Ethical_Reflection

Ethics Reflection Paper Strategic planning is a continual process within an organization. The people that are responsible for the success of strategic planning outline the desired future, then devise a strategy for making it happen. Strategic planning by its very nature is adaptive and the devisor is always developing it to be relevant for the future. Key environmental factors are predicted as their influences on the organization are looked at and then optimum measures are taken so the organization can benefit from these environmental factors. The Composition of a Strategic Plan is generally made up of one or more interconnected elements which consist of the vision, mission, values, assessment, goals/objectives, strategy and outcomes. They also incorporate strategic management principles and models. The Vision shows the dreams of the organization and broadly capture future services, markets and structures but do not go into great detail. The Mission outlines customers, competitors and markets. It shows a “desired position in a predicted future world” and a “bulls eye or target of the strategy” (Yavitz & Newman, 1982). A mission should not commit a firm to what it must do in order to survive but what it chooses to do in order to thrive. Values are what the company believes to be true. Values offer guides for staff on how to act within the company and ethical standards for all the stakeholders. Values set the company apart from its competitors and show the integrity of the organization. Assessments of the organization are the outside and inside forces which will affect the company in making its mission and vision successful. Strategy is the framework which guides those choices that determine the nature and direction of an organization. It looks at long-term direction and guides short term plans. It is understood at the top and middle levels of the organization. A strategy is very clear and is no way subtle. Outcomes are defined and are involved with the translation of strategies in to realities of the organizational structure, operations, policies and products. This in essence closes the gap between the companies’ current position and where it would like to be. Critical issues are identified and prioritized. Outcomes are positive statements of the changes the company needs to make to it and the results that it must carry out in its environment to fulfill strategic necessities. Outcomes are the steps for an organization towards strategic closure. The ethical dimension of social responsibility concerns operations and behaviors that are expected or restricted by members of an organization, its community and society, although these operations and behaviors are not put into laws. Social responsibilities that involve ethics reflect a concern of major stakeholders, including shareholders consumers, employees, and the community. Their concerns should involve what is right with respect or protection of the stakeholders’ moral rights. The philanthropic dimension of social responsibility refers to the expectation that businesses also contribute resources to the community and improve quality of life. Businesses do have an impact on society and they have responsibilities towards not only shareholders, but also consumers, suppliers, society as a whole. Corporate laws exist and thus corporations and organizations can be held responsible for their actions. “Social responsibility is a critical consideration for a company’s strategic decision makers” (Pearson & Robinson, 2011). According to Pearce and Robinson, corporate social responsibility is the idea that a business has a duty to serve society in general as well as the financial interests of its stockholders. Corporate social responsibility is achieving commercial success in ways that honor ethical values and respect for communities, the natural environment, and people. Owners need to ensure that they hire managers who are going to carry out their wishes and be the voice in their absence instead of managers who will protect their self interests. To encourage managers to make appropriate and ethical decisions, owners and executives should provide incentives through bonuses, appraisals and recognition programs. Managers who do receive performance incentives will be held accountable by stakeholders. Outside of being accountable to owners and the business, managers also have to select the ethical approach that will ensure the consumer is getting the best service at a reasonable cost, consumers do not have to fear product risk, and that they are taking care of their financial responsibilities to the government. Regardless of the approach selected, consistency is important as not to send a signal of injustice and inconsistency which allows companies and individuals to reach their end – state goals without having to waste time and money. Ethics should be guidelines used to help management and employees conduct themselves according to the values and standards set forth by the company. To ensure employees understand the rules and make good ethical decisions, a company’s plan should embody the beliefs and values that the business and their employees view most important. These beliefs and values can be outlined in a company’s mission, vision, and philosophy statements which provide direction, purpose, and a clear understanding of an organization’s behavioral expectations and decisions made by the stakeholders. When adhered to, the mission and vision statements can be the baseline for goal-setting and strategic planning while keeping ethics at the core of all decisions. The Stakeholder perspective does have some drawbacks; the responsibilities to the stakeholders generally conflict with one another. Therefore the decision making is a complex process; managers should firstly define the various (moral) obligations owed to the stakeholders and how they can resolve the conflicts among them. A certain rate of return is wished for the corporations and that this is their moral obligation to the shareholders. The question nevertheless is what happens with the remaining investments of the shareholders' Distinct business advantages are met by putting the investment in the right places, which generates competitive advantages. My Ethical Perspective My ethical perspective has expanded via this program, as I have understood the relationship involving ethics and its repercussion in a business. I understand the meaning of ethics in terms of help to the stakeholders of an organization and the significance in the organization's day-to-day process. The program has enabled me to identify the relationships concerning ethics and the different mechanism of the strategic plan of the organization. I believe that ethics are central the overall management of the firm. References: Pearce, J. A., II, Robinson, R. B. (2011). Strategic management: Formulation, implementation, and control (12th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin University of Phoenix (2012). Williams Institute: Ethical choices in the workplace. Retrieved February 25, 2012, from University of Phoenix, Week One, STR 581 - Strategic Planning and Implementation. University of Phoenix (2012). Williams Institute: Ethics awareness inventory. Retrieved February 25, 2012, from University of Phoenix, Week One, STR 581 - Strategic Planning and Implementation. Yavitz, B. and Newman, W.H. (1982), Strategy in action: William H. Newman, Boris Yavitz (Hardcover , 1982).