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Characteristics of egoism and its impact on the human being
ethical factors affecting business
Decision making
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There are factors that can effect a person’s ethical or unethical decisions, which consist of individual, organizational, and opportunity factors. Individual factors can be defined as an individual that bases their ethical or unethical decisions on their beliefs of what is right or wrong (Thorne, O. Ferrell, & L. Ferrell, 2011, p. 185). Organizational factors are when individuals base ethical or unethical decisions on a set of values and norms shared by members or employees of a company (Thorne, O. Ferrell, & L. Ferrell, 2011, pp. 190-191). Opportunity factors are defined as a set of conditions that can either limit or reward an individual and hinder or permit misconduct (Thorne, O. Ferrell, & L. Ferrell, 2011, pp. 193-195). All people cultivate …show more content…
Dennis Kozlowski seemed like he was always about himself and that he would do anything to improve his situation. Individual factors are what led Kozlowski down his dark road and what contributed to his demise. Who knows if Kozlowski had a conscious or if his greed clouded it, but we know that he had an ego and wanted to live a lavish lifestyle. Egoism is “a philosophy that defines right or acceptable conduct in terms of the consequences for the individual” (Thorne, O. Ferrell, & L. Ferrell, 2011, p. 186). Egoists make decisions that benefit themselves and their own self-interests, which Kozlowski can be classified as. Kozlowski also fits in the category of a consequentialist. Consequentialism is “a class of moral philosophy that considers a decision right or acceptable if it accomplishes a desired result such as pleasure, knowledge, career growth, the realization of self-interest, or utility” (Thorne, O. Ferrell, & L. Ferrell, 2011, p. 186). Kozlowski based all of his decisions on his personal finances and his own self-interest. Organizational factors probably did not play a role in the decisions that Kozlowski made. The only thing that may have influenced him was his personal relationship with his mentor, Joseph Gaziano. Kozlowski was so impressed by Gaziano’s style of living that Kozlowski would have basically done anything to get that. This may have influenced his aggressive behavior and unethical decisions to grow the company quickly and achieve the maximum amount of compensation possible. The opportunity factors did not exist until Kozlowski became the CEO. Once Kozlowski was the CEO of Tyco he began to use his position and power to place people he could trust in positions around him. He basically handpicked the board of directors and made sure to keep people close to him that he could trust and manipulate. Kozlowski
Ethical decision-making is the responsibility of everyone, regardless of position or level within an organization. Interestingly, the importance of stressing employee awareness, improving decisions, and coming to an ethical resolution are the greatest benefits to most companies in today’s world (Weber, 2015).
Different levels of breach among different levels of management can cause a lack of concern for ethics as the level of trust between manager and subordinate differ in the amount (Mclean, Litzky, Holderness, 2015). Ultimately, an employee with a high threshold of trust will be more affected by a lack of ethical behavior from their manager than that of a lower trusting employee with less of a relationship with their manager (Mclean, Litzky, Holderness, 2015). The other disconnect is that can occur is the dislike for the company an employee works for (Mclean, Litzky, Holderness, 2015). Organizational cynicism is caused by the negative attitude towards the company and in turn causes the employee to disregard the rules and regulations. Employees who have high levels of corporate distrust will be more inclined to have organizational cynicism (Mclean, Litzky, Holderness,
Throughout your life, you’ll face tough decisions where you'll have to decide possibly against your ethical beliefs. Ethics don’t necessarily always have to involve law abiding. It’s rather about trusting your moral path and doing the right thing. Dori Meinert is the author of “Creating an Ethical Workplace” she explains the thought behind the never black or white decision making when it comes to businesses. Can businesses truly trust those individuals hired to steer their companies? It was mentioned that last year 41 percent of U.S. workers said they observed unethical or illegal misconduct on the job, according to the Ethics Resource Center's 2013 National Business Ethics Survey. Meinert’s article was not only eye-opening but very truthful since we’ve all been faced or witnessed unethical decision making. Once employees see individuals breaking the rules and regulations others will then think it's okay, which could result in employees leaving or major hoops for companies to jump through. When we tolerate misconduct we lower productivity and diminish the reputation of a company. Meinert mentioned that if
“Most people in the U.S. want to do the right thing, and they want others to do the right thing. Thus, reputation and trust are important to pretty much everyone individuals and organizations. However, individuals do have different values, attributes, and priorities that guide their decisions and behavior. Taken to an extreme, almost any personal value, attribute, or priority can “cause” an ethical breach (e.g. risk taking, love of money or sta...
