Business Ethics
Business Ethics
Business ethics refer to the just principles that serve as a guideline on the conduct and management of every business. Generally, the ethical principles that apply to an individual are likewise applicable to most businesses. Some people claimed it to be just knowing about the right and wrong practices, however, a closer examination reveals that good ethical practice in the business may differ across organizations. This paper aims to provide an examination of different point of views towards business ethics.
In an article entitled The Merits of Self-leadership, the author came up with a commentary about the presence of internal contradictions between ethical and self-leadership. Moreover, the author argued that ethical leadership can have a negative impact in relation to moral decisions and that sufficient freedom is needed before self-leadership can work. According to research, ethical leadership generally results to better moral decisions and how the followers see their responsibilities and ability to self-lead. However, Khan (2015) argued that there are instances when this claim are contradictory, such as when the followers are not given the chance to depend on their own judgement, but has to be under the scrutiny of the people who have the authority to reward or punish them.
I agree with the author’s point of view that there are instances when ethical leadership can negatively affect self-leadership or the motivation of other people in the organization. A closer analysis indicated that the lack of independence on the part of the followers or subordinates will not motivate self-leadership, but instead develop more reliance on the leader This happens in instances that the leader imposed too much restriction on his followers, that they are not given the freedom to make their own decisions. That is, ethical leadership cannot to self-leadership when the follower remained to be closely tied to their accountability to the leader’s authority. The limitation imposed by the authority and the sense of accountability and punishment can have a significant impact on an employee’s motivation towards self-leadership.
I think the concepts presented by the author about the ethics of leadership and self-leadership are valuable both in the workplace and in my personal life. Giving people the freedom to decide on their own is a helpful approach in bringing the best in them. I appreciated the concept about giving employees the freedom to make decisions; this is an idea that is worth considering when one is in the leadership position. I would also consider this concept of freedom and self-leadership in my employment. I am a self-motivated person, and having the freedom in decision making is valuable in allowing me to work at my best.
The Ethical Aspects of Entrepreneurship
The ethical characteristics of entrepreneurship became one among the most common topic of discussion with the increased number of entrepreneurial organizations. In the Ethical Aspects of Entrepreneurship, the authors pointed out that ethical practice and principles should play an integral part in business operations. With the increased number of small and medium-sized enterprises, there is a need to determine how ethical practices should be integrated with the profit-making objective of every business organization. The article presented a discussion about the introduction of the new meaning of ethics, specifically business ethics which is referred to as a recent branch of ethics (Staniewski et al, 2015). There are arguments against treating business ethics in the same way as the ethics of the entrepreneur, however, it was also claimed that business organizations today are becoming more dynamic that they tend to formulate principles that suit the nature of their operation. With due respect, we tend to see businesses today modify their strategies and principles of operation to adapt to the changing needs of the society.
I can apply the knowledge gained from this article by knowing the tenets of my organization's ethical values. In doing so, I increase the assurance of making the right decision when faced with a challenging situation. Moreover, I also learned that it is important for me to have my own personal ethical values to help me in circumstances where I need to make tough decisions.
Moral and Ethical Conceptions of Entrepreneurs
There is also the cross-cultural aspect of business ethics as presented in the article entitled Moral and Ethical Conceptions of Entrepreneurs where it was discussed that the present-day state of entrepreneurship calls for the realization of other valuable objectives other than profits. As pointed out in the article, the political and economic reality today is founded on the concept of morality. In the study, it was found that the participating respondents from three different countries indicated similarity in terms of making moral decisions, and that they share similar views in terms of citing the internal commitment as the most important principle in their practice. One can agree with the findings that internal commitment is vital in the success of organizations, thus it should be one among the factors that should be considered by entrepreneurs. It was found that most organizational leaders share a similar orientation on being focused on values of growth and transformation, in addition to their dedication in taking responsibility for the outcome of their decisions.
I agree with the author’s point of view about the need for every organizational leader to be focused about growth and change, as well as the need to demonstrate accountability in their decisions. The ability to come up with decisive decisions that can enhance the growth of the organization is a sign of good leadership. In addition to that, leaders should not only be good at making decisions, they should have the courage to take responsibility of the possible outcome of their choices.
The concept about having the courage to take responsibility for one’s action is a valuable insight that I can apply in my personal life. There are diverse decisions that I have to make in my life, such as pursuing further education. This article is helpful in reinforcing my ideals about being in charge of the decisions I make in my life.
Conclusion
The three articles provided valuable insights about the aspects of business ethics. Khan’s arguments explain the contradiction that may occur between ethical leadership and self-leadership when the concerned employee is not given adequate freedom to make his decision. On the other hand, the other two articles discussed about ethical issues that concern entrepreneur activities. One learns that the ethical concerns are also an important part of entrepreneurship, other than the focus on gaining profit for the business.
References
Khan, S. R. (2015). The merits of self-leadership. Business Ethics Journal Review, 3 (1), 1-7.
Staeniewski, M., Slomski, W., & Awruk, K. (2015). Ethical aspects of entrepreneurship.Filosofija Sociologia, 26(1), 37-45.
Victoria, D. & Elena, L. (2013). Moral and ethical conceptions of entrepreneurs: Cross-cultural aspects. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences (86), 318-322.
