Introduction
Modern business operations are characterized by a number of factors, among them radical development, creativity and innovation. This is because of intensive competition in the markets. Every businessperson or organization aims at the best plans and formulas that will keep them in pace in business as none of them is ready to lose. Businesspersons are therefore, obligated to adjust themselves and their operations to remain relevant in the market. Some of these adjustments are measures taken by operators to deal with rising externalities in the business operations. One of the major factors that affect business operations is the concept of religion and ethics.
Discussion
Religion and ethical issues are intrinsic and inevitable in our social lives. Every person has an informed religious life to which he or she conforms. Earlier scholars like Stuart believed religion is a necessary component of a normal human being. Every sound person in the society must conform to some identified religious believes. It is also believed that the concept of religion is what gives people the pessimistic views in their lives. To others it has appeared to be a cult, far much beyond normal belief that is rooted in individuals to which their outlined practices must be followed even at the point of death.
The similar situation with religion equally exists in ethics. Ethics encompasses practices and beliefs in our society such as customs. Every society has its own distinct ethical issues that outline their daily practices. People assume that ethics only appear to outdated traditional practices of individuals, which in actual sense is not. There are modern ethical practices, such as stylish youthful practices and the popular date culture. All these issues affect business operations (Tittle 17).
Religion prescribes what we should and what we should not do in the context of keeping our faith. Therefore, certain businesses practices that go against proscribed religious beliefs are occasionally rendered undoable. For instance, every religious group has its own day of worship. People, therefore, tend to adhere themselves with such practices such that all business will remain closed on particular days of worship. Even if the business operations were on the peak, the business would be closed with no business being attended to that particular worship day. On the other hand, the youth culture characterized by massive spending and stylish living also affects business in particular ways. This research topic, therefore, aims to explain the relationship between religion and ethics and business operations and how ethics and region affect modern businesses (Trevino & Gary 89).
There is a direct link of relevance between ethics and business practices. Business ethics is the accepted business practices while social ethics is the intruding social behaviors and practices that, affect business operations. These are the externalities in business and must be dealt with accordingly before they bring down the business by halting operations.
A good business programs should provide the moral terms for the international operations. These moral terms should include the moral ways and measures of dealing with external social behavior that affects the business operation. In his words, a moral challenge only requires a normal solution since even the moral externalities are part of the operations. Therefore, the best way the business management can deal with these social and cultural practices is to give them a solution that does not scare off the society, being the immediate business market. For example, if the customers of the surrounding business are against a business line, the business has no obligation of furthering their production or can move their production to an accommodating culture (Tittle 123).
Ethical behavior and religion have adverse effects on the accounts of business operation and management. This is also proved by research on ethical decision-making and behavior in organizations that are unstoppable in the business arena. It is equally not achievable to provide people with the right moral principles and theoretical assumptions to follow and expect a united moral behavior at the end of it. This is because people are brought up differently and individuals in an organization hold different philosophical and religious beliefs.
An institution with both Christian and Islamic composition as its workers or staff cannot make universal guidelines on religious conducts since it is almost obvious that every individual will only adhere to a part of the regulation that conforms to his religious beliefs. For example, consider an individual with religious commitment alongside normal daily occupational routine. Although it is common to assume that the religion influences his business and ethical behavior, empirical support provides that his religious stand can be contrary to the business ethics (Trevino & Gary 27).
The relationship between religion and business is antagonistic at times. According to Nicholas (12), the main purpose of running a business is to make profit rather than to create good relations with the customer and other persons involved in the business. Businesspersons will even prefer making abnormal profits at the expense of customer and buyers of their products. This is because profits sustain the business and that decreasing marginal profits are not good for business and, therefore, should be eliminated at all cost (Nicholas 12).
Every business has its own code of ethics, whether written in formal documents or not. Most businesses will pre-determine their code of ethics so that all employees are aware of the terms before they are engaged. However, custom practices are very important points of consideration since it controls bit business success. The only way a business can succeed is by accommodating some of the ethical issues from outside the business that affects its operations. A business is a societal affair where everyone is only required to plan his or her part but in accordance to certain outlined code of conduct. The best that business management can do is to give an outline of what is required and then allow from adjustments of individuals and employees to suit the codes (Ferrell, John & Linda 32).
Social factors also have an effect on business operations, as is witnessed in the management of small businesses. Ethics and social factors affect businesses more than financial constraints. This is so because normally, it is impossible for business owners to separate their private property from their business assets. People take business properties and use them for social functions that are not even payable back to the business leading to losses. Therefore, businesses should distinguish between business functions and social functions so that there is no overlap of functionalities (Moore & Justin 24).
International business, unlike regional business is directly exposed to the issues of religion and ethics. Therefore, most business operating outside the geographical borders of their countries’, must formulate ways of dealing with the change of cultural and social practices it is going to experience. This is because culture affects taste and preference of individuals. There are goods that very not consumed in certain regions since the customers of the accommodating society oppose them. This is has been the cause of businesses rebranding their products so as to suite the taste of different culture and religious groups. Religion also affects the choice of a good to be used; therefore, certain goods are an unacceptable within a certain religion (Aswathappa 56).
Conclusion
Work cited
Aswathappa, K. International Business. New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill Education, 2008. Print.
Capaldi, Nicholas. Business and Religion: A Clash of Civilizations? Salem, MA: M & M Scrivener, 2005. Internet resource.
Ferrell, O C, John Fraedrich, and Linda Ferrell. Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases : 2009 Update. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.
Moore, Carlos W, and Justin G. Longenecker. Managing Small Business: An Entrepreneurial Emphasis. Australia: South-Western/Cengage Learning, 2008. Print.
Tittle, Peg. Ethical Issues in Business: Inquiries, Cases, and Readings. Peterborough, Ont: Broadview Press, 2000. Print.
Trevino, Linda K, and Gary R. Weaver. Managing Ethics in Business Organizations: Social Scientific Perspectives. Stanford, Calif: Stanford Business Books, 2003. Print.
