Ethics tend to be jealous. That is, when one places something before the choice to be ethical, ethical behavior itself is lost completely. One cannot choose to act in a non-ethical manner for an ethical end. Ethics speak instead directly to the actions of individuals. One is either ethical, or one is not. No middle road exists. The purpose of this paper will be to identify and describe ethical tactics used in the Jeanne Lewis case. The writer will also discuss Jeanne Lewis's ethical behavior in light of her decision to work with her employees until she was confident in the strength of her team. Ethics Ethics are a study in the philosophical debate over good and bad. Good encompasses those things that are beneficial whereas bad are those that are detrimental. In a business context, for example, good may mean beneficial for the organization. It might also mean good for the employees. Perhaps even good for the environment would describe ethics in business today. In a personal context ethical conduct tends to mean "those which enhance the well-being of others" (Paul & Elder, 2003, p. 2). Exactly which others or just how they are beneficial are left to interpretation. Jeanne Lewis Case Lewis uses a number of tactics for influencing the behavior of her subordinates throughout the examined case. Lewis takes on a number of different roles at Staples during the course of time that the case encompasses, and the focus of her behavior appears to be to benefit the organization in such a way as to advance organizational goals. In one example, Lewis was assigned as director of operations for New England. The role gives Lewis responsibility for 50 stores that need attention and possible intervention. Doughty (2000) comments, ... ... middle of paper ... ...employees until she was confident in the strength of her team. Jeanne Lewis shows a measure of ethical tactics in her dealing with subordinates in her time with Staples. Lewis examines her situation before choosing her leadership style, and shows concern for the needs of the employees that she intends to influence. Overall, Lewis remains ethical in her behavior and in the tactics she uses to influence others. Works Cited Doughty, K. C. (2000, July 24). Jeanne Lewis at Staples, Inc. (A)(Abridged). Harvard Business School Organizational Behavior Cases . Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing. Kreitner, R., & Kinicki, A. (2008). Organizational Behavior - 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2003). The Miniature guide to understanding the foundations of ethical reasoning. Dillon Beach, CA.: The Foundation for Critical Thinking.
J. M. George and G. R. Jones, “Organizational Behavior,” 3rd ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2001)
As the store manager, Bill is responsible for controlling the environment amongst his employees, increasing the level of motivation, and influencing attitudes and behaviors in the workplace.
Robbins , Stephen P. and Judge, Timothy, A. Organizational Behavior. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Prentice Hall. Pearson Custom Publishing. 2008 Print
Ethics are moral principles that can be used to help guide peoples decisions. We are all different and therefore our beliefs and opinions differ. There are many ethical theories, and according to Panza and Potthast (n.d.) the following are some that are widely used. Virtue ethics is one theory which states that personality is the most important thing. Living an ethical life, acting right, requires that one develops and demonstrates the quality of courage, compassion, wisdom, and temperance. It also requires that greed, jealousy, and selfishness is avoided. Utilitarianism states that the amount of happiness and suffering created by a person’s actions is what matters the most. As a result, acting rightly includes maximizing the amount of happiness and minimizing the amount of suffering around you. At times you may need to break some of the traditional moral rules to achieve such an outcome. Kantianism is another theory which highlights the principles behind actions rather than an actions results. It states that it requires to be motivated by good principles that treats everyone with respect. If you’re motivated by good principles, you overcome your animal instinct and act ethically. Another ethical theory is the Contract theory, which suggest that ethics should be thought of as terms of agreements between people. It suggests that doing the right thing means obeying agreements set by members rather than those of society. For this theory ethics isn’t necessarily about character, consequences, or principles. The last theory I’m going to mention is Care ethics. Care ethics focuses on ethical attention on relationships before other factors. As a result, acting rightly involves building, strengthening, and maintaining strong relationship...
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
pp. 146-170. Kreitner, R., & Kinicki, A., (2004). Organizational Behavior (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Kinicki, A., & Kreitner, R. (2009). Organizational behavior: Key concepts, skills and best practices (customized 4th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Mayhew, Robert. The Journal of Ethics , Vol. 1, No. 4 (1997) , pp. 325-340
McShane, S.L., Olekalns, M. & Travaglione, A. 2013, Organizational Behavior: Emerging Knowledge, Global Insights 4th ed., McGraw-Hill, Sydney.
An ethical dilemma is only examined in a situation which has the following conditions; the first condition takes place in a situation, when an individual has to make a decision on which course of action is best. The second condition is there must be more than one course of action to choose from. The third action is no matter what course of action is taken, certain ethical principles are conceded. In other terms, there is no perfect result. When defining what forms an ethical dilemma, it is important to make a division between ethics, morals, values, laws and policies.
In my opinion, ethics give people free will to make right choices. People have free will to make choices that are governed with responsibility, accountability, and liability. We have a responsibility to perform in an ethical manner and be accountable for our choices or actions. Regardless of the circumstances and choices we make, there are consequences if we make the wrong choice. The question of whether an action or choice is ethical or not is fundamentally based on whether something is right or wrong. From an ethical standpoint, unethical choices and risky behavior can lead to increased liabilities. The liabilities result in the loss or damage sustained by a company or other party as result of an unethical and sometimes illegal decision. Although we exercise free will on a continuous basis, we are governed by the decisions we make and my belief is that the decisions we make daily do not just affect us. These decisions affect other people, such as family, friends, coworkers, instructors, neighbors, etc. The most prominent example of ethics can be recognized in the field of technology based on the growing amount of rapidly changing legislation and acts that under consideration in order to protect people from unethical practices.
Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2011). Organizational behavior (14 ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Kreitner, R. & Kinicki, A. (2010). Organizational behavior (9th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. IBSN: 978-0-07-353045-1.
Kolb, D. A., Osland, J. S., Rubin, I. M., & Turner, M. E. (2007). The Organizational Behavior
Hellriegel Don, Slocum John W., & Woodman Richard W. Organizational Behavior. Ohio: South Western College P, 2001