Whether talking about individuals or corporations, the character displayed is an important factor in the amount of success that can be achieved. Businesses with a strong moral compass will make ethical decisions that result in the betterment of its employee’s lives, the community and hopefully will enable the business to create a better product.
I must admit that I rewrote this opening many times trying to figure out how to express my feelings about the term character and what it entails. For me, thinking about character, leads me to reflect on how prior to joining the military my character was definitely questionable as I basically made the wrong choices no matter what the decision was. Having served in the military for over 15 years now, my definition of character is now formed by the Navy Core Values – Honor, Courage, and Commitment. These three tenants are the building blocks that currently shape my actions when tough decisions have to be made.
I share these thoughts with you because if I had a tough time making little decisions that affected only me, I can only imagine the amount of pressure a CEO of a large corporation must make on a day-to-day basis.
Corporations are not made to benefit the whole of humanity; rather they are profit ventures that are expected to produce gains for the individuals who invested in them. CEO’s having to be mindful of the bottom line, could feel an immense amount of pressure to take short cuts in order to maintain their successfulness.
“It is important to note that unethical behavior in U.S. business is not a recent phenomenon. Indeed, even before the nation had celebrated its 1876 Centennial, corporations were being charged with substantial misdeeds by both government and society lea...
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...nd for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 23:22, ESV). The owners could have chosen to keep profits up by not paying royalties, but they decided to invest it back into the local communities and enable them to have a better life.
While making business decisions based purely on character and not the bottom line can be tough at times, it’s been shown that businesses exhibiting strong character typically make better ethical decisions which results in improved marketing, higher employee satisfaction, increased customer loyalty, and lower legal actions.
Works Cited
Clement, R. W. (July–August 2006). Just how unethical is American business?, Business Horizons, Volume 49, Issue 4, , Pages 313-327, ISSN 0007-6813, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2005.11.003.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/science/article/pii/S0007681305001448)
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