Ethics are "an individual's personal beliefs about whether a behavior, action, or decision is right or wrong" (Griffin, 2010). Is everyone considered a manager? Why, or why not?
The traditional functions of management include planning, organizing, staffing, and directing. All of these involve certain ethical considerations which will reflect both the individual's personal beliefs as well as the belief systems of the organization. Ethics is more than a gut instinct or a general sense of morality While moral inclinations arise as a result of custom and general, personal upbringing, ethical decisions involve making a decision in accordance with a belief system that assumes a certain degree of consistency.
In this sense, being a 'manager' is a very specific 'hat' to wear. No one is a manger all of the time. When at home, all of us make decisions that are inconsistent on occasion. We may insist that our dog does not beg at the table, and then slip him or her some scraps on Thanksgiving day out of guilt, for example. But when wearing a formal, organizational role whether that is arbitrating a dispute at work or even acting as a mediator between friends, there is an assumption that the belief system adhere to a certain code. One of the most frequently-leveled criticisms against 'bad'...
Utilitarian ethics prioritize results over adhering to general moral principles and stress that outcomes should be the 'best for the greatest number of persons' while deontological ethics stress adherence to a specific ethical code (Alexander & Moore 2008). Workplace ethical guidelines usually relate to matters regarding sexual harassment, equal opportunity employment, and what is fair considering pay and promotions. Workplace ethics have greater specificity than abstract philosophical ethics. Managers are not necessarily philosophers, but they are actors who must be motivated by concerns larger than self-interest -- for the organization's sake, and in some understandings of the role, for society's sake.
Q2. Managerial ethics: There is a great deal of pressure on CEOs in recent years to use moral criteria in making decisions. Some observers are concerned that too much emphasis on ethics will lead to less aggressive and competitive behavior, which may adversely affect profitability.
Do you agree or disagree?
The classic understanding of ethics in relationship to firm activities was that firms had…
