According to Gilber, D. and Rasche, A. (2012), the United National Global Compact which is Global Public Policy network advocating to universal principles in the areas of human rights, labor standards, environmental protection and anticorruption has turned into the world’s largest corporate responsibility initiative. The United Nations Global compact is now in year 11 with over 8,600 businesses and non business participants in over 130 countries (p. 100).
The United Nations Global compact works by encouraging a critical mass of stakeholders, voluntarily to adopt this charter so that these socially responsible principles eventually become a mainstream practice versus regulating businesses. Organizations have a strong role in this national culture environment. They have control over management incentive systems features, board structures and internal control systems that clearly guide employee behavior.
The most significant organizational tools are mission and values statements, ethics training programs, and confidential processes for whistle-blowing. Also, I will briefly be discussing the three myths the eclipse of etiquette over ethics, how tolerance can handle all problems, and how business exists to maximize profits. There are several organizational tools for a company to utilize to help dispel the three beliefs and support the United Nations Global Compact Principles. Every company should use organizational tools in place so there will be no questions.
The remainder of my paper will be discussing these three organizational tools, and how they can help a company dispel the three beliefs and support the United Nations Global Compact Principles. Mission and value statements help define the company’s vision. A solid mission statement that contains ethical beliefs should be the common denominator when establishing a company. Having an establish mission and value statement will help diminish the myth about tolerance can handle all problems.
This myth states that there are no universal values since cultural pluralism is an observed fact. This statement will override this particular myth because the company’s value will actually be clear to everyone with no questions. This will help the managers from deciding to tolerate all problems about values within the company. Ethics training programs are tremendously important for a solid ethic based company. Every company must have a training program in place that specifically teaches everyone the expectations of them ethically without questions.
This will help eliminate the myth that all businesses exists to maximize profit. This myth appears to think that profit can be made at all cost while neglecting to consider the ethical role of the organization to pursue the common good for all involved (p. 35). An example of this myth is ethical argument that they are only operating in the child’s best interest: If not for child labor, they say, many of these children and their families would starve or be forced into prostitution.
Sometimes, companies used this same myth for employees instead of establishing a solid ethics training program for everyone to follow from top to bottom positions. According to Kusyk (2010), this myth believes that doing business ethically means seeking those solutions that create a positive experience of social interdependence and enable people to learn from one another, thus giving rise to an understanding of a “good life” that is compatible with the absence of exploitative child labor as an example (p. 36).
Confidential processes for whistleblowers are vital for all employees to be protected from others when reporting unethical wrongdoings among the company grounds. This process will help the disappearance of the eclipse of etiquette over ethics. This myth states that proper etiquette may equip business people with skills that will best represent themselves and the company for which they work, but it does not define anyone’s moral value system of right and wrong (although it may reflect underlying value systems of what is considered good and bad) (p. 33).
An example used for this myth was bribery. Bribery can be used as a weapon for whistleblowers because they can get bribed into not telling the truth against a person. They company can bribe them into losing their jobs, extra income, or vacation days. This type of treatment can be avoided through a confidential whistleblower program. According to Kusyk (2010), “however, business ethics is based on the principles that guide the right or good conduct governing business people and organizations. ” Therefore, the company must establish a1-800 hotline and the person can remain anonymous.
Also, could establish a box for whistleblowers to drop clues or the entire unethical situation for protection from other employees. As Cramer stated in 2005, “linking human rights and business is strong. Locations where human rights are protected often also provide stable operating environments and rule of law, both of which are necessary for business (p. 38). ” Lastly, every employee will have an opportunity to report someone in several ways without being identified. In this paper, I talked about the important elements of applying ethics.
I have discussed three most significant organizational tools. I have talked about the mission and values statements, ethics training programs, and confidential processes for whistle-blowing. Also, I discussed the discussing the three myths the eclipse of etiquette over ethics, how tolerance can handle all problems, and how business exists to maximize profits. Lastly, I conversed about the three organizational tools and how they can help a company dispel the three beliefs and support the United Nations Global Compact Principles.
