Business Ethics versus Military Ethics
June 18, 2005
Business Ethics versus Military Ethics
“The ultimate basis for ethics is clear: Human behavior has consequences for the welfare of others. We are capable of acting toward others in such a way as to increase or decrease the quality of their lives. We are capable of helping or harming. What is more, we are theoretically capable of understanding when we are doing the one and when the other. This is so because we have the capacity to put ourselves imaginatively in the place of others and recognize how we would be affected if someone were to act toward us as we are acting toward others” (Elder & Paul, 2003).
There are many types of ethics and many ways to incorporate practices to enforce ethics as well as punish violators of ethics requirements. Two categories of ethics that are similar yet different are ethics in Corporate America and ethics in the United States Air Force (U.S.A.F.). First, we need to understand what ethics are. Ethics contributes to the learning what is right or wrong. “Doing the right thing is not as straight forward as conveyed in a great deal of business ethics literature”(McNamara, C. 2003, 6). The definition between corporations and the military provides us with a general description of ethics. Are military and corporate ethics different?
Business Ethics in Corporate America
The Business ethics concept means many things to many different people. It is coming to know what is “right or wrong in the workplace and doing what is right -- this is in regard to effects of products/services and in relationships with stakeholders” (McNamara, C. 2003, 8 ). “According to Carter McNamara, business ethics is summarized into “Two Broad Areas of Business Ethics” defined as managerial mischief and moral mazes.” (McNamara, C. 2003, 10). The first discussion will be managerial mischief. “Madsen and Shafritz, in their book "Essentials of Business Ethics" (Penguin Books, 1990) further explain that "managerial mischief" includes "illegal, unethical, or questionable practices of individual managers or organizations as well as the causes of such behaviors and remedies to eradicate them" (McNamara, C. 2003,10).
Business ethics is merely teaches the basics of what is wrong and right. Business ethics is a matter of dealing with situations that have no clear indication o...
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...ed to maintain discipline and cohesiveness in an organization and generally documented to provide specific guidance.
No matter what the root cause of Ethics in Business or the Military, most ethical conflicts came to dealing with contracts and agreements between themselves and their customers or their employees. Most people have come to the understanding that lower ethical standards related to lower moral standards in society, in general. From this, one can conclude that it is management that has the social responsibility to conduct his or her business in the most ethical ways possible, for his or her actions is reflexive on society.
References
McNamara, C. (2003). Complete Guide to Ethics Management: An Ethics Toolkit for Managers. Retrieved 15 June 2005 from www.mapnp.org/library/ethics/ethics.htm
Paul, R. & Elder, L. (2003) The Miniature Guide to Understanding the Foundations of Ethical Reasoning, The Foundation for Critical Thinking. Dillon Beach, CA. Retrieved 06-18-2005, from UoPHX rEsource GEN/300
Toner, J. H., Military OR ethics, Air & Space Power Journal Vol. 17,Iss 2, Summer 20032003. Retrieved 06/15/2005 from UoPHX rEsource GEN/300
Business ethics are a the codes of conduct and company lays out so it's employees follow a righteous moral compass that's in the same direction as the company's.
Establishing and implementing a strategic approach to improving organizational ethics is based on establishing, communicating, and monitoring ethical values and legal requirements that characterize the firm's history, culture, and operating environment” (p. 129). Ethics programs ensure satisfactory relationships with all stakeholders by aligning with all of their demands and needs, and determine conduct with customers and relationships with regulators, shareholders, suppliers, and employees (Ferrell, 2004). Values are a core set of beliefs and principles, one or many. A number of factors contribute to the development of values. These include membership in a community or culture, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.
(Mallor, Barnes, Bowers, & Langvardt, 2010) Business ethics is when ethical behavior is applied in a business environment, or by a business. There are many situations that can arise in which a person is experiencing an ethical dilemma. They have to choose between standing by their own personal ethical standards or complying with their companies ethical standards. In some instances, some have to choose whether to serve their own personal interests, or the interests of the company.
Barry, Vincent, Olen, Jeffrey, & Van Camp, Julie C. Applying Ethics: A Text with Readings, Tenth Edition. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011.
