Ethics concepts and applications

Ethics

Social Responsibility and Ethics

Evaluate Company Q's current attitude toward social responsibility.

Company Q. has a negative attitude towards social responsibility. This is because it believes that there is the potential for fraud and losses. In this situation, the management feels they must proceed with caution. This is from a perception about these programs not producing any measurable results in comparison with their costs. Over the course of time, this will more than likely not make a difference. To prevent these outcomes, executives believe the best approach is to avoid these programs at all costs.

Recommend three actions that Company Q. could take to improve the company's attitude toward social responsibility.

Three actions that could improve the company's attitudes are to establish an exploratory committee, test certain programs and analyzing the impact it is having on everyone. An exploratory committee has the responsibility of looking at a program and how it changes attitudes for the better within the organization. This is achieved by working with various employees, community leaders, shareholders and corporate executives. The basic idea is to develop a program which can be effective over the long-term by taking into consideration the interests of stakeholders.

Testing certain programs occurs with the firm placing a small amount of its resources into it and monitoring the results. In this case, they can work with a nonprofit for a certain amount of time to determine the impacts it is having. The best way this can be achieved is to donate a percentage of food to the charity. However, there must be effective controls in place to prevent abuses and ensure added levels of transparency. Once this occurs, is the point the program can be objectively measured and address any issues from the upper management.

During the analysis two approaches will be utilized to understand the long-term impacts on stakeholders (i.e. Maslow's Theory of Needs and Hertzberg's Theory of Motivation). Maslow's Theory of needs is focusing deprivation and growth. Deprivation occurs at the lower ends of the spectrum under this model. The most notable include: psychological, social, esteem and self-actualization. Growth takes place when the basic needs are met and the individual wants to have something that will help them to be more fulfilled as a person. Addressing the most basic requirements (i.e. psychological) will lead to the individual wanting to have a sense of accomplishment in their lives. This is when they will do more to make the program more successful. ("Want to Motivate People," 2010)

Hertzberg's Theory of Motivation is concentrating on two areas to include: hygiene and motivation factors. Hygiene is the most basic level of motivating someone by addressing their basic requirements. While motivation, is seeking to have a greater sense of empowerment. This is similar to Maslow's theory by showing, how their basic needs must be met to have greater levels of empowerment. While at the same time, it is different from Maslow's concepts through having more levels to experience in order to have greater levels of fulfillment. ("Hertzberg's Theory of Motivation," 2010)