Values_and_Ethics

Values and Ethics: Personal and Business Betty Earl PHI 445 Personal & Organizational Ethics Instructor: Kurt Siklar November 14, 2011 Values and Ethics: Personal and Business The differences between values and ethics are defined by dictionary.com as follows: “Values are beliefs of a person or social group in which they have an emotional investment. Ethics are a set of principles of right conduct.” It is the opinion of this author that as an individual you cannot have either values or ethics, but must possess both. This paper will explore Betty Earl’s personal values and ethics and those of her employer, DENSO Manufacturing of Arkansas (DMAR). An attempt to answer the question whether a person’s personal values and ethics and those of business align or if there are apparent differences will be identified. In the event that weaknesses are recognized a plan on how to change these weaknesses will be presented. Mission and Vision Statements Mission Statements “A personal mission statement provides clarity and gives you a sense of purpose. It defines who you are and how you will live” (Anonymous, 2011, para. 1). The personal mission statement of Betty Earl is, “To live each day being the best person I can be with honesty and integrity. To always be aware and sensitive to the needs of others and make a difference wherever I can.” I can say, without exception, that this is the way I attempt to live each of my days and how I react with those I come in contact with. “The mission statement articulates the company's purpose both for those in the organization and for the public” (Ward, 2011, para. 1). DMAR’s mission statement is, “Contributing to a better world by creating value together with a vision for the future” (DENSO Global, 2011). According to the definition I believe that DMAR’s mission statement fits the above definition. In addition, DMAR puts their volunteerism, money, and support into their mission statement. On a local level DMAR, and their associates, have built playgrounds, cleaned highways, contributed to the beautification of several nearby towns, contributed to the support for The Haven, which houses and counsels abused persons and families, as well as come to the assistance of associates who have been experienced a major life changing event, such as fire, storm damage, violence, etc. As stated above, the company has not done this alone. With a total employee base of approximately 500 over 350 showed up at the twelve hours Relay For Life, nearly every employee contributed in donations for the Haven and teams of twenty to fifty participated in each of the other events. Vision Statements Vision statements are, primarily, the same for a person and a business. While a personal vision statements describes how you want to see yourself in the future with business it describes what a company hopes to achieve in the future. My personal vision statement is that: • I will look for the good in every person or situation I encounter • I will treat everyone with kindness • I will treat everyone with kindness • I will contribute to society • I will be motivated by each opportunity presented to me • I will live my life with gratitude • I will be humble in all that I do DMAR’s vision statement is outlined in their DENSO Vision 2015 and is broken into subsections titled: “Achieving Our Goal,” “Action Principles,” “Basic Strategy,” and their “Slogan” (DENSO Global. 2011). Achieving Our Goal incorporates both “consideration” and “fulfillment” and states “We will contribute to the achievement of a future automotive society where there are fewer worries about environmental hazards and traffic safety” (DENSO Global. 2011). Action Principles integrates the involvements of DENSO Spirit and makes it the base for achieving goals. “DENSO Spirit is company assets we have cultivated since its founding, and condenses into Foresight, Credibility, and Collaboration of the DENSO Group” (DENSO Global. 2011). DENSO Spirit – Foresight. Providing surprises and impressions in a way that only DENSO can. Vision – Anticipating change Creativity – Creating new values Challenging – Overcoming difficulties DENSO SPIRIT – Credibility. Providing quality and reliability beyond customer expectations. Quality first – Ensuring the best quality for our customers On-Site verification – Grasping the facts firmly Kaizen – Striving to reach higher levels Collaboration – Achieving the highest results by working as a tea DENSO Spirit – Collaboration. Achieving the highest results by working as a team. Communication – Understanding one another completely Teamwork – Doing your best as a team Human Resource Development – Developing yourself and the next generation. (DENSO Global. 2011). Basic Strategy is further broken into specific areas of “Technological Development,” “Business Operations,” and “Management and Human Resources.” Technological Development is “Leading an era by offering new value” both in product development and new business development. Product Development based on research into the future of the automotive society and promoting technological development primarily focused on the environment and safety. New Business Development that will generate dynamic thinking and 'incubate' new business ideas fostering dynamic thinking and seeking new business development (DENSO Global. 2011). Business Operations is, also, divided into two specific areas, for DENSO to focus on. They are: 1. Our way of manufacturing that deepens our reliability worldwide by consolidating the foundation of our global competitive edge by, globally, sharing the DENSO Way of manufacturing. 2. Business operations that adapt to each region while adopting the best attributes of each practicing manufacturing adapting to each region and business operations in harmony with each region (DENSO Global. 2011). Management and Human Resources within the DENSO Group Companies allows the corporation to build a management system which enables on-the-spot management decisions due to a framework of collaborative autonomy (DENSO Global. 