Comparative Business Ethics & Social Responsibility

Introduction

The main theme and motive of the study are to discuss comparative business ethics as well as social responsibility. There are different elaborations in the study that are attached to the personal and business ethics of the organization. There are also different types of discussions that are related to contrast to diverse approaches, which is much required for ethical decision making.

Week 7

Question Two

“What is a white-collar crime and why has it become such a widespread problem?”

It can be noted that white-collar crime has become one of the problems in the country for the last few years. There are some persons who believe that organizational culture does not have a great sense of responsibility and control over the employees in the modern world. There are also similar crimes done by the white-collar men, which tend to get transpired through different intricate networks. It sometimes becomes very difficult for the organizations for deciphering and decoding the reasons as well as the main measures for mitigating the problems. On the other hand, it is noted that it has become a widespread problem because these are normally committed by persons who are much respectable and they have secured a high status in society (Mboga and Amin, 2019, pp.84). They are the recognized individuals in their respective social groups. The white-collar crimes are much financial and they are also non-violent. These problems are regarding bribes, missing of the organizational financial status and fund, and also taking money for personal gains. These are mostly seen in the government sector in developing countries and that is why common people have already started distrusting government officials and the whole system (Doh et al. 2016, pp.301-315). On the other hand, they are also very powerful people in society and have higher personal connections.

 

Week 8

Question Three

“How do societal expectations affect corporations and their ethical initiatives? Give an example of a company that had to alter a product or service because society was concerned about its health, moral, or social impact”

It can be observed that societal expectations affect corporations and also their ethical initiatives, which is also currently happening in the modern era of globalization. These expectations are based on the platform of corporate social responsibility, where the organizations have also some responsibilities which are much ethical as well as moral apart for earning profits. Apart from the earning profits, there are also some important formulations and rules that should be maintained by the organizations, which they cannot meet in all the time (Poór et al. 2018, pp.23-33). While returning the money to the investors at the end of the financial year, there are also few money profits left for the small organizations, which cannot be able to meet the social demand at that scenario.

Different companies have manufactured and altered the products or services and concerns about the health, moral and social impacts. Medtronic has recently built diverse equipment and medical or surgical instruments those will be used for society. Cardiac products like Ablation products, Blood management, and diagnostic products as well as cannulae are important products that are manufactured only for societal concerns (Colombo et al. 2019, pp.445-462). The products are also much important for maintaining good health as well as social impact.

Week 9

Question Two

“What are the major features of a successful ethics training program and communication systems? Provide at least with 1 (one) example of a company with strong employee ethics training”

There are some of the major features in a successful ethics training program that includes teaching and enabling of the staffs for tackling any kind of ethical issues. The proper training with the correct phase of education and giving practical learning and skills to the employees are the major features of the successful ethics training program. Johnson and Johnson have recently inaugurated different phases of strong employee ethics training, where they have accumulated all kinds of employees of the varied and distinctive field of studies. The innovation is achieved with the help of re-invention that also should be acquired with the help of sustainable methods and diverse innovative methods (Jain and Jamali, 2017, pp.71-90). The forward-thinking strategies are also very important, which was included within the strong employee ethics training of Johnson and Johnson.

Week 10

Question Three

“Describe the six-step process of conducting an ethics audit in detail”

There are important steps and procedures for conducting the ethics audit those are described below

Step 1: Requesting for the financial audit is one of the first stages for conducting the ethics audit where the financial document is taken from the higher authority. 

Step 2: Preparation of the audit plan is the next stage, where the internal and external auditors are engaged

Step 3: The scheduling of the open meeting is the next stage, where all the ethics audit will be discussed accordingly

Step 4: Conducting of the onsite fieldwork is the fourth stage of conducting the ethics audit process

Step 5: Drafting of the report is the fifth stage  (Maon et al. 2017, pp.405-422)

Step 6: Closure of the meeting is the sixth stage of the whole process, where ethics audit valuations are done accordingly.

Week 11

Question Two

“How can differences in two countries' cultures create ethical issues in business? Provide at least with 1 (one) example to support your answers”

Ethical issues can be created in the business due to the differences between the two countries because each of the countries has different societal knowledge and applications. They try to establish different types of policies and phenomenon regarding the process of business ethics. There are some countries where child labour is acceptable and there are also some countries where child labor is a punishable offense (Paik et al. 2019, pp.839-855). For example, China and the USA are creating conflicts regarding business ethics in business and also in setting up manufacturing plants.

 

Conclusion

It can be concluded that implications of the legal pressure and moral philosophies have been explained and there are also different types of values that ensures the group ethical decision making criterions in the business. There are also different types of enhanced problem-solving skills, where ethical dilemmas are managed within the same organization.

 

References

Colombo, S., Guerci, M. and Miandar, T., 2019. What Do Unions and Employers Negotiate Under the Umbrella of Corporate Social Responsibility? Comparative Evidence from the Italian Metal and Chemical Industries. Journal of Business Ethics, 155(2), pp.445-462.

Doh, J., Husted, B.W. and Yang, X., 2016. Guest editors’ introduction: Ethics, corporate social responsibility, and developing country multinationals. Business Ethics Quarterly, 26(3), pp.301-315.

Jain, T. and Jamali, D., 2017. Strategic approaches to corporate social responsibility: A comparative study of India and the Arab world. In Development-Oriented Corporate Social Responsibility: Volume 2 (pp. 71-90). Routledge.

Maon, F., Swaen, V. and Lindgreen, A., 2017. One vision, different paths: An investigation of corporate social responsibility initiatives in Europe. Journal of Business Ethics, 143(2), pp.405-422.

Mboga, J. and Amin, M.R., 2019. Ethics in Small Businesses: A Review of Comparative Literature. International Review of Business & Applied Sciences, p.84.

Paik, Y., Lee, J.M. and Pak, Y.S., 2019. Convergence in international business ethics? A comparative study of ethical philosophies, thinking style, and ethical decision-making between US and Korean managers. Journal of Business Ethics, 156(3), pp.839-855.

Poór, J., Abdulkerim, Y., Ahmet, B. and Kollár, P., 2018. Comparative Business Ethics–Idealism and Relativism in Light of Empirical Researches in Eight CEE Countries, Finland, and Turkey. International Journal of Management Science and Business Administration, 4(5), pp.23-33.