Value and Ethics of an Organization Essay

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Introduction

It has been observed in the twentieth century that the ability to recognize and deal with complex ethical issues has become a major priority for many companies (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell 2008). This need arose in light of several recent well publicized scandals that resulted in public outrage owing to fraud, demand for greater business ethics and greater corporate responsibility.

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The publicity and debate that surrounded scandals of well known corporate entities such as Enron has seen significant changes made to legislation demanding greater accountability (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell 2008).

According to Weiss the main reason for this increased emphasis on business ethics stems from the fact that businesses compete with other stakeholders in an environment characterized by changing technological, legal, economic, social and political environment (2009).

A good example of ethical dilemmas caused by changes in technology is the issue associated with file sharing. Though it is reported some artists are not opposed to the practice it has been observed that others stakeholders such as recording companies and songwriters strongly oppose the practice (Weiss 2009).

Based on these issues it becomes clear to see that a set of sound ethical practices is important within every organization. Due to this fact the current trend in organizations is characterized by a move from compliance based ethical initiatives to building a cultural based approach to ethics within an organization (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell 2008). This reports aims at observing the ethical culture within an organization with the goal of determining whether such culture can provide adequate safe guards and improve productivity.

Personal Ethical Values

In many companies there is a misconception that if the organization hires individuals with strong ethical values then the organization can be viewed as a good citizen or organization (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell 2008). This perception has been found to be wrong given that it is also important to recognize the difference between legal and ethical decisions. For this reason hiring individuals with strong personal values alone would not be adequate for an organization based on the nature of business ethics dilemmas.

However, strong personal values do have a major role to play with regards to individual performance within the organization and as such also deserve consideration. In understanding which personal values are crucial to an individual, it is important to consider what ethical values the individual privileges (Hartman & Stefkovich 2005).

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The personal ethical values the individual will prefer will normally be the result of critical incidents that helped to shape an individual’s ethical perspective. In addition to that, personal values are also shaped by the moral inclinations that an individual has built and associated with over a period of time (Hartman & Stefkovich 2005). It is important to keep in mind that these personal values can change over time based on the prevailing environment and the individual in question.

That being said as a future manager the first personal value that I hold very dear requires that an individual treat others as they would like to be treated. As a future manager it is important to learn early how to foster harmony and I feel that this value plays a crucial role in harmonizing individuals. In addition to this I feel it is important to deal honestly with others.

This point builds on the first one as it can be assumed that everyone would like to be dealt with honestly. I also feel that it is important to take care of physical well being. It has been said that health is wealth and based on this I believe avoidance of excesses that may damage health is crucial.

As an individual I also believe it is crucial to be loyal to friends and family. This is due to the fact that this group offers support and advice. For this reason their loyalty is important as it assures the best possible feedback. Just as work is important I also believe that spiritual growth is important and should be nurtured. This is based on my upbringing which helped shaped my perception. Another of my personal values requires that I should train myself to be content with my achievements so as not to envy others.

Whether at work or at home it is important to remember that society is made up of people with different capacities. Due to this some individuals may be financially endowed while others are much less financially endowed. If left unchecked envy can play a major role in damaging important relationships and for that reason I believe contentment is very important.

Organizational Ethical Values

It is reported that clear strategy paired with strong managerial skills that constantly deliver strong values is key to making business successful (Belanger 2009). For this reason this section will focus on the analysis of an organization that constantly attempts to apply and sustain strong values.

It has been reported that Google has made efforts to create a workplace where employees can say they are proud to be part of the team (Belanger 2009). The organization has achieved this by offering flexible and sustainable opportunities that enhance continuous growth.

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Within the organization it was established that there was need to identify what triggers employees to make them become productive (Belanger 2009). To achieve this, the organization undertook to clarify business goals and objectives to the staff. In addition to this the organization allows employees an opportunity to provide feedback on what motivated them. With this feedback the organization has developed a clear pathway to employee goals that has resulted in the generation of energy and passion among employees.

In addition to the above point, the organization has also made efforts to implement work group direction that is essential in fostering strong cooperation (Belanger 2009). This was done because it has been observed that understanding an employee strengths and weaknesses will help in correctly placing the employee within a team environment.

When employees exercise their greatest skills within a team environment, the employee is likely to offer support and structural ability in all directions. Through this the organization has ensured that the employee will contribute to success in group challenges and also offer help, support and clear objectives to everyone involved (Belanger 2009).

The organization also made a decision to keep employees informed of any decisions and changes that affect the business direction. As a result of this it has been reported that the employees have made efforts to invest further in talent and dedication with regard to work (Belanger 2009). This is in keeping with the observation that when employees feel that they are an essential part of an organization they invest themselves more completely in its success.

The organization has also allowed employees to display their creativity in completion of their daily workload. It has been observed that though employees are all expected to comply with workload requirements there is no harm in exercising diversity in the work process (Belanger 2009).

Diversity can be exercised within numerous ways so long as the boundaries and limits are clearly defined. This approach is effective in that it can ensure an employee is constantly energized and can make their daily experience prosperous and meaningful (Belanger 2009). This approach has ensured that the organization has maintained a productive and contented work force that helps it achieve its goals.

In addition to the above strategies the organization has also made efforts to build compatible teams within. This has been achieved by ensuring that teams are only made up of individuals willing to invest themselves completely.

This is essential given that it has been observed that incompatible teams often foster diminished drive, enthusiasm, happiness and energy (Belanger 2009). Incompatible team members are likely to make efforts to bring down success of others and discredit all efforts for employee happiness and employee productivity.

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To achieve the construction and maintenance of sustainable teams the organization has established a clear set of policies. It is important to have clear policies in place to reduce employee turnover due to discontent (Belanger 2009). With a clear policy in place the organization has been able to discover endless possibilities, personal success and positive attitude among the staff (Belanger 2009).