2011). DENSO creates an “evolving corporation based on the global wisdom of the DENSO Group by encouraging associates who constantly strive to innovate and create” (DENSO Global. 2011). DENSO does this through supporting activities that generates team creativity using the individual talents of the team. DENSO’s slogan, “Beyond All Expectations” (DENSO Global. 2011) embodies the company’s desire to better past accomplishments and surpass the boundaries previously set. Code of Ethics As stated in the opening paragraph, “. . . you cannot have either values or ethics, but a person must possess both.” Values are rules that allow us to make decisions about things we should or should not do, what is right or wrong, and what is good or bad. Values are a sort of barometer that guide us as to what is less or more important. This enables us to be able to distinguish between values when we are placed in a position of choosing one over another. Morals tend to have a wide range of acceptance and carry a “Santa Claus” type of effect, meaning they are about good and bad. People tend to judge other on their morals versus their values. “A person can be described as immoral, yet there is no word for them not following values” (Sandler, 2009, para. 2). A business may possess a set of professional ethics, but rarely do companies adopt a set of professional morals. Ethics may be incorporated into policies and rules while morals are something that is most often imposed upon people. If you allege that a person is engaging in unethical behavior it would be comparable to say they were engaging in an unprofessional manner. An insult, such as this, may be taken more personally had you called them immoral. My personal code of ethics is: • My personal values should guide my actions • If something is wrong it should be addressed immediately • To use my personal mission statement, “To live each day being the best person I can be with honesty and integrity. To always be aware and sensitive to the needs of others and make a difference where I can” when engaging others. DENSO operates under a “Code of Conduct.” This is an area that is taken very seriously and it is reviewed annually with all associates across all business lines. When developing the “Code of Conduct” DENSO . . . consulted the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, United Nations Global Compact, OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the Charter of Corporate Behavior formulated by Nippon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation). Since the Code was adopted, all executives and employees reflect on their daily conduct each year, and we strive to steadily improve employees' CSR (Corporate Service Responsibility) awareness and conduct (DENSO Global. 2011). Ethics and Morality Differences When defining ethics and morality the line is so subtle some confuse the two. Morals are defined, individually, and are specific. “Morality is the standards that an individual or group has about what is right and wrong or good and evil” (Velasquez, 2006, p. 8). An individual’s code of conduct and character are formed by their morals. Because they are personal, in nature, it is difficult for a business to have a set of morals. Ethics are how an individual responds within society and decision making. Ethics may change over time, however, morals do not. Business ethics is the behavior that a business adheres to in its daily dealings with the world. The ethics of a particular business can be diverse. They apply not only to how the business interacts with the world at large, but also to their one-on-one dealings with a single customer (Marcoux, 2008, para. 1). As for ethical standards in the workplace there is not a single basis of information that defines what the standards should be. An organization’s ethical guidelines differ based on the organization’s culture and what importance they place on their behaviors and values. While completing this paper I found that I am fortunate to work for the company that I do. They place a very high emphasis on ethical behavior. It is something that is expected from all associates from the newest hired production worker to the president of the company. All policies are interpreted the same for each associate to assure there is no favoritism. Company gifts are not allowed, the company takes no stance on politics, and there are continual audits, both internally and externally, to assure we are working and holding ourselves accountable in a consistent manner. We have a “true” open-door policy and anyone may speak to management regarding any topic at any time. All issues are investigated and the results are reported openly and honestly. There is nothing I would change within the confines of the company I work for. Whether the ethical principles are personal or business everyone must remember that, based on our words and actions, we have the influence to touch the lives of others by our words, actions and the decisions we make. When given the opportunity what to do, "We can learn to respect the rights of others and not simply focus on fulfilling our desires" (Paul & Elder, 2006, p. 5). References Anonymous. (2011). Personal mission statements. Retrieved from http://www. missionstatements.com/personal_mission_statements.html Definitions. (2011). Values, Ethics, and Morals. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/ DENSO Global. (2011) Retrieved from http://www.globaldenso.com/en/aboutdenso/index.html Marcoux, A. (2008). "Business Ethics", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2008/entries/ethics-business Paul, R. & Elder, L. (2006). The thinkers guide to understanding the foundations of reasonsing. Retrieved from http://openedpractices.org/files/Ethical_Reasoningpub.pdf Sandler, L. (2009). What can laws do without morals' Retrieved from http://goarticles.com/ article/what-can-Laws-do-without-Morals/1552044/ Velasquez, M. G. (2006). Business ethics concepts and cases. (6th ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall Ward, S. (2011). Mission statement. Retrieved from http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/ businessplanning/g/missionstatemen.htm