Business Ethics in America: Engendering Vigor

659 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Importance of ethics to the organization

When considering corporate American and its business crisis of integrity many people seem to cerebrate that ethics is mainly about staying out of trouble. Any explication they give concerning the role of ethics in business today will ineluctably feature a discussion of compliance, licit liability, and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. The great cogitators of the past had a very divergent perspective. Ethics is not mainly about staying out of trouble. It’s about engendering vigor: vigor in individuals, in organizations, and in relationships with clients and suppliers.
If we genuinely come to understand how ethical action engenders vigor, it expeditiously becomes pellucid how all unethical demeanor is in the cessation self-vanquishing and, ultimately, self-destructive, as we have visually perceived in the case of Enron, WorldCom and Anderson, among others. Socrates long ago was right to point out that a lamentable deed always hurts the doer, regardless of its other consequences. It looks similar to the Enron disaster resulted from lots of lamentable deeds masquerading in the minds of their doers as shrewd business.
In 1998, WorldCom the telecommunications company commenced to decelerate and WorldCom's stock was declining. CEO came under incrementing pressure from banks to cover margin calls on his WorldCom. Beginning in 1999 and perpetuating through May 2002, WorldCom used shady accounting methods to mask its declining financial condition by erroneously professing financial magnification and profitability to increment the price of WorldCom's stock. The fraud was achieved in two foremost ways. First, WorldCom's accounting department underreported 'line costs' (expenses with other telecommunication companies) by capitalizing these...

... middle of paper ...

...could not supply what the customer needs, at the time that they require it. Even the community expects your business to function in an ethical manner that enhances the appearance of the community holistically. If you are located in a shopping center, for example, your code of ethics will benefit or obstruct customer traffic for the other businesses additionally. A reputation for telling customers anything they desire to understand discern, regardless of the truth, eventually hurts your business and other businesses around you. It conventionally isn't illicit to lie to customers, but it isn't good business.
In conclusion, an ethical demeanor is merely making good business decisions predicated on an established business having code of ethics. Once this is accomplished and practiced on a regular basis, most organization would not see examples like Eron and WorldCom.

Show More
Related

  • The Enron Implosion and the Loss of Respect for the Accounting Profession

    5463 Words  | 11 Pages

    On the surface, the motives behind decisions and events leading to Enron’s downfall appear simple enough: individual and collective greed born in an atmosphere of market euphoria and corporate arrogance. Hardly anyone—the company, its employees, analysts or individual investors—wanted to believe the company was too good to be true. So, for a while, hardly anyone did. Many kept on buying the stock, the corporate mantra and the dream. In the meantime, the company made many high-risk deals, some of which were outside the company’s typical asset risk control process. Many went sour in the early months of 2001 as Enron’s stock price and debt rating imploded because of loss of investor and creditor trust. Methods the company used to disclose its complicated financial dealings were all wrong and downright deceptive. The company’s lack of accuracy in reporting its financial affairs, followed by financial restatements disclosing billions of dollars of omitted liabilities and losses, contributed to its downfall. The whole affair happened under the watchful eye of Arthur Andersen LLP, which kept a whole floor of auditors assigned at Enron year-round.

    Read More

  • Reactionary Essay To If Aristotle Ran General Motors, By Tom Morris

    1257 Words  | 3 Pages

    It's difficult not to be cynical about how “big business” treats the subject of ethics in today's world. In many corporations, where the only important value is the bottom line, most executives merely give lip service to living and operating their corporations ethically.

    Read More

  • The Corporate Culture In Enron's Case

    436 Words  | 1 Pages

    The CFO, Andrew Fastow, systematically falsified there earnings by moving company losses off book and only reporting earnings, which led to Enron’s bankruptcy. Any safeguards or mechanisms that were in place to catch unethical behavior were thrown out the window when the corporate culture became a situation where every person was looking out for their own best interests. There were a select few employees that tried to get in front of the unethical accounting practices, but they were pushed aside and silenced. The corporate culture at Enron became a place where if an employee would not make unethical decisions then they would be terminated and the next person that would make those unethical decisions would replace them. Enron executives had no conscience or they would have cared for the people they ended up hurting. At one time, Enron probably was a growing company that had potential to make a difference, but because their lack of social responsibility and their excessive greed the company became known for the negative affects it had on society rather than the potential positive ones it could have had. Enron’s coercive power created fear amongst the employees, which created a corporate culture that drove everyone to make unethical decisions and eventually led to the downfall and bankruptcy of

    Read More

  • Scandal In Corporate America: An Ethical, Not A Legal, Problem

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Bruce Frohnen and Leo Clarke’s essay, "Scandal in Corporate America: An Ethical, Not a Legal, Problem" they discuss their views of American businesses and the little honesty that these businesses have. They claim how important honesty is within businesses and how it will help our public’s well-being and corporate America. They view American business officials to be greedy and many of their jobs just consist of helping businesses find their way around the laws. Frohnen and Clarke then conclude their essay with suggestions on how to change business ethics with education and simply being honest (113-119).