Organizational Ethics Issue Resolution Paper Introduction For this paper, Washington Mutual has been selected to show how the ethical decision making process can be achieved. When it comes to business ethics in the workplace, Washington Mutual has designed what can be considered a well balanced workplace with behaviors that are aligned with their moral values and business ethics. Business ethics are sometimes depicted as resolving conflicts where one option appears to be the correct choice. There are many different ethical dilemmas that are faced by managers and leaders everyday that are highly complex and have no clear choice or guidelines to assist in making the choices for resolution. There are times when an employee has to decide whether or not to cheat, lie, steal, or break their contract.
Svensson, Goran & Wood, Greg 2007, ‘A Model of Business Ethics’, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 77, pp. 303-322.
To provide an example of a breach of ethical conduct in the workplace, we may remember the case of a financial manager in a corporation that decided not to pay overtime to some employees. After a deep outside investigation, the company was summoned with thousands of dollars to remedy the payment that was supposed to be paid to all employees who worked more than forty hours per week. Again, it is needed more than just a booklet stating that the company adheres to the code of business ethics. It is needed serious managers that can run the company with the most seriousness as possible. Consequently, any written codes of business ethics, regardless of how well it has been crafted, need people that adhere to its internal content with a serious desire to do the right thing.
By definition, ethics refers to "a set of principles of right conduct." It is also defined as "the rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession," (www.thefreedictionary.com) and in business may be considered the standards governing the conduct of people in the business environment. Business ethics is the behavior that a business adheres to in its daily dealings with the world. It relies on values as a way of guiding behaviour in business.
Ethics in business is a highly important concept, as it can affect a company’s profits, salaries paid to employees and CEOs, and public opinion, among many other aspects of a business. Ethics can be enforced by company policies and guidelines, set a precedent when a company is faced with an important decision, and are also evolving thanks to new technology and situations that arise due to technology usage. Businesses have a duty to maintain their ethical responsibilities and also to help their employees enforce these responsibilities in and out of the workplace. However, ethics and the foundation for them are not always black and white. There are many different ethical theories, however Utilitarianism, Kant’s Deontological ethics, and Virtue ethics are three of the most well known theories in existence. Each theory is distinct in that it has a different quality used to determine ethicality and allows for a person to choose which system of ethics works best with both the situation and his or her personal ethical preferences.
Treviño, L. K., & Nelson, K. A. (2007). Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right Fourth ed., Retrieved on July 30, 2010 from www.ecampus.phoenix.edu
Thompson, K. (2007). A corporate training view of ethics education. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, vol. 13, Retrieved May 26, 2007, from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=1&hid=108&sid=ceaedb4d-4c62-46ae-8050-9e14bc92f06f%40sessionmgr104
In the business world there are many fundamental aspects and situations that can lead to several issues. In order to find an optimal and professional solution, business decision makers need to apply moral and ethical standards. And it is at that moment in which business ethics perform its role. Business ethics, which is in charge of examine how companies and individuals should act in business situations, is very essential in order to reach a common agreement and to work within the laws of business and solve an arisen dilemma. Working of the hand of ethical business companies, employees, investors, directors, and even individual officers can be beneficiated and obtain most favorable outcomes.
Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J., & Ferrell, L. (2011). Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases. Mason, Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning.
The textbook defines business ethics as “the accepted principles of right or wrong governing the conduct of business people.” Business ethics also govern the members of a profession and the actions of an organization. Many organizations put into place an ethical strategy which is “a course of action that does not violate accepted principles.” These principles are used to guide organizations and employees to make the right decisions.
Business ethics are a set of moral rules that govern how a business operates, how people should be treated within an organization, and how business decisions are made. They are a crucial part of employment and in managing a sustainable business, mainly because of the serious consequences that can result from decisions made with a lack of regard to ethics. Even if you don’t believe that good ethics don’t contribute to profit levels, you should realize those poor ethics have a negative effect on your bottom line in the long-run. Every business in every industry has certain guidelines to which its employees must stick to, and regularly outline such aspects in employee handbooks.