Ethical_Delimnas

For every action there is a reaction, every choice that you make has consequences we have all heard those statements as we were growing up and throughout our adult lives. We were all raised to know the difference as to what has been perceived as right and wrong, good and evil and we all have determined how far we will go or will not go. These are the ethics that our parents spent their lives teaching us and are hopeful that we carry on those values and pass them down to our children and so on and so on. (Shelton, 2012) Ethics are also known as the moral philosophy that involves systematizing, defending and recommending concepts of what is considered the proper behavior. Ethics can be broken into three major categories’. Meta-ethics which is the theoretical reference and meaning of moral propositions and how their truth values can be determined. Next there is what is called normative ethics is about the practical means of determining what is considered the correct moral course of action. Finally we have applied ethics which is the determination of the different type of outcomes can be achieved when morality is applied to the situation. (McAdams, Neslund, & Zucker, 2012) Meta or analytical ethics is focused on how we understand, know about, and what we mean when we talk what is right and what is wrong. This branch of ethics is generally recognized by philosophers, it seeks to help one understand if there is any nature to ethical properties, the ethical judgments, statements, attitudes that come with making ethical decisions. Meta ethics is divided into two views, realist and anti-realist. In the realist view holds that the objective value and that evaluative statements are factual claims, basically it is either true or false and there is no in between every is based on fact and not based on beliefs or feelings. Business ethics reflects the philosophy of how a business conducts itself, With the current financial crisis occurring in the United States, such as the collapse of mortgage giant New Century mortgage, Fannie Mae and mac. Our politicians provided a scapegoat to the American people (themselves); the spin was to convince the public that the poor and middle class were the cause of this collapse and failures. When in fact it was the CEO’s and politicians that were the cause, this was done by deregulating the financial markets and relaxing the regulations on secure transactions also when the government gave corporations huge tax breaks and credits to ship jobs overseas; people that lost their jobs were no longer able to afford those mortgages. Was this morally right' No yet for a while the American people believed it to be until it started affecting those other than the African American community, only after that did the American people demand answers. (Ronald Utt, 2008) To the rest of the world the United States business community is no longer the role model that it once was, captialism has become a diesease that must be stopped before it corrupts other countries. The invasion of Iraq on false pretenses and then the attempted extermination of a bloodline had given the rest of the world proof that the corruption had reached the highest office in the country. (Dominick, 2005) In order to establish credibility to corporate America the United States government established the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002. What this does is that it requires any company no matter what the size that is publicly traded allow government regulations to control how a company manages its finances and how it is reported. This was in response to the Enron scandal that rocked the nation in the 1990’s, companies and CEO’s have attempted to deflect that responsibility by looking for loopholes as with the current issue with the Bain Corporation and Willard Mitt Romney. (Browning, 2011) SOX establishes a strigent series of requirements that are in accordance with SANS (System Administration and Network Security) standards. Section 406 is very specific with it’s requirement that a corporation that is publicy traded most have a code of ethics for it’s executives. They must also refrain from any wrong doinf and promote honest conduct, create full disclosure reports, and be in compliance with all rules and laws and promptly report any and all violations. (McAdams, Neslund, & Zucker, 2012) Normative ethical theorey is used to investigate how someone should react when presented with a specific set of questions. The normaltive theory is divided into two disciplines moral theory and applied ethics, this theory also uses religion as a basis of what is right and what is wrong a lot of the expected results are related to material found in religious books. (McAdams, Neslund, & Zucker, 2012) The “golden rule” is the basis of the normaltive theory, do unto to others as you would want them to do unto you. Basically do not do something to someone that you would not want done to yourself, for example would you want someone to steal from you' If the answer is no then you should not steal or take something that does not belong to you. (McAdams, Neslund, & Zucker, 2012) Sociologist have long agrued that this theory is flawed, they feel that it is illegitmate to move from explanation to evaluation. They feel that judgements should not be based on feelings and religious beliefs but on facts and should have the lattitude to vary dependant upon the individuals preferences. (Marshall, 1998) Applied ethics or utilitarianism was proposed by David Humme a Scottish philospher in the late 1700’s based on two absolutes that there is only pain and pleasure in life. The applied theory maximizes ratio of good over evil is only option that is morally right, for example the question posed “is it morally right to outsource jobs in the United States to other countries” ' In doing so those that will benefit the most are of course the stock holders and the executives, however those that are hurt are those that are now without jobs and incomes and the community that they support.Using the applied theory of ethics moving jobs to from the United States to other countries is morally wrong, because it does