Good Business Ethics example essay topic

Business Ethics Business ethics is part of today's society whether you like it or not. There are many things happening in today's corporate world that needs to be opinion ed. Are ethical judgments merely a matter of personal opinion? Yes because we live in a free society I think that most ethical judgments are based on a matter of what you believe in.

Everyone has the right to think differently. There will also be similarities and differences in your ethical point of view because of religion, race, and education but I don't think it will be much different than someone else's opinion if it all comes down to these factors. I also think that personal opinion can be attributed to how sensitive the topic is. For example same sex marriage is a very sensitive issue as well as abortion. When you look at the news and see corporate giants like Enron and World Com a question mark comes to my mind. I ask my self what happened to the conscience of the people making decisions in the corporate offices.

I believe that a lot of the decisions are made because of self-interest. These executives were looking out for themselves and forgot about the shareholders of the company, which are equally important because they own part of the corporation. That is why we are seeing all of these corporate scandals on the news today! Ask yourself if you think what Microsoft did was ethical. When you think about Microsoft's antitrust case it reminds you of a corporate giant that makes decisions in their self-interest. They didn't care if they were hurting another company.

The company that was most hurt from these illegal business practices was Netscape. Microsoft wanted to eliminate its competitors by performing business practices that would hurt other companies in its market segment. We all know what happens when there is no competition? Companies raise prices because of the law of supply and demand. I guess it's all about competition. If a corporation doesn't have good business ethics would it be a good idea for that company to do good works in the community?

I would say no because if the executives that run the company have no integrity whatsoever to make decisions in their company what makes you think that they are going to care about the community in which they are suppose to volunteer in. The image of a company is very important and if the corporation is not using good business practices it can be hurt financially and its reputation can be at stake. Should business be expected to do good works in the community? I believe that the backbone of this country is businesses. Corporations small or large need to set examples out in the community by getting involved in programs like the united way, red cross and other activities that benefit our youth and the people of America. This plays a major role in community development.

By doing this it will also build the company's image and reputation. If all of the expenses are going to be tax write offs why not do good works in the community that will benefit everyone. The former company I worked for is a very good example of a business that performs good works in the community. To my knowledge United Parcel Service practiced excellent business ethics and was very involved in the surrounding communities. Ups was also involved in local colleges and high schools. We implemented interviewer workshops at some of our local colleges and high schools.

This is just another way for the students to get ready in the real world. We maintained relationships with guidance counselors and elected city officials in order to better the community and our company. By providing jobs to people in the communities, the cities and neighborhoods will benefit by uprising the economic stability of the city. We were also involved in community block parties were we give out balloons, candy, and raffle off prizes. Ups also sponsored festivals in order to provide funds to the community activities. Ups had cookouts at most of their facilities throughout the country and donated the proceeds to the united way.

It was also a proud sponsor of major league baseball and nascar. Have you seen the commercial what can brown do for you? My experience with UPS was great one. Brown can do a lot for you.

If you are a college student and need education assistance ups will pay your school directly if the institution participates in the Earn & Learn program and you receive a grade of a D or better. You can also work your way up in the company if you choose that school is not an option for you. This is what you call doing good works in the community by providing students with money for college. Parents don't have to think twice were their son or daughter might be attending school next semester think about paying for college because of corporate America. This is just another example in how some companies can be viewed as doing good works in the community.

Do you believe in equal pay for equal work? The fact of the matter is that employees with the same job requirements and classifications should receive equal pay. This will be the ethical thing to do to keep employees satisfied for the time being. The only exception for an employee to receive higher pay for the same work performed would be because of seniority. By having this policy in place this will encourage employees to stay with the company over the long term benefiting the company by not having to waste resources on new employees. This employee will be compensated for his efforts and commitment to the company.

If you have work experience or a college degree in your background you should also be compensated even if you are doing the same work. If you feel that you have been neglected or you weren't provided with the same opportunity then you have the right to seek legal advice from an attorney. If you are an illegal immigrant in this country you might be subjected to lower pay because you don't have the same rights as an American citizen or a permanent resident. This might be discrimination towards illegal aliens because it doesn't stand for American principles but then again the employee is willing to sacrifice him or herself for lower pay because the laws will prevent them from speaking out against their employers. When it comes to providing jobs to illegal aliens employers save money but is it ethically correct to pay them less money. This is a question that politicians have to answer unless if we can keep illegal aliens from entering this country.

Is a strong concern for ethical behavior likely to lead to economic success for a business? I believe that a strong concern in ethical behavior can lead to success. The way you are brought up in your adulthood plays a role in the ethical behavior that you will perform. I also think that the people around you (role models) will be a factor in determining the behavior you will be involved in. Your educational background and your conscience will also be huge factors if you were to be successful in the business world when it comes to making decisions. If you as an executive carried out your duties in a responsible way without doing harm to anyone else this would be out of one's own values.

As a management employee one has to think that everyone is at stake if the business does not succeed. You have to everything possible under the rules of the land to execute and carry out the tasks needed. A good believer of this theory is Kenneth Arrow, which believed that if business did not follow ethical standards in the long run it would suffer. He also stated that if a business is well rung and everything is done in an ethically and professional manner the profits would be there.

I am also a big believer that if all of these steps are followed you will achieve all of your goals. Milton Friedman believed that the bottom line was stockholders and profit. I don't have any arguments against that. Businesses stay in operation because of profits and investors, which are primarily the stockholders. Friedman also believed that businesses should be operated legally. I also think that this is a very important factor if the company is going to survive the long term.

