Ethics and Social Responsibility

1
Ethics and Social Responsibility

• pp. 461-476

2
Ethics

• The moral principles and values that govern
  actions decisions by individuals groups.
• Doing what is right. Respecting
• - colleagues.
• - integrity of the product/service.
• - integrity of communication.
• Laws are societys values standards that are
  enforceable in courts.
• Unethical vs. illegal (Fig. 4-1).

3
Determinants of Ethical BehaviorFig. 4-2

• Society sets the general ethical values of a
  culture and sub-cultures.
• Business culture practices set the boundaries
  between competitive unethical behavior.
• Codes vs. actual behavior.
• Personal morals ethical beliefs may or may not
  be related to religious beliefs.

4
Business Espionage

• The clandestine collection of trade secrets or
  proprietary information about a companys
  competitors.
• Both unethical illegal.

5
Codes of Ethics

• Formal statements of ethical principles and rules
  of conduct.
• AMA Fig. 4-3 (pp. 409-410).

6
Two Views of Ethics

• Moral idealism certain values are universal.
• Utilitarianism greatest good for the greatest
  number benefits exceed costs.

7
Social Responsibility

• Responsibility of the organization as part of the
  larger society.
• Profit responsibility.
• Stakeholder responsibility.
• Social responsibility
• - Public interest groups
• - Public image
• - Doing good frequently good for
  business
• ex. Green marketing buildings.

8
Sustainable Development

• Conducting business in a way that protects the
  natural environment.
• Has sustainable simply become a public relation
  term for many companies.
• Other Trends
• Carbon Off-sets.
• Fair Trade.