more harm than good to the community as a whole. (McAdams, Neslund, & Zucker, 2012) When using the applied theory one must be able to look at the consequences of the act and whether the consequences will have and adverse effect or a positive effect on the many rather than the few. (McAdams, Neslund, & Zucker, 2012). In the Star movie “The Wrath of Khan” the character Spock used the applied ethical theory in the scene whereas he went into a radiated room to resolve a power issue. In his death scene he qouted a term “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” What this meant was that although there was a chance that through his actions crew members would die from radiation poison, their deaths were necessary in order to save the ship due to his actions. (Meyer, 1982) Apply these theoretical perspectives to at least one specific ethical dilemma that leaders and/or managers at ECG may encounter when providing consulting services to a diverse international client base as the organization prepares for an ECG IPO and another selective acquisition. Business ethics is the behavior that is displayed and adhered to by a business and those that represent that business to the general community. How the company conducts its business, the way they treat their employees and customers demonstrates how well or how bad the public views the company. Many businesses such as BP, Enron, Halliburton and most of the large financial institution have a reputation of being only about profit and having a total disregard for the general public, its employees and the environment. (What is Business Ethics', 2012) Having a good business ethic is important for any company; just as on a personal basis the old saying “You are judged by the company you keep” A business is also judged by the businesses that it deals with. So to pose a question “should a business that has a good ethical reputation, lose that reputation because it deals with a company that has an unethical reputation'” Most would say yes because now that business is a part of the business chain that is unethical. (What is Business Ethics', 2012) What may be considered a normal business practice in another country may not be lawful in the United States. For example in in many cultures in Asia, Europe, Africa, Central and South America bribery is considered a lawful way of doing business and in some cases is absolute necessary. This forces corporations in the United States to engage in a business practice that they have been told and taught since childhood is morally wrong and illegal. (McAdams, Neslund, & Zucker, 2012) Doing business in other countries can be very trying, what we consider corruption is considered standard pratices in Asia. For example in the United States it is illegal to give and/or accept a gift while negotaiting a business deal while in Asia that is considered proper business etiquette. In Europe the people there are diverse and English is not always the home language, also in the eyes of Americans the people can come across as stand offish and snobish towards Americans. It is important that our represenatives are trained to deal with any and all possible situations that may come up, also bribery again is considered a normal business paractice. (McAdams, Neslund, & Zucker, 2012) In 1977 the United States enacted the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), what it hoped to accomplish was the discouragement of bribery abroad. Companies in the United States nationals and corporations that used bribery as a means to do business in foreign lands could face stiff fines and in some cases federal prison time if found guilty. Many countries had determined that this law did not apply to them as they are considered a soveriegn nation and the United States did not have the right to create laws for their country. (Pham, 2012) In order to provide proper consulting to such a diverse customer base, I would suggest that ECG employ the applied theory instead of the normaltive theory. Because the normaltive theory is based on the parent company religious belief and in the United States Judea-Christianity is the dominant faith, what would be considered a normal outcome to us would not necessarily be considered normal to someone of let’s say of the Muslim faith. (Shelton, 2012) Using the applied theory our employees will have the opportunity to used logic, and determine if the outocome of their actions will have an adverse effect on the company and not just themselves. For example if a customer offers to share the windfalls of a possible investment and all they ask is that our employee provide them with information that is not privy to the general public, our employee should have the proper ethical training to determine what will be the total consequences of my actions. (Hamilton, 2012) References What is Business Ethics' (2012). Retrieved from wisegeek.com: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-business-ethics.htm Browning, M. (2011, October 17). What Is SOX Security Compliance' Retrieved from ehow.com: http://www.ehow.com/facts_6775800_sox-security-compliance_.html Dominick, B. (2005, February 15). Iraq Occupation Ran On Policy of Corruption, Witnesses Say. Retrieved from newstandardnews.net: http://www.newstandardnews.net/content/'action=show_item&itemid=1484 Hamilton, V. (2012). Types of Ethical Theories. Retrieved from ehow.com: http://www.ehow.com/info_8366868_types-ethical-theories.html Marshall, G. (1998). normative theory. Retrieved from encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O88-normativetheory.html McAdams, T., Neslund, N., & Zucker, K. D. (2012). Law Business, & Society 10th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill. Meyer, N. (Director). (1982). Star Trek The Wrath of Khan [Motion Picture]. Pham, L. B. (2012). Code of Ethics for International Business. Retrieved from ehow.com: http://www.ehow.com/about_6724519_international-business-code-ethics.html Ronald Utt, P. (2008, April 22). The Subprime Mortgage Market Collapse: A Primer on the Causes and Possible Solutions. Washington D.C.: The Heritage Foundation . Shelton, D. (2012). Ethics. (D. Shelton, Interviewer)