If you operate your business within the limits of the law in a successful market it will bring you profits and prosperity according to business ethics. But can you really mix business and ethics? I think this subject is affecting a lot of decisions throughout America today. I would say before you make a decision that will affect a group of people, ask yourself is it in the best interest of them. You have to remember that any decision you make will be with them possibly for their lifetime so when you make a decision make sure it is the best one! Corporate Social Responsibility / Milton Friedman Mr. Friedman believed that the main objective in a business was to make profits and to increase returns for its stockholders.

I have to agree with Friedman because this is the most important principle in order to succeed in a business or corporation. The only way for a business to expand and create more jobs is through profits. Friedman also mentions that executives should make as much money as possible for the company while staying within the rules that govern them. This leads me to believe that executives of the company should do everything in their power even if they are technically breaking the law, and there are no legal implications to stop them.

One example of a business that is not in it for profit is non-profit organizations. These types of business have different objectives. They are not in business for the money but to help others in need. Business are either non-profit or profit organizations. They are very different in a lot of different ways. This is why I also believe that the bottom line of a business is profits.

Think about why stockholders buy stock? Most stockholders have a financial goal that they want to reach in x amount of time. This money could be for retirement, college fund, or simply savings. If the company does not provide profits for its stockholders, over the long term the company will not be profitable because shareholders will begin to sell their stock. This is part of the reason why I think the main purpose of a business is profits and revenue! Friedman mentioned that only people have responsibilities.

A corporation is an artificial person and in sense cannot have artificial responsibilities. Each person has to be held accountable for his or her own actions especially corporate executives and individual proprietors. In this case the discussions of social responsibility will be directed more to a corporate executive since they have most of the influence in the corporation. Friedman theory mentions that the corporate executive is an employee of the owners of the business and that he has direct responsibility to his employers.

His main responsibility is to conduct business in according to the needs of the owners, which is to make as much money possible for shareholders while following the rules governing the corporation. The owners of the business would be stockholders. This is very true because the corporate executive is just following orders or demands of shareholders and board members. In some instances the executive will have to make decisions in the interest of the company.

Friedman believed that there was nothing wrong with the corporate executives having individual social responsibilities during their own time. He believed that no corporate executive should be wasting company money on any activities outside the business that would not benefit it. The only exception would be if there would be profits. There is one and only one social responsibility of business and that is to uses its resources and engage in activities designed to increase profits as long as it stays between the rules of the game according to Friedman. To Friedman business was all about a game. As long as you followed the rules pertaining to your business or corporation there wouldn't be a problem.

Even if the corporate executive knew that what he was doing was wrong and there were no laws to regulate it would not be wrong according to Friedman. Of course profits would have to be involved. He also mentions that individuals may have a right to vote and a say but if he or she is overruled they must conform. Every person has a right to vote for a president but in the end if the person they voted for does not win they still will have to abide by the rules. They will also be affected by the president's decisions whether they want to or not. Friedman criticizes corporate executives that exercise on "social responsibilities" in the business.

He feels that you can't put them together. The bottom line is profits and you cant put social responsibilities because it will create problems for the executive when performing his duties according to Friedman. Employee at Will / Patricia WerhaneThe employee at will concept illustrates that when there is no rule or contract, employers have the right to exercise their means by hiring, promoting, demoting and firing anyone they seem necessary. This raises a question mark?

Do you think that a responsible employee with a good cause should be fired for no reason whatsoever? I disagree even though some companies have the right to make such decision under the principle of the EAW. I believe that firing someone for no reason is morally wrong to do. The only advantage at will employees have is that they can quit their jobs for any reasons without having to give any explanation to their employers. There is no incentive or job security for such employee to work under these conditions.

We also have to remember that we live in the United States and we have rights as citizens and residents in this country. If we lived in another country there is less freedom of speech and we would be subjected to other laws. These employees also have no rights when it comes to due process or to argue over any decisions the company made to terminate his or her employment. If I was in a situation were the job I was inquiring about had no due process I would easily decline it. You might think that you are doing the right thing for the company and the employer might feel that it is not in the interest of the company. It's like not having any freedom or a voice in the company.

You have to be very critical in any decisions you make because you might not be aware that you are making the wrong decisions that can cost you your job. Due process is a way to express, defend, and to get an explanation from the company of the action that they took. You also have an opportunity to argue against their decision by the right to a hearing, trial, or even filing a grievance. This is a very important concept because you have representation if you feel any laws were violated. I would prefer a job that allows me to exercise this concept because I feel that I can defend and argue any unjust decisions made by the company. The company will also be more careful in making decisions to terminate an employee's job without any reason because of lawsuits that may follow.

The company's reputation can also be harmed and the media can play a large role in downfall of the company if these problems keep arising. I believe that employers should give employees an explanation why they are being discharged. This is just the way I feel and I am sure that a lot of corporate executives disagree with me. Maybe if I saw it from their perspective or point of view I would probably agree with them. This would depend on what side I am on. There could be very different opinions when it comes to this argument.

It all goes down to the employees and employers viewpoint. I also think that companies need to be more careful in selecting or hiring employees. This will decrease the discharging of employees for no reason. If I was an executive I would like to have the freedom to do whatever it takes to make the business succeed. If it comes to firing someone that has done something wrong then I would sit down with that person and explain to the individual the wrongdoing. The companies that follow the principle of the EAW believe that if they own the company and manage it then they have the power do what they want.

I don't have a problem with that, but is it morally wrong to fire someone because they have done nothing wrong. This is were I disagree with the company. Companies should be able to do whatever they want with there business as long as they follow rules and regulations. They need to consider that people have feelings and when you are making a decision that is going to affect someone you need to let them know why it happened. If the person fired has a family and you are discharging them for no reason you also have to think about that this person has a family and that the company has a say whether this person will make a living while he or she looks for another job.