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Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility Report
Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility Report
coffee for a foreign market has not damaged the local way of life, will find that
all these elements of their buying strategy become themselves a selling point for
CHAPTER 1. Business Ethics as Foundation of CSR their final product.
- Working as an ethical business has many benefits, not least of which is the
ability to attract and keep investors, employees and customers.
o The whole company can be fined, the directors can be fined, and
o Knowing that the company they deal with has stated their morals and individual employees can be fined if the responsibility for an infraction
made a promise to work in an ethical and responsible manner allows (breaking) falls on their shoulders.
investors peace of mind that their money is being used in a way that
aligns with their own moral standing.
o When working for a company with strong Business Ethics, employees - Reputation is one of a company’s most important assets, and one of the most
are comfortable in the knowledge that they are not by their own action difficult to rebuild should it be lost. Upholding the promises it has made is
or inaction allowing unethical practices to continue. crucial to maintaining that reputation.
o Customers are at ease buying products or services from a company 2. Is the term “business ethics” an oxymoron (combination of words that have
they know to source their materials and labour in an ethical and opposite meanings)?
responsible way. - The concepts of “business” and “ethics” are strange bedfellows (connected with
another)
- For example, the terms silent scream, peace force, living dead, and educated
guess, business ethics is an oxymoron, a manner that produces an effect by self-
- For example, a coffee company which states all their raw beans are picked from contradiction.
sustainable plants where no deforestation (act or result of cutting down or - In the traditional sense, people get involve into business to maximize profit
burning all the trees in an area) has occurred, by people paid a good living wage,
(huge profit). Wala namang tao na papasok sa business na ayaw makakuha ng
in an area where investments have been made to ensure that producing the
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huge profit tiba. While ethics deals with anything other than profit, yung hindi - According to a recent study by Jack L. Hayes International, one out of every 40
lang para kumita. employees in 2012 was caught stealing from their employer. Even more startling
(shocking) is that these employees steal on average 5.5 times more than
- In the field of philosophy, ethics is a specialized study of what is right or wrong. shoplifters.
- However, there is a problem “doing the right thing”. - Employee fraud is also on the uptick (addition), whether its check tampering,
not recording sales in order to steal money that you have been trusted with, or
- It seems that one who stands for moral principles is usually poorer while the
manipulating expense reimbursements.
crook (criminal) becomes richer. Katulad nalang sa ating pamahalaan, kung sino
4. Lying to employees
pa yung mga namamahala, sila pa yung nagnanakaw sa kaban ng bayan. Sila na - The fastest way to loose the trust of your employees is to lie to them, yet
nga yung gumagawa ng masama, sila pa ang lalong yumayaman. employers do it all the time.
- The problem arises because ethical behavior is not always rewarded and - One out of every five employees report that their manager or supervisor has lied
unethical behavior is rarely punished. to them within the past year.
5 most common unethical behaviors in the workplace: (accdg. To Arthur Schwartz, 5. Violating internet policies
guest columnist from Philadelphia Business Journal) - Cyberslackers, Cyberloafers. These are terms used to identify people who surf
the Web when they should be working.
1. Misusing company time
- A survey conducted recently by Salary.com found that everyday at least 64% of
- Whether it is covering for someone who shows up late or altering a time sheet,
employees visit websites that have nothing to do with their work.
misusing company time tops the list. This category includes knowing that one of
- Who would have thought that checking your Facebook page is becoming an
your co-workers is conducting personal business on company time.
ethical issue?
- By "personal business" the survey recognizes the difference between making
cold calls to advance your freelance business and calling your spouse to find out
how your sick child is doing.
Work ethics is like invisible employee behavior, noticeable by its absence. Some common
2. Abusive behavior workplace ethics include:
- Too many workplaces are filled with managers and supervisors who use their
position and power to mistreat or disrespect others. Written by: Asma Zaineb
- Unfortunately, unless the situation you're in involves race, gender or ethnic
origin, there is often no legal protection against abusive behavior in the 1. Punctuality
- Arriving to work on time, adhering to lunch and breaks on time and being absent
workplace.
for valid reasons.
3. Employee thef 2. Responsibility
- Utilizing work time to complete tasks and deadlines and not for personal work.
