Business ethics Use in conjunction with the Primark brief case

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Business ethicsUse in conjunction with the
Primark brief case

• THE TIMES 100

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Ethics

• Ethics are concerned with what is right or
  morally correct.
• Business ethics are concerned with the conduct,
  principles and patterns of behaviour in business
  dealings that involve doing the right thing

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Ethical behaviour

• Examples of ethical behaviour include
• Not using child labour
• Not testing on animals
• Respecting the human rights of workers
• Ensuring working hours are not excessive
• Keeping pollution to a minimum

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The problem with ethics

• What is considered to be acceptable for one
  person may be considered morally wrong for
  another.

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Ethical behaviour in practice

• Find examples of how Primark behaves ethically

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Corporate social responsibility

• Corporate social responsibility is concerned with
  the responsibilities firms have to all
  stakeholders including the local community, wider
  society and the environment.

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Benefits of ethical behaviour

• Improved reputation and confidence
• Less chance of unfavourable media coverage
• Increased ability to attract more customers,
  workers and investors
• Increased employee motivation
• Can be used as a Unique Selling Point in some
  markets

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Why take an ethical approach?

• How does Primarks socially responsible approach
  benefit the business?

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Costs of ethical behaviour

• Higher labour, operations or material costs
• The costs of training and ethical auditing
• Turning away business from firms that are
  considered to be unethical
• Changes to the culture of the organisation

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The costs of ethical behaviour

• What are the costs to Primark of behaving in an
  ethical manner?

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Motives for ethical behaviour

• Firms may behave in an ethical manner for two
  main reasons
• To reflect the ethical views and values of the
  firm and its directions
• As a public relations exercise to improve the
  reputation of the organisation

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Links to resources

• Ethics lesson suggestions and activities
• Primark case study
• Primark website