufacturer of the parts risks
losing a lucrative contract. The quality-control
department discovers a possible defect, and
every component in one shipment faces checks.
What are Business Ethics
Importance Of Business Ethics
Every company should have their own moral
principles and guidelines. Following business
ethics has more benefits than you think. It will
help you to keep and attract employees,
customers, and investors.
What are Business Ethics
Importance Of Business Ethics
For example, consider that you are an “energy drink”
manufacturing company and you’ve proclaimed on
the labels and advertisements that you don’t add any
preservatives to the drink, then You should adhere to
the claims you’ve made. If you disobey your claims
and sell the product by adding preservatives, then it
is considered as unethical business practice. It will
deteriorate your brand and eventually, you will lose
trust from the customers. It also damages the
reputation and keep away the stakeholders.
Therefore, following business ethics is very
important.
What are Business Ethics
BENEFIT OF BUSINESS ETHICS
Enhances Reputation
Builds Trust-Internally & Externally
Increases Awareness of Ethics Issues.
Guides Decision Making
Reduces Ethics Risk
Questionable behavior decrease.
Employee Relations Improve.
Competitive Positions Improve.
What are Business Ethics
Pillars of Business Ethics:
Trustworthiness
Respect
Responsibility
Fairness
Caring
Citizenship
Business Ethics for
Executives:
In addition to the Six Pillars of Character, the
Josephson Institute offers 12 Ethical Principles for
Business Executives:
Honesty
Integrity
Promise-Keeping & Trustworthiness
Loyalty
Fairness
Concern for Others
Respect for Others
Law Abiding
Commitment to Excellence
Leadership
Unethical Behavior in the Workplace:
Taking Sides in an Employee Argument
Lying
Misusing Company Time
Cultivating a Hostile Workplace
Ignoring Conflicts of Interest
What are Business Ethics
BUSINESS ETHICS-CASE STUDY:
Gray Matters
To foster ethical discussion and understanding in the workplace,
the Lockheed Martin company developed a quiz for employees
called “Gray Matters.” The quiz is multiple choice, with a range of
points awarded (or subtracted) depending on the response.
Subsequently, the approach has been adopted by a wide range
of corporations. Here’s a typical question matched with its
possible answers and the corresponding points:
Six months after you hired an assistant accountant who has been
working competently and responsibly, you learn that she
departed from the truth on her employment application: she
claimed she had a college degree when she didn’t. You’re her
manager; what should you do?
Nothing because she’s doing her job just fine. (–10 points)
Bring the issue to the human resources department to determine
exactly how company policy determines the situation should be
handled. (10 points)
Fire her for lying. (5 points)
Carefully weigh her work performance, her length of service, and
her potential benefit to the company before informing anyone of
what happened or making any recommendations. (0 points)
What are Business Ethics
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
This report has revealed that good ethical practices
by businesses are very significant to the realization
of organizational success. A business organization
that embraces ethical ways of conducting its
business affairs is more likely to achieve employees’
commitment, loyalty and satisfaction which in turn
lead to quality of works and increased performance
than unethical one. Such business will also portray
good organizational value in the eyes of the
stakeholders. It is also concluded that adopting good
ethical behavior will increase being competitive,
business sales, profit, customers retention and
loyalty and investments to mention a few.
THE END