The “I” in Business Ethics, Essay Example

Ethical decision making and ethical behavior are crucial parts of business. This is particularly true in the modern business world due to the perceived increase in corruption that has been associated with business during the past few decades. In business, ethics is “concerned with morality and fairness in behavior, actions, and practices that take place within a business context,” (Carroll & Buchholtz, 2011, p.187), which holds true at both a personal and organizational level. In my own experience, the best way to approach ethical decisions is to aspire to what Kohlberg identified as a ‘principled” level of ethical awareness. Three elements of making and ethical decision can help to guide each person to the highest ethical behavior in business. These elements are: determining the true nature of an action that has happened or a decision that must be made, determining how these aspects stack up against society’s norms and expectations, and what value judgments and personal perceptions play a role.

There are three primarily models of moral management. These are: immoral management, moral management, and amoral management. Immoral management refers to a business perspective that allows for no moral considerations whatsoever and, in fact, welcomes the chance to operate in an unethical fashion. Moral management refers to business practice that “conforms to the highest ethical standards” (Carroll & Buchholtz, 2011, p.200). The third alternative, amoral management is broken down into two sub-sections. Intentional amoral management is an approach that refuses to believe that business and ethics have any involvement with one another. Unintentional amoral management is an approach that simply refuses to consider ethical consequences in business. In my personal experience, I have witnessed immoral management at a small sandwich shop where I was a worker and an assistant manager stile food supplies and “cooked” the receipts to steal cash. She was ultimately fired but her behavior disrupted worker morale and cut into profits.

Kohlberg’s levels of ethical awareness are an important model for understanding the stages of moral development that impact business. The first level is the “preconventional level” and this is where most people begin their ethical journey. In this stage, the “focus is mainly on the self” (Carroll & Buchholtz, 2011, p.210). The person in this stage is unaware of the larger ethical consequences of decisions and behaviors. The next level is the “conventional level.” At this level the individual becomes aware that society has expectations for behavior. This stage can be seen as a growing awareness of the peer influence of morality. The third and final level is the “principled level.” At this stage, the individual begins to internalize ethical awareness. It can be said that a person who attains level three has gained “self-acceptance” of morality. Once a person has made it to the third level, they are able to understand decisions and situations from such an inherently ethical viewpoint that they are able to modulate rules of behavior depending on the nature of the situation. My personal experience has been that many organizations, even those with little or no financial assets are beset with people who are stuck at stage one. Being self-centered and being in a position of confidence or power is a dangerous combination. I once had to cease partnership in a publishing company due to the partner insisting that we publish his own manuscripts, which were unworthy of sale.

My sense of moral and ethical motivation is a partial fit for the graph. To avoid punishment and receive reward is a universal drive. Feeling responsibility for family and friends is something I have always had a strong sense about even as a child. Being a good citizen is, in my opinion, one of the ambitions of gaining and education and aspiring to be a working member of society. Taken together all of these convictions approach having an ethical ideal. Therefore, I believe that my own ethical orientation is very close to becoming an internal “instinct” or continual awareness that operates at the center of my personal and professional life. This seems very important given the fact that, “Incorporating values and ethics into business decisions have become increasingly important to business people, universities, government, and the public in general.” (Pitts & Kamery, 2003). I like to believe that I take ethics and morality with seriousness and a willingness to learn greater wisdom.

One of the six elements of moral judgment that I have used recently is moral imagination. This happened when I was asked to help a small community group organize a fund-raiser. Several members of the group offered to contribute items that were not fit for sale. However, rejecting these items would have caused strife in the community organization and therefore would have harmed morale. By adopting an inclusive attitude, a greater sense of community participation and enthusiasm was gained that ultimately resulted in a robust number of sales. Recognizing that morale was as important to the bottom-line was an example of using moral imagination to make an ethical business decision.

Describe an ethical dilemma that you faced in the workplace and how you responded. Analyze whether your decision was economically, legally, and ethically responsible and defend your response.

Once when working in a sandwich shop I became aware that one of my co-workers was stealing money and food from the store. This employee had a grudge against management for a personal insult he claimed had been given to him previously. He also believed that management promoted friends instead of those who deserved promotion. I believe that this is an example of the fact that “The majority of ‘ethics problems’ are really people relationship problems. A number-one issue is fairness/favoritism with respect to promotion and performance appraisal.” (Axline, 1990, p. 64). It is also an example of a time when I faced an ethical dilemma because this person was a slight friend of mine. However, I felt that I had an obligation to report the stealing and cheating to management. My decision was economically sound because the rogue employee’s actions were costing the store money. My actions were legally sound because stealing is illegal and all employees had signed contracts promising to respect all laws. My conduct was ethically responsible because I was acting with awareness of social expectations and making a decision based on value judgment and personal moral conviction.

References

Axline, L. L. (1990, October). Business Ethics: Blackjack or Bust? Management Review, 79(10), 64.

Carroll ,Archie B.; Buchholtz , Ann K. (2011) Business and Society: Ethics, Sustainability, and Stakeholder Management. Cengage Learning; 8 edition.

Pitts, S., & Kamery, R. (2003). The Role of Business Ethics: Incorporating Values and Ethics into Business Decisions. Journal of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues, 6(1), 77+.