It has been reported that the lack of a clear set of policies can easily cause dissent within an organization due to the toleration of errant non compliant staff. The organization has effectively used its policy to attract and maintain the desired staff.

Google Corporate Social Responsibility

The organization has taken great steps in terms of attempts to meet its social objectives as can be observed in the efforts taken to ensure its employees are well catered for (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell 2008). In an effort to ensure that employee satisfaction and retention is high the organization has undertaken spending significant sums on ensuring staff are comfortable. This includes provision of bicycles to the staff to help them commute between meetings.

In addition to that the company provides staff with lava lamps, massage chairs and shared work cubicles for easier idea generation and staff interaction (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell 2008). Though it is often the case that when an organization has a strong ethical background employee needs are neglected the organization has gone a step further to ensure its employees needs are also considered.

In addition to consideration of employees needs the organization has also made significant efforts in satisfying the customer and social needs. In an attempt to celebrate the use of the Google Earth product the organization has undertaken to assist the users by producing documentaries of their work on their behalf (Sweetow 2011). An example of this was seen in the production of a documentary that highlights how Google Earth has been used to track movement of elephants in the wild (Sweetow 2011).

In this undertaking the company crew recorded interviews with the director of the Save the elephants group allowing an opportunity to explain the link between Google Earth and the organization’s remote tracking system. The documentary has been useful to provide a global audience to the plight of the African elephant due to poaching and the organization’s efforts to curb poaching. Other useful social documenting projects within the organization include video tutorials used to orientate new recruits at the company offices (Sweetow 2011).

In recent times there has been increased debate on the role of harmful emissions into the atmosphere. In response to this need the organization has undertaken significant efforts to meet its social responsibilities as a corporate entity (Wirtenberg, Russell & Lipsky 2009). In line with this the company has undertaken to convert its fleet of hybrid vehicles to plug in vehicles. In addition to that the company is using vehicle to grid technology on its premises and funding research in this area.

From this it is possible to see that the organization is making efforts to meet its social goals. The organization has also installed a 1.6 MW solar installation on its premises to reduce reliance on power from non renewable sources (Wirtenberg, Russell & Lipsky 2009). In addition to these efforts the organization has also undertaken to invest 1% of total equity (about $148 billion) and 1% of total profit into initiatives that plan to produce cleaner energy by 2030 (Clark 2010).

Being a market leader and monopolist in the search engine advertising industry the organization the organization takes a lot of input into communication of its actions as being well thought out and ethical (Nehls 2011). This is seen in the detailed code of conduct that is used within the company to help regulate staff. As it has been mentioned earlier this well thought out strategy has made its staff feel at home and become extremely productive (Belanger 2009).

The organization in keeping with its ethical objectives had for a long time censored material from China due to the implications such material may have on its users. This decision is indicative of the organizational approach to ethics given the size of the Chinese market and the relationship between the US and China. With reference to this issue a consensus was reached in 2010 ending the censorship and bringing the Chinese market on board (Winston & Edelbach 2007).

However, the organization does have some ethical issues still left unattended owing to the increased use of products such a Google Earth (Carter, Klegg, Kornberger & Schweitzer 2011). The Google Earth product has gained popularity rapidly despite of privacy implications associated with the product.

Conclusion

In the beginning of this report it was suggested that a change of organization ethics from a compliance based approach to a cultural based approach can improve organizational productivity and increase safeguards to society. This observation was made due to the fact that it is appearing that enlisting the services of good staff alone is not adequate for an organization’s ethical agenda.

It was established that although personal values of staff are essential to an organization it is important to have a clear cut approach to ethics to ensure the organization is better suited to meet social needs. In line with this it was observed that Google with a clear cut ethical policy had managed to improve organizational and employee performance. Based on this therefore it is possible to conclude that for the future clear cut policies are likely to be better for organizations that aim to solve ethical issues in the long term.

References

Belanger, A. (2009). The Million Dollar you Handbook. Quebec: Innovation in Workplace Management.

Carter, C., Clegg, S. R., Kornberger, M., & Schweitzer, J. (2011). Strategy: Theory and Practice. London: Sage Publications Ltd.

Clark, W. W. (2010). Sustainable communities. New York: Springer Science+Busines Media Inc.

Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J., & Ferrell, L. (2008). Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Hartman, W. T., Stefkovich, J. A. (2005). Ethics for school business officials. Maryland: The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group Inc.

Nehls, E. F. (2011). A business analysis project on Google Inc.: A market leader running into mischief? Norderstedt: GRIN Verlag.

Sweetow, S. (2011). Corporate video production: beyond the board room (and out of the bored room). Oxford: Elsevier Inc.

Weiss, J. W. (2009). Business Ethics: A stakeholder and issues management approach. Mason: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Winston, M., & Edelbach, R. (2007). Society, Ethics and Technology. Boston: Wadsworth.

Wirtenberg, J., Russell, W. G., & Lipsky, D. (2009). The sustainable enterprise field book: when it all comes together. New York: Amacom Books.

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IvyPanda. (2019, November 26). Value and Ethics of an Organization. https://ivypanda.com/essays/value-and-ethics-of-an-organization/

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IvyPanda. (2019) 'Value and Ethics of an Organization'. 26 November.

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IvyPanda. 2019. "Value and Ethics of an Organization." November 26, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/value-and-ethics-of-an-organization/.

1. IvyPanda. "Value and Ethics of an Organization." November 26, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/value-and-ethics-of-an-organization/.


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IvyPanda. "Value and Ethics of an Organization." November 26, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/value-and-ethics-of-an-organization/.

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