Considerations for ethical business decision making.

Considerations for ethical business decision making.

Introduction

According to Ellerman (2015), business ethics refers to a form of professional ethics that are applied in business and which are used to examine the moral principles and the ethical problems which are likely to arise in the business environment, both internally and externally. These moral ethics guides the behaviour of all individuals in the organization as well as all the shareholders who contributes immensely towards the success of a business organization. The considerations for ethical business decision making is divided in to two broad categories, which includes the ethical factors, individual factors and social factors.

Individual factors

Values refer judgements which are made by individual people. They also refer to the standards of behaviour which guides an individual person.  To some business people, lack of honesty is a tool of doing business! Yes, some people can survive in the business environment through lies. Morals are inner individual characteristics and can affect their ethical behaviours (Lansford et al 2015). Morals are ruled which are developed by individuals and are shaped by societal norms which have a long history. Morals can also be obtained from childhood behaviours, education, culture and religion and are prescribed to be either good or bad. If an individual has good morals, they will make good business ethical decisions.

Social factors.

Social factors affecting ethical business decision making includes family, friends and the internet. Social factors are usually shaped by culture can act as a scarecrow to business people willing to set up businesses in different parts of the world to the fear of failure of conformity with the social requirements. Friends, co-workers and family members play an important role in ethical decision making (Michaelson 2014). If you witness your father who works in a restaurant coming home with delicacies, would you consider it ethical for you to do the same? Finally, the internet contributes immensely to ethical decision making as one may get used to pasting things in to the internet.

Ethical factors

Ethical factors affecting ethical decision making includes the can be broken down in to business ethics. Business ethics refers to the moral principles which govern a group of people in an organization. Ethical behaviour is acting in a way that is consistent with the regulations and guidelines of an organization and they influences ethical decision making. It is therefore a corporate social responsibility of each individual to remain ethical for economic sustenance (Ellerman 2015)

Ethical theories.

Utilitarian ethical theory.

Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that attributes utility maximization to the best practices of an individual. As explained in utilitarianism, utility refers to personal satisfaction and well being which one gets as a result of acting in an ethical way. According to Carroll (2014), utilitarianism explains the consequences of an action as being right or wrong and it is not driven by egoism. All interests are therefore considered as being equal. Ultimate happiness is the driving virtue of utilitarianism. In the business perspective, when individuals are happy, they tend to act in an ethical way.

The Kantian Theory of ethics.

This theory was developed by Emmanuel Kant and it is the form of deontological. It was developed as a result of enlightment in rationalization and it views things at good will. It explains that an action is good if it is at its maximum. When organizational employees and managers reveal solid actions which are robust and affect the business activities positively, then the action is termed to be ethical. For the development of a predominant ethical behaviour, individuals should have good will and duty to perform (Michaelson et al 2014).

Virtue Ethics.

Virtue ethics, also known as the aretaic ethics is used to explain normative ethical theories which emphasize on the virtue of the mind and character of an individual. It is a trait binding the character of a person and requires a robust mindset. Examples of virtues in the business environment include honesty, generosity and practical wisdom. An honest employee will not mess up with his/her boss because the truth sets one free ((Ellerman 2015)). A generous individual will be willing to participate and contribute views towards the success of a business. Practical wisdom will enable managers to be good leaders. All these virtues are predominant and guide an ethical decision making.

Implications and impact of civil liberty laws in work place.

Civil liberty is a personal freedom or personal guarantee granted to individuals and especially employees by the government as a tool of individual work promotion so as to stipulate performance in the business. These civil laws which have been enacted in the united states of America includes the fair housing act, racial profiling laws, Americans with disabilities Act and Equal pay Act which have been passes so as to safeguard the interests of individuals in the workplace. These laws have both positive and negative impacts on hiring, promotion, discipline, and discharge and wage discrimination (Carroll 2014),. They provide a basis for instigating discipline to individuals or workers who are not performing to their capacity.

Business ethics.

Business ethics refers to a form of professional ethics that are applied in business and which are used to examine the moral principles and the ethical problems which are likely to arise in the business environment. Business ethics guides the behaviour of all individuals in the organization as well as all the shareholders who contributes immensely towards the success of a business organization. According to Michaelson (2014), business ethics are the contemporary set of values which governs the behaviour and actions of all individuals in a business organization. An organization with proper business ethics is likely to perform well due to high worker turnover which is as a result of personal drive.

Case 9.1 Unprofessional conduct? (Case Study).

The United States of America government has enacted various civil liberty laws to safeguard workers. The Board of directors therefore violated Pettit’s her right to privacy. This is because:

1. The fact that Pettit was competent in her school work was a clear testimonial that her personal life could not influence the performance of individuals negatively. Again, she went to club with her husband, so she holds the trust of her husband.
2. Pettit was not in a dark corner performing a dark art. It was an invitation by the media and therefore denying her the licence to continue with her tutorial work is a clear indicator that there is lack of freedom of the media (Bruner 1999).

• Denying her the job was violation of her rights because no one was sure that Pettit was immoral but they just worked under assumptions. This shows that the Board of directors was tyrannical. They should have called for negotiations.

Pettit’s behaviour was however unprofessional and immoral. It is clear that she was unfit to teach. This is because primary school kids are very naive, they tend to copy what the teacher does and also have that unincorporated tendency of copying both positive and negative things and this is well explained in the philosophy of development of a child (Bruner 1999).. There teacher was not supposed to talk that chemistry and perform the dark arts in public.

Five (5) behaviours that show unprofessional conduct of a teacher.

1. Coming to class when drunk.
2. Wearing of tight clothes.

• Coming to class late frequently.

1. Misconduct outside the classroom, like in the case of Pettit.
2. Poor communication, lying and being unresponsive.

Conclusion

In Conclusion, if teachers have a good performance in class, they should be held to a higher moral. This is because individuals should be guided more so by morality but not by the law. A teacher of good morality is a performer in class and enables the students to grow academically whilst the same time raising their discipline to a higher ceiling. The philosophy of mentorship is modelling and this is true according to the principles of equity of estoppels which should guide teachers. Hence, thinking about what is right or wrong before acting can lead to ethical behaviour.

References.