Ethical Issues in Management Ethical Issues in Management As a manager, being a role model is important to make fair and just decisions. Another key element in making the right decisions is instilling professionalism in self and in the organization. This study will show how becoming a role model as a manager is an attainable aspect by describing the current moral and ethical issues faced by most managers. The relationship between social issues and ethically responsible management is an additional practice in which managers must pursue.
With the help of training, leadership, and certain fair practices, managers can be respected and looked up to by their peers and employees. Ethical and Social Issues (2008) explains, when describing business, ethics is defined as, the ability to reflect on key values along with a company’s decision-making process, to decide how values and decisions affect the stakeholder groups, and to ascertain how managers can use these teachings in everyday organizational operations. Ethical business leaders make every effort for fairness and justice within the boundaries of sound management practices.
Using the process of ethical analysis, an individual will be given the ability to analyze a situation. With this process an individual can identify the stakeholders or employees, the decisions which can be reasonably taken, the consequences of the decision, and the facts. Additionally, the process allows an individual to define the dilemma or conflict, although, in most cases a dilemma possesses two opposed courses of action, which both burden meaningful values. According to Haynes (2001), they explain that another good way to promote ethics within an organization is to ensure each employee goes through the proper training.
Most managers and supervisors can accept comfort in the thought that most actions taken by an employee can be considered ethical by the public as long as it follows the standards set forth: “The Golden Rule: Act in a way you would want others to act toward you. The utilitarian principle: Act in a way in which results in the greatest good. Kant’s categorical imperative: Act in such a way that the action taken under the circumstances could be a universal law, or rule, of behavior. The professional ethic: Take actions that would be viewed as proper by a panel of professional peers.
The TV test: Always ask, “Would I feel comfortable explaining to a national TV audience why I took this action? ” The legal test: Ask whether the proposed action or decision is legal. Established laws are generally considered minimum standards for ethics. The four-way test: Ask whether you can answer “yes” to the following questions as they relate to the decision: Is the decision truthful? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? ” (p. 1) The words social responsibility can describe different things to many different people.
On most levels, corporate social responsibility is the right to take action in the protection and improvement of the welfare belonging to society as a whole along with organizational interests. The concept of corporate social responsibility rests within the manager to strive to attain both organizational and societal goals. Sethi (1975) states, that three management approaches to meeting social obligations exist. The first approach is the social obligation approach which considers business as possessing economic purposes and holds social responsibility mostly to conform to existing laws.
The second approach is the social responsibility approach which views business as possessing both societal and economic goals. The final approach is the social responsiveness approach which sees business as having both goals plus the obligation to look forward to upcoming social problems and to labor actively to prevent the problems’ appearance. A role model is an individual you look up to and have a high level of respect for. A manager as a role model should follow the phrase “leadership by example. ” An ethical dilemma arose when I was in the Marine Corps.
My roommate and best friend in the Marine Corps, worked in administration, like I did. He handled the SRB’s (Service Record Book), basically your life in the Marines in one big file. A Captain had just recently been divorced and when married, the pay is much higher. The Captain was supposed to have signed forms on his divorce so that his pay would be adjusted, otherwise, if signed months later his pay would have to be adjusted back to the date causing him to have basically no paychecks for a short time. My friend called to Captain to come in and have the papers signed and received no response for almost four weeks.
Finally, my friend decided to forge the Captain’s name to save him from getting a “no pay. ” The decision to forge a name wasn’t very ethical on my friend’s part, but his intentions were good. The Captain saw the papers a time later and filed charges against my friend for forgery. He was reduced a rank and was given “no pays” for two months. Unfortunately, I was the Legal NCO (non-Commissioned Officer) and had to witness the whole case. I honestly believe that the law or rule should be changed to read: Forgery is unlawful, unless used for good intent.
In the situation described above, my friend broke the law by forging his Captain’s name, but his intentions were good in wanting to be sure the Captain would not receive any “no pays. ” In my opinion the Captain acted unethically by punishing an individual when the individual was only looking out for the Captain’s best interest. They say that exceptions exist for every rule and I believe this case is one of those exceptions. In conclusion, a manager as a role model is very important when describing ethical management.
With everything mentioned above, the ability for a manager to be a role model they should take responsibility for creating situations in which individuals behave ethically. They should additionally lessen situations in which individuals may begin to behave unethically. A big step in keeping ethical behavior in an organization is eliminating factors, such as rewards or punishments, to minimize the need to perform unethically. A final key element to being a role model is leadership by example, meaning, do not ask anyone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself.
As long as managers follow these steps, then a professional organization can be simply attained. References: Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems (2008) Retrieved March 14, 2009 from http://www. emporia. edu/business/mft/is/chapter4_ethics. pdf Haynes, Thomas (2001) Social Responsibility and Organizational Ethics. Encyclopedia of Business. Retrieved March 14, 2009 from http://www. answers. com/topic/social-responsibility-and-organizational-ethics Sethi, S. P. (1975). “Dimensions of Corporate Social Performance: An Analytical Framework. California Management Review Spring: 58-64.