    Read More

  • Worldcom Case Study

    1575 Words  | 4 Pages

    In modern day business, there can be so many pressures that can cause managers to commit fraud, even though it often starts as just a little bit at first, but will spiral out of control with time. In the case of WorldCom, there were several pressures that led executives and managers to “cook the books.” Much of WorldCom’s initial growth and success was due to acquisitions. Over time, WorldCom discovered that there were no more opportunities for growth through acquisitions when the U.S. Department of Justice disallowed the acquisition of Sprint.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The NASW Code Of Ethics

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many organizations have been destroyed or heavily damaged financially and took a hit in terms of reputation, for example, Enron. The word Ethics is derived from a Greek word called Ethos, meaning “The character or values particular to a specific person, people, culture or movement” (The American Heritage Dictionary, 2007, p. 295). Ethics has always played and will continue to play a huge role within the corporate world. Ethics is one of the important topics that are debated at lengths without reaching a conclusion, since there isn’t a right or wrong answer. It’s basically depends on how each individual perceives a particular situation. Over the past few years we have seen very poor unethical business practices by companies like Enron, which has affected many stakeholders. Poor unethical practices affect the society in many ways; employees lose their job, investors lose their money, and the country’s economy gets affected. This leads to people start losing confidence in the economy and the organizations that are being run by the so-called “educated” top executives that had one goal in their minds, personal gain. When Enron entered the scene in the mid-1980s, it was little more than a stodgy energy distribution system. Ten years later, it was a multi-billion dollar corporation, considered the poster child of the “new economy” for its willingness to use technology and the Internet in managing energy. Fifteen years later, the company is filing for bankruptcy on the heels of a massive financial collapse, likely the largest in corporate America’s history. As this paper is being written, the scope of Enron collapse is still being researched, poked and prodded. It will take years to determine what, exactly; the impact of the demise of this energy giant will be both on the industry and the

    Read More

  • Lack of Ethical Behavior in the Cases of Bernie Madoff and Enron

    669 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ethical behavior is behavior that a person considers appropriate. A person’s moral principles are shaped from birth, and developed over time throughout the person’s life. There are many factors that can influence what a person believes is right, or what is wrong. Some factors are a person’s family, religious beliefs, culture, and experiences. In business, it is of great importance for an employee to understand how to act ethically to prevent a company from being sued, and receiving criticism from the public while bringing in profits for the company.

    Read More

  • Business Ethics Case Study

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    Do you agree with Schmeltekopf that business schools are not preparing students well for the for the ethical challenges they will face in the workplace? Why or why not?

    Read More

  • Ethical Ethics Case Study

    1665 Words  | 4 Pages

    I discovered how sticking to one’s morals should be the topmost priority for everyone involved in business, whether personal or professional. Regardless of what the consequences may be, the intensity of the problem, and the complexities it may bring, sacrificing one’s integrity should never be an option, as integrity goes hand-in-hand with the morals of an individual (Duggan & Woodhouse, 2011). They further go on to say that having individuals take part in building a code of ethics that supports employee integrity, they will act ethically. Also, I believe that companies should place more emphasis on the moral behavior of their employees, and clear-cut policies should be set regarding such ethical situations. Furthermore, I realized how serving justice while making decisions really helps in the long run, and that opting to go for the ideal rather than they deserved is not always the best option, and could hurt a company in more than one

    Read More

  • Business Ethics

    837 Words  | 2 Pages

    Explain the connection between the economic model of corporate social responsibility and “free market” or “neoclassical” economic theory.

    Read More

  • Unethical Business Practices in Glengarry Glen Ross

    775 Words  | 2 Pages

    The movie “Glengarry Glen Ross” presented a series of ethical dilemmas that surround a group of salesmen working for a real estate company. The value of business ethics was clearly undermined and ignored in the movie as the salesmen find alternatives to keep their jobs. The movie is very effective in illustrating how unethical business practices can easily exist in the business world. Most of the time, unethical business practices remain strong in the business world because of the culture that exists within companies. In this film, the sudden demands from management forced employees to become irrational and commit unethical business practices. In fear of losing their jobs, employees were pressured to increase sales despite possible ethical ramifications. From the film, it is right to conclude that a business transaction should only be executed after all legal and ethical ramifications have been considered; and also if it will be determined legal and ethical to society.

    Read More

  • The WorldCom Accounting Scandal

    1587 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 2002, WorldCom’s bankruptcy was the largest in US history; WorldCom admitted that it had falsely booked $3.85 billion in expenses to make the company appear more profitable. Ebber who was CEO of WorldCom created fictitious some more than questionable accounting practices. Thus began the practice of taking an operating expense and reclassifyin...

    Read More

  • Ethical Business Practices

    500 Words  | 1 Pages

    Ethical behavior is merely making good business decisions based on an established "code of ethics". Entrepreneurs should establish a written code of ethics that can serve as a framework for decisions to be made by the entrepreneur as well as the employees. In developing this code of ethics you should consider the following items:

    Read More

  • A Company's Code of Ethics

    1736 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the aftermath of Enron, Washington Mutual Bank, TYCO, and World Comm these companies went against the grain of what good ethical behavior is and what their respective company’s code of ethics were. The criminal justice system has made it clear that it will not allow companies and their executives to get away with the misuse of public trust by allowing them to make themselves rich at the expense of the employee. Where these crimes are both ethically and morally wrong, the CEO’s of major corporations are being punished by a ...

    Read More

  • Business Ethics Case Study

    1348 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Facts: Kermit Vandivier works for B.F. Goodrich. His job assignment was to write the qualifying report on the four disk brakes for LTV Aerospace Corporation. LTV purchased aircraft brakes from B.F. Goodrich for the Air Force. Goodrich desperately wanted the contract because it guaranteed a commitment from the Air Force on future brake purchases for the A7D from them, even if they lost money on the initial contract.

    Read More

More about Business Ethics in America: Engendering Vigor

Open Document