Business Ethics Essay example

Submitted By gdeasy
Words: 765
Pages: 4
Open Document
Definition

Business ethics (also corporate ethics) is a form of applied ethics or professional ethics that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that arise in a business environment. It applies to all aspects of business conduct and is relevant to the conduct of individuals and entire organizations.
Business ethics has both normative and descriptive dimensions. As a corporate practice and a career specialization, the field is primarily normative. Ethics implicitly regulates areas and details of behavior that lie beyond governmental control. The emergence of large corporations with limited relationships and sensitivity to the communities in which they operate accelerated the development of formal ethics regimes.

History

Business ethical norms reflect the norms of each historical period. As time passes norms evolve, causing accepted behaviors to become objectionable. Business ethics and the resulting behavior evolved as well. Business was involved in slavery, colonialism, and the cold war. The term 'business ethics' came into common use in the United States in the early 1970s. By the mid-1980s at least 500 courses in business ethics reached 40,000 students, using some twenty textbooks and at least ten casebooks along supported by professional societies, centers and journals of business ethics. The Society for Business Ethics was started in 1980. European business schools adopted business ethics after 1987 commencing with the European Business Ethics Network In 1982 the first single-authored books in the field appeared.

Functional business areas of ethics

Finance
Fundamentally, finance is a social science discipline. The discipline borders behavioral economics, sociology, economics, accounting and management. It concerns technical issues such as the mix of debt and equity, dividend policy, the evaluation of alternative investment projects, options, futures, swaps, and other derivatives, portfolio diversification and many others.

Finance paradigm

Aristotle said, "the end and purpose of the polis is the good life". Adam Smith characterized the good life in terms of material goods and intellectual and moral excellences of character. Smith in his The Wealth of Nations commented, "All for ourselves, and nothing for other people, seems, in every age of the world, to have been the vile maxim of the masters of mankind

Other issues

Fairness in trading practices, trading conditions, financial contracting, sales practices, consultancy services, tax payments, internal audit, external audit and executive compensation also fall under the umbrella of finance and accounting. Particular corporate ethical/legal abuses include: creative accounting, earnings management, misleading financial analysis insider trading, securities fraud, bribery/kickbacks and facilitation payments.

Human resource management

Human resource management occupies the sphere of activity of recruitment selection, orientation, performance appraisal, training and development, industrial relations and health and safety issues. Business Ethicists differ in their orientation towards labour ethics. Some assess human resource policies according to whether they support an egalitarian workplace and the dignity of labor.

Management strategy

Among the many people management strategies that companies employ are a "soft" approach that regards employees as a source of creative energy and participants in workplace decision making, a "hard" version explicitly focused on control and Theory Z that
Show More

Related Documents: Business Ethics Essay example

Business Ethics In Business

INTRODUCTION Business ethics is a study of moral standards and how these apply to the systems and organizations through which modern societies produce and distribute goods and services, and to the people who work within these organizations. Business ethics, in other words, is a form of applied ethics. It includes not only the analysis of moral norms and moral values, but also attempts to apply the conclusions of this analysis to that assortment of institutions, technologies, transactions, activities…

Words 1543 - Pages 7

Business Ethics

Ghazaleh Tavakolishanjani Business Ethics Professor Peter Sebhatu National University 1. No. The ability to act with rectitude, to refer their policies and plans to a culture of ethics that embraces the most fundamental moral principles of humankind, which serves to legitimize the maximization of shareholder wealth. 2. Yes. These resources may be both tangible and intangible. Shareholders, for ex- ample, supply capital; suppliers offer material resources or intangible knowledge; employees…

Words 314 - Pages 2

Business Ethics

Business Ethics Karl Claudio Composition GE-117 Business ethics is a form of applied ethics or professional ethics that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that arise in a business environment. It applies to all aspects of business conduct and is relevant to the conduct of individuals and entire organizations. The economy these days is at a low point for many consumers in United States. Due to the economy, prices are getting higher, many people’s income is decreasing…

Words 555 - Pages 3

The Importance Of Business Ethics In Business

purpose of business practices that are put in place is to provide the company with approval and favorable expert position among merchants, consumers, and prospective collaborations. These characteristics and having well-known business ethics allow room for the business to grow in many areas such as building working relationships. The positive outcome of these relationships can consist of merchandise prices being lower, consumers being loyal with returning their business, and the business growing from…

Words 727 - Pages 3

Essay on Business Ethics

What is ethics? Ethics can be defined as a set of principles used by an individual to govern his or her decisions in an effort to ensure fairness and equality. Business ethics, as defined by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is the applied ethics discipline that addresses the moral features of commercial activity. The same source also gives a history of business ethics which states that the concept as an academic principle is relatively young-only about forty years old; but in general is as…

Words 1442 - Pages 6

Business Ethics Essay

Business ethics refers to those values, standards and principles that operate within business (McGraw-Hill Irwin). Business ethics can also be defined as written and unwritten codes of principles and values that govern decisions and actions within a company. In the business world, the company’s culture sets standards for determining the difference between good and bad decision making and behavior. In today's modern business world, the road to success requires more than merely technical skills, practical…

Words 645 - Pages 3

Business Ethics: Ethics And Moral Reasoning

HEADER: BUSINESS ETHICS Business Ethics Kimberly Lindsey PHI 208: Ethics and Moral Reasoning Instructor John Ludes June 16, 2014 BUSINESS ETHICS 2 Introduction In this paper we will be discussing how businesses and management should and do show superior business ethics in doing what is right for the company as well as the employees. The reason for there to be business ethics, is to choose and know what is right and what is wrong in the business and with…

Words 1584 - Pages 7

Essay On Business Ethics

Business Ethics Papa James Ethics and Moral Reasoning: PHI 208 Instructor David A. Smith March 10, 2014 Business Ethics The issues behind business ethics has expand over times. Sometimes companies do not treat their employee’s right and follow their code of ethics. This could cause troubles for the company. Business ethics is a format of professional ethics that examines moral and ethical problems that come about in a business environment. The heart of any company is their employees. The policies…

Words 783 - Pages 4

Enron Business Ethics

one of the biggest energy companies in America, was reviewed by Paul Healy, the James R. Williston Professor of Business Administration at Harvard, and Krisha G. Palepu, the Ross Graham Walker Professor of Business Administration at Harvard, who state that “despite the elaborate corporate governance network, Enron was able to attract large sums of capital to fund questionable business model, conceal its true performance through a series of accounting and financing maneuvers, and hype its stock to…

Words 2133 - Pages 9

Essay on Business Ethics

Business Ethics MGMT-1125 6/5/2013 Rhonda Ledbetter | Business Ethics Business ethics are forms of applied ethics or professional ethics that examine ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that arise in a business environment. It can also be defined as the moral values and principles set forth for a company or market. Proper business ethics are vital for a business to be successful, providing quality care and honesty to consumers. Business ethics are important because how a business…

Words 527 - Pages 3