Honeycut, Earl D.; Glassman, Myron; Zugelder, Michael T.; and Karande, Kiram “Determinates of Ethical Behavior: A Study of Autosales People.” Journal of Business Ethics. 1.32 (July 2001) : 69-74.
Every individual has certain values and ethics that he/she stands by. Values give us a sense of what is important while ethics gives us a sense of what is right and wrong. Together, these qualities help guide us through our everyday life: what actions to take and what decision to make. Sticking to ethical standards allows you to stay clear of trouble; therefore, strengthening people’s trust in you. In return, this leads to gaining people’s respect and cooperation, which may result in leadership responsibilities. Therefore, we believe that personal values and ethics will affect a person’s career success. However, there are times where individuals will make unethical choices--some situations might question your resolve. This can be caused by
For this paper Washington Mutual has been selected to show how the ethical decision making process can be achieve. 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 can appear 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. These ethical decisions are real-life situations where they are forced to make on a daily basis. This is why it is ultimately important that all employee know the six steps to ethical decision making that the company uses.
There have been various instances of unethical practices in the business sector. Many policies have been put in place to curb the problem of unethical behavior. Despite the continuous efforts businesses still suffer from unethical practices. This paper is to establish the reasons for consistent unethical behaviors despite the many policies that have been put in place to solve the problem. The paper focuses on behavioral ethics. The proponents of behavioral ethics believe that in many instances, some people make unethical judgments unconsciously. This paper examines the instances of involuntary unethical behavior and their possible remedies. The paper concludes by recommending that the policy makers should always consider the effect of behavioral
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
In this level, societal, organizational, and industry culture determine the decision-making process. The societal values shape the manner in which ethical decisions are made at both the organization and individual levels. On the other hand, the industry culture defines the ethical patterns of a particular organization. Though a company may be operating independently, the interactions within the industry set a pattern of certain behaviors that affects the individual and corporation ethics. For instance, intense competition may push an organization into making a morally wrong decision to heighten revenues and stay competitive. Organizational culture also shapes the ethical atmosphere of the company. Dissolution can also be caused by contextual factors. The situation affects; whether the individual or group realizes the component of the decision; the decision itself; and whether the group or individual carries out the unethical action (Jackson,
The behaviors addressed in this article are essential in the aspect of ethical decision making in management area.
Everyone in this world has experienced an ethical dilemma in different situations and this may arise between one or more individuals. Ethical dilemma is a situation where people have to make complex decisions and are influenced based on personal interest, social environment or norms, and religious beliefs (“Strategic Leadership”, n.d.). The leaders and managers in the company should set guidelines to ensure employees are aware and have a better chance to solve and make ethical decisions. Employees are also responsible in understanding their ethical obligations in order to maintain a positive work environment. The purpose of this case study is to identify the dilemma and analyze different decisions to find ways on how a person should act
Having an ethical climate is important because it directly reflects the ethical behavior of organizational leaders. Consequently, it can be viewed as an extension of organizational culture, which ultimately dictates organizational behavior (Boundless, 2014). Therefore, if an organization
Stead, W. E., Worrell, D. L., & Stead, J. G. (1990). An integrative model for understanding and managing ethical behavior in business organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 9(3), 233-242. Doi: 10.1007/BF00382649
Dennis Kozlowski, is the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tyco International Ltd. During his tenure, Kozlowski engaged in activities that were considered unethical. In 2005 Kozlowski was convicted of misappropriation of corporate funds. Kozlowski had been involved in illegal and unethical behavior during most of his tenure. The findings that lead to the conviction of the former CEO were due to the persistent questioning and interrogating tactics of the shareholders and stakeholders because Kozlowski held within his authority to make decisions that could change the course of the company. Business ethics, auditing practices, and government regulations will forever be affected by the $500 million loss endured by the company. Needless to say this scandal had an major impact on the economy and the business world.