Redefining ethics and management in organizational decision-making

Business Ethics

Josep M. Lozano conducted a research using analysis of several studies on the topic of Business Ethics with a view to examine the controversial issue relating to ethics and management. In his study, the researcher demonstrates the need to redefine ethics in general in order to promote a closer link between ethics, especially business ethics and the various decision-making processes. The study was carried out as part of a wider research project that seeks to assess how ethical standards are connected with theories of management and organization. In order to accomplish the goals of the study, the researcher proposes reevaluation of management based on the cultural changes occurring and maintains that organizational management is a major factor in this cultural change.

Main Topic/Question and Author's Intended Audience

Through analysis of several studies related to the subject of Business Ethics, the article is based on two major topics or issues. One of the topics is emphasis that management should be reassessed based on cultural changes that are taking place despite the effect of management in this change. In this case, the researcher considers management as a major factor in understanding cultural change, which necessitates reshaping the organizational model and redefining management models or techniques. Secondly, the researcher suggests redefining ethics in order to promote a closer connection between ethics and decision-making procedures given that there is need for ethics to be understood as something that means more than the application of some values. The need to redefine ethics to promote closer relationship with management is driven by the fact that existing management and organizational models are associated with various limitations and consequences (Lozano, 1996, p.233). The limitations and consequences of existing models seem to prevent the establishment of closer relationships between ethics and management.

The author seems to be addressing business executives and management scholars because of his emphasis on different approaches and paradigms as well as the framework of ethics. The research study seems to address these executives and management scholars because they are in position to implement changes in the reexamine and redefine these concepts with a view of promoting a closer link between ethics and management. It's only management scholars and business executives who can make changes in approaches and paradigms in Business Ethics.

Article Critique

Generally, ethics and management is an issue that has attracted various controversies and has been the subject of several studies. Even though ethics is an important part of management itself, the author seems to suggest that the lack of closer relationship between the two concepts is only caused by their definitions. The article largely ignores other factors that contribute to the lack of closer relationship between the two concepts. In essence, the researcher has failed to identify every ethically-relevant issue and explicitly deal with them in relation to organizational management. In essence, the author does not address the various problems, especially organizational problems and those associated with management schools that make ethics and management to be a controversial issue. The assumption that changing the definitions of ethics and reevaluating management will help in developing close links between them is inadequate since the problem is multi-faceted in nature and requires interdisciplinary approaches.