The Importance of Ethics in the Overall Strategic Process, Research Paper Example

Every organization that is desirous of advancing and improving must have in have a strategic process that will help its people to focus on vital areas that will ensure value is added when performing their job functions.

Organizations pursuing these different activities must do some within the context of diverse operating environments which include social, political, economic, cultural, legal, environmental, financial, industrial, and global, and within these areas there are stakeholders and customers that will be affected by the strategies that are implemented to achieve set goals and objectives.

Knowledge of ethics is important according to Aristotle, because it helps to improve one’s life and should be a principal concern in the nature of every human being, as he or she strives to pursue earthly activities that are important and have impact on others in the society (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2011).

The activities that organizations, which are living entities, pursue all have ethical consequences, some of which can generate negative repercussions on their reputations and profitability, and as such their leaders must include ethical considerations of each aspect individually, before finalizing the appropriate course of actions to be taken going forward.

According to Bowman (2005), the most effective way to ensure ethical dimensions are considered, is to embed a consideration of ethics into the strategic planning process at the outset.

An understanding of ethics empowers organizational leaders to consider the rights of their stakeholders, the company’s obligations to its customers, a sense of fairness, the importance of enduring relationships and integrity when developing their strategic processes.

This approach will enable them to put themselves in the positions of their different stakeholders and customers and consider the ethical impressions and implications when certain decisions are implemented, and enable corrections actions to be proactively taken so that the corporate image and financial security remain in excellent condition for future operations.

Ethics therefore can play major roles in helping organizations achieve continuing success and sustainability especially when it embedded into the strategic planning process at the initiation stage, where all parties are engaged to seek the best approach to take to achieve mutual goals and objectives.

Reference

Bowman, S., (2005). Embedding Ethics into your Strategic Plan Life Mastery www.australianstrategicplanninginstitute.com/results , 12/08/11

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, (2010). Aristotle Ethics Stanford University www.plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-ethics , 12/08/11