Are business ethics merely a fashion? Something that is considered to be trendy and therefore needs to be addresses as part of today's management criteria? Or is business ethics something more complicated, ore involved in the society in which business operates? It is not a question of yes or no but a question of morality, society, business operations and what is "the right thing to do".
Definitions.
Within our society the concept of fashion is usually limited to haute couture and its accessories. This includes the opposite concepts of being "in fashion" and "out of fashion". This indicates the presence of a cycle as what was "in fashion" becomes "out of fashion". This also indicates the possibility of a fad, a fashion that rises quickly but fades just as fast.
This cyclic motion is also visible within management theory. The rise of management gurus spouting quick fixes and easy steps to success is rising. This creates the concept of the "management" fashion. .
Managers are eager to find this quick fix or easy steps to help combat their problems. Donaldson & Hilmer (1996) believe this to typical of what they see "happening to the practice of and writing on management, namely, the substitution of dogma . for careful, sustained professional management". .
So where does business ethics fit into all this? Is ethics a management fashion? A theory that will run its course then slip away until next time round? It is obvious that business ethics could be perceived as a management fashion due to lack of attention paid to the concept in recent years. However it should not be considered as mere dogma but as a sincere and important grounding for all management.
Business ethics can be a difficult concept to grasp. As ethics have grown from the basic assumptions of individuals and communities, the diversity from which they have sprung can create problems. However in business, ethics does not just include the concepts of right and wrong.
" Great ethics can be summed up as good for business in the long term. ... Business ethics is necessary for the foundations of corporations. ... We take for granted the reality that ethics does exist as we take the world of business as inclined. ... Business ethics is not a commodity, which remains in an isolated compartment from business itself as a lofty and consequently expendable extra. ... Its soul purpose is to clarify the entirely realistically, practical business like role that ethics play in business practices. ...
As a result, it can be claimed that natural moral law cannot be applied to issues of business ethics. ... Business ethics does not often involve clear cut decisions between right and wrong; more often than not businesses are concerned with balancing the interests of shareholders, with those of employees and customers. Therefore, it can be maintained that the absolute principles of natural moral law are not useful when applied to the complex issues raised by business ethics. ... It is the narrow nature of these precepts that present one of the initial problems encountered when applying natural...
Executive Summary 2.Theoretical Approaches to Business Ethics 3. ... References Executive Summary Ethics in business has been an issue as long as exchange and business have occurred. ... There is an acceptable relationship between ethics in business and business ethics for the last is at one and the same time, pundit, faultfinder, scholar and prophet on the previous. ... Introduction Business ethics (likewise business ethics) is a kind of used ethics or professional ethics that analyzes moral principles and moral or honest troubles that develop in a business setting. ... Business ethics has ...
As Wartick & Wood assert, "Business ethics is based upon some normative concepts about they way business should operate" (Wartick & Wood, 1998, p. 124). Since this day and age we are living in, business practices mostly seem to be publicized as unethical, the word "should" that is emphasized in Wartick and Woods definition of business ethics stands out. People tend to be more apt to uphold a higher code of ethics in a personal or societal context, as opposed to a business context. ... The formal code of ethics comes in various forms, such as vision and mission statements, and written polic...
BUSINESS ETHICS Ethics to me means having and using ones morals to do the right thing. Ethics is so important in business because it gives a company credibility. ... Ethics has such a big impact on whether a business is a success or a failure. ... Reverence for place Ethics is like the foundation for a successful business. ... The business world would cease to exist without ethics to keep businesses on the straight and narrow. ...
Business ethics are a hot topic these days. ... So what is "Business Ethics"? ... Consequently, business ethics can be strong preventative medicine. ... Assumptions of Business Ethics Suppose we contend that business is indeed an honorable profession? ... There are, however, pitfalls in business, as in any other profession, which is why business ethics is an important field of study, a sub-field of professional ethics (which is itself a sub-field of role ethics). ...
These are all questions asked constantly in the business domain, questions that often seem to include the many different views of ethics in their answer. ... If ethics within the marketplace should be common sense as well as common practice, why is it that in today's society, we often find ourselves looking for a more ethical approach to our business organizations and practices? ... One of the most heated arguments in business ethics today is where greed and profitablitiy should end and ethics should begin. ... Advocates for ethics in business argue that often inhereit with greed i...
Can really define ethics? According to Webster dictionary ethics can be defined as "a system of moral principles" (Webster dictionary). ... Both ethics and morals are using when evaluating any type of business and different situations that can occur within a business. ... How a business communicates with the customers is always important because the customers keep the business growing. ... The business's job is to keep the business going and to meet the needs of all customers. ...