3. Professional image
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- Be well dressed and adhere to the company dress code. - The practitioner asks the questions: Is it true? Or is it deceitful (dishonest)? Or
4. Teamwork is it unjust (unreasonable)? Does it cause bodily or emotional harm to others?
- Respect others and work well together and be a good team player. Is it the right thing to do? Ethical questions range from practical, narrowly
5. Attitude
defines issues, such as a company’s obligation to be honest with its customers,
- Being pleasant and polite, and take on difficult tasks smilingly.
to broader social and philosophical questions, such as company’s responsibility
3. What is business ethics?
- Business ethics is a form of applied ethics that examines ethical rules, theories, to preserve the environment and protect employee rights.
- Managers are caught in a balancing act between the ideal and the practical, such
and principles in business environment. It includes correct understanding of
any moral duties or obligations (orthodoxy, belief) that apply to persons who as the need to produce a reasonable profit for the shareholders and at the same
time to maintain integrity by paring correct taxes to the government.
are engaged in commerce (business) (orthopraxis).
o Although there are some exceptions, it appears that those who choose
- Generally speaking, business ethics is a normative (usual or correct way of doing to conduct business in an ethical manner, will, in the long run, perform
something) discipline, whereby particular ethical standards are advocated better than those who do not. (Valor, 2005; Teehankee, 2005; Rothman
(supported) and then applied. and Scott, 2004; Maximiano, 2003; De George, 1999; Carroll, 1999).
- Investopedia defines business ethics as: The study of proper business policies
and practices regarding potentially controversial issues, such as corporate
governance, insider trading (the illegal activity of buying and selling a 4. What is the role of ethics in management?
company’s stocks while using secret information from a person who works for a. Ethical management in the workplace
the company), bribery (suhol), discrimination, corporate social responsibility Ethical management is the foundation of CSR (Corporate Social
and fiduciary (relating to or involving trust) responsibilities. Responsibility) in the workplace, which covers those ethical issues arising
o Business ethics are often guided by law, while other times provide a from the employer-employee relationship, such as the rights and obligations
basic framework that businesses may choose to follow in order to gain justly owed between them.
public acceptance. Preventing discrimination issues in the workplace include the practice of
o Investopedia explaines business ethics: Are implemented in order to affirmative action and fighting sexual harassment, child labor, and other
ensure that a certain required level of trust exists between consumers discriminatory practices on the bases of age, gender, race, religion, and
and various forms of market participants with businesses. physical attractiveness.
For example: A portfolio (finance) manager must give the same In this area, moral challenges affecting the privacy of the employer, the
consideration to the portfolios of family members and small practice of whistle blowing (a person who tells police, reporters, etc; about
individual investors. Such practices ensure that the public is something (such as crime) that has been kept secret), and working
treated fairly. conditions and occupational safety may take place-and the moral leader and
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practitioners should be in a position to face those challenges in a direct and Industrial property can usefully be divided into two main areas:
honest way.
One area can be characterized as the protection of
distinctive signs, in particular trademarks (which distinguish
the goods or services of one undertaking from those of
b. Ethical management regarding intellectual property rights other undertakings) and geographical indications (which
According to World Trade Organization, Intellectual property rights are the
identify a good as originating in a place where a given
rights given to persons over the creations of their minds. They usually give
characteristic of the good is essentially attributable to its
the creator an exclusive right over the use of his/her creation for a certain
geographical origin).
period of time.
The protection of such distinctive signs aims to stimulate
o Intellectual property rights are customarily divided into two main and ensure fair competition and to protect consumers, by
areas: enabling them to make informed choices between various
goods and services. The protection may last indefinitely,
provided the sign in question continues to be distinctive.
(i) Copyright and rights related to copyright.
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Other types of industrial property are protected primarily to Following ethical guidelines in pricing means prices have to be clear without
stimulate innovation, design and the creation of technology. hidden charges. The consumer has to know how much he is going to pay
In this category fall inventions (protected by patents), when he makes the purchase. Your prices have to reflect both the cost you
industrial designs and trade secrets. incur in delivering the product or service and the value the customer
expects to receive.
The social purpose is to provide protection for the results of
investment in the development of new technology, thus
giving the incentive and means to finance research and
development activities. d. Ethical management in production
A functioning intellectual property regime should also This area of business ethics deals with the duties of a company to ensure
facilitate the transfer of technology in the form of foreign that products and production processes do not cause harm.
direct investment, joint ventures and licensing.
o Stakeholders involved: Consumers , the general public, and almost
The protection is usually given for a finite term (typically 20 always the environment.
years in the case of patents).
o Discussions may include moral relations between business and the
environment and ethics problems arising out of new technologies
such as mobile-phone radiation and genetically (involving) modified
c. Ethical management in sales, advertising, and marketing food.
Business ethics and social responsibility deal with the issues on pricing and o Well known cases:
price fixing, moral dimension of the anti-trust or anti-cartel law, bait and
switch, viral marketing, pyramid scandal, and sex in advertising. Cases may Ford Pinto - , in the year 1960’s there was strong
include Benetton. competition for Ford in the American small car market from
Volkswagen and several Japanese companies. In order to
Benetton case: - the Italian clothing retailers which created the line United fight the competition, Ford rushed its newly made car the
Colors of Benetton “shock advertising”, deliberately, rather than Pinto into production in much less than it usually required
inadvertently, startles and offends its audience by violating norms for social developing a car. Basically time to produce an automobile is
values and personal ideas. 43 months, but Ford took 25 months. However, before the
production Ford engineers found a major flaw in the cars
o Benetton Group has had several shocking ads of a priest and nun design. This is because all rear-end crash test collisions, the
kissing, a black woman breastfeeding a white baby, and death row Pinto’s fuel system would rupture extremely easy.
inmates’ thoughts
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and the use of asbestos.
Bhopal disaster - also referred to as the Bhopal gas It is now known that prolonged inhalation of
tragedy, was a gas leak incident in India, considered the asbestos fibers can cause serious and fatal illnesses
world's worst industrial disaster including malignant lung cancer, mesothelioma, and
asbestosis (a type of pneumoconiosis).
Bhopal memorial for those killed and disabled by
the 1984 toxic gas release
Date : 2 December 1984–3 December 1984 e. Ethical management in finance, accounting, and auditing
Location: Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh The best cases are Enron and Worldcom, where the issues comprise
executive compensation, (criminal) manipulation of the financial markets,
Cause: Gas leak from Union Carbide India Limited bribery, facilitation payments, fraud, and false reporting.
storage tank
Its practical CSR application is corporate governance, accountability, and
Deaths: At least 3,787; over 16,000 claimed value-based management.
Civil and criminal cases were filed in the District - “When business does not attempt to see a rigorous (careful) respect for the
Court of Bhopal, India, involving UCC and Warren moral, cultural, and spiritual requirements, based on the dignity of the person
Anderson, UCC CEO at the time of the disaster. In and on the proper identity of each community… then all the rest (availability of
June 2010, seven ex-employees, including the goods, abundance of technical resources applied in daily life, a certain level of
former UCIL chairman, were convicted in Bhopal of material-being) will prove unsatisfactory and in the end contemptible (shameful)
causing death by negligence and sentenced to two
years imprisonment and a fine of about $2,000
each, the maximum punishment allowed by Indian
law. An eighth former employee was also convicted, 6. Can a company become a corporate citizen without being critical?
but died before the judgement was passed.
- NO. Business ethics seeks to determine whether a particular behavior, decision,
or action of an individual or organization is morally right or wrong.
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- It not subjective (based on feeling/opinions). Rather, it is objective (based on - In most cases, however, the ethical behavior of a corporation depends to a large
facts), and the basis is a universal standard common to all. extent on the moral (right) conviction (sureness) of its CEO and managers,
meaning to say that the company CSR in a certain degree depends on the
- Business ethics is related to corporate social responsibility, although the former personal ethics of the CEO. Of course, it is for all time desirable that ethics
(business ethics) is primarily personal and CSR is mainly social (Maximiano, should also become a corporate affair and the conviction of the rank and file as
2003; Richardson, 2003). well.
- The wisest thing to do, it seems, is to practice business ethics first, and then 8. Does ethical management go beyond public relations and profitability?
practice CSR.
- It might happen, as a consequence of practicing social responsibility and ethical
o Business ethics knocks on one’s conscience before the individual makes management that sales go up because the company projects an angelic image.
business decision, while CSR nags the moral accountability of a group of However, individuals do not practice business ethics and corporations do not
individuals (Rothman and Scott, 2004). benchmark CSR to do public relations and increase sales.
o Before CSR is practiced correctly, it is assumed that practitioners are - Those results are not what drive CSR. You practice ethics because it is your
ethical. philosophy of management; you benchmark CSR because it is the right thing to
do (Maximiano, 2005).
o It means that business leader or entrepreneur and the other members
of the organization are will-founded in business ethics before doing
corporate citizenship.
9. What is the biggest challenge?
o We cannot practice CSR without ethics.
- The biggest challenge is to actually implement and sustain ethical management.
Actually, both ethical management and CSR are dedicated to the mutual
interests existing between business growth and social development.
7. How can business ethics become a philosophy of management?
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corporate decision to enter the room for improvement and become better
citizens of the world (Maximiano, 2003; De George, 1999).
- Revenues are not meant to fill up the pockets of those who run business; they
are meant to be shared to all—in accordance with distributive justice. The big
challenge is to actually share resources to all, particularly those in dire (urgent)
needs, and sustain the program. CHAPTER 2. Business Ethics and CSR Compared
- It is advantageous if that a company has its CSR department, which should be Difference Between Business Ethics and Social Responsibility:
not be headed by a lawyer. It should not be headed by a lawyer because ethical
management is beyond legal and regulatory compliance. It requires the SUMMARY:
involvement of everyone.
1. There are good things for society that are not good for business and this is where
- Because it is primarily social, CSR includes code of conduct, corporate social responsibility comes in. There are also good things in business that are not
citizenship, employee volunteerism, resource sharing and management, social good for society and this is where business ethics comes in.
investment and sustainable development.
2. Social responsibility is more of a policy or an obligation to the community, while
- CSR is interested in broadening participation in social development efforts by business ethics is more of a conscience.
getting more people to participate in poverty alleviation (improvement)
programs and community involvement. I believe that the more people are 3. Business is focused on profits but with social responsibility. It is still obliged to
engaged in ethical management the better. perform beneficial activities for society, while business ethics should make a positive
move for society.
4. Without social responsibility, the community will not benefit, however, without
- Ethical management is a tool towards corporate excellence. While others are business ethics, business is capitalism at its worst.
contented with the minimal requirements of the moral norms and code of
conduct, the goal of both business ethics and CSR is the moral excellence of all Read more: Difference Between Business Ethics and Social Responsibility |
players of business. Difference Between | Business Ethics vs Social Responsibility
http://www.differencebetween.net/business/difference-between-business-
- The goal of business ethics is personal excellence and that of CSR is corporate ethics-and-social-responsibility/#ixzz3dzZOJEpF
excellence. Excellence is an open-ended goal, which means a personal and
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- In other words, there is only one universal language for all business practitioners
and professionals everywhere—the true, the just, the fair and the good.
- When we talk of business ethics and CSR, we talk of values (corporate and
personal ones). It is undeniable that there are things everyone holds valuable
like honesty, telling the truth, providing assistance to a needy person, patience, - “It is not enough to recall principles, state intentions, point to crying unjustice,
protecting the environment, business integrity and keeping one's word. and utter prophetic denunciations,” declared Pope Paul VI. “Words will lack real
weight unless they are accompanied for each individual by a livelier awareness
- On the other hand, fooling a client, verbally abusing a worker, sexual harassment of personal responsibility and by effective action.” (Octogesima adveniens, 48)
in the workplace and price fixing are morally wrong. It goes without saying there
are values that are universally valid, which means recognized by all and
everywhere.
- Lexicons (dictionaries) in the business literature have CSR impact, such as false
advertising, bribery and extortion, technology piracy, misrepresentation, - We do not simply plan our corporate social involvement; we apply it day-to-day
collusion or cartel, tax evasion, unfair competition, rights and duties, operations as part of our core business. We just don’t read ethics books.
truthfulness and others, which are comprehensible to any Swiss, Indonesian,
Italian, Filipino or Saudian business leader in his/her respective language.
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- Ethics and CSR can become an integral part of the work ethic of a company.
Since they do not end in memorized codes and principles, business ethics and
CSR are practical (useful), pragmatic (realistic), and alive.
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- Man by his very nature stands completely in need of interpersonal cooperation,
synergy, and participation in society, a person for others and with others. He is
the beginning, the subject, and object of socio-business organization and
activities, including corporate citizenship.
- One cannot dissociate the divine plan of creation and the plan of redemption
from the day-to-day business ventures.
- CSR contemplates and discusses the human person, not so much on his financial
and material aspect, but more specifically from the point of view of his
relationship with God, with himself, his family and fellowmen (employees,
customers, suppliers, partners, etc.), and the environment.
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