Ethics Case

Ethics, Laws, Morals

In business, managers and leaders are faced with challenging decisions on a daily basis. The managers and leaders of a firm must make sure that they are basing their decisions on ethics, morals, and laws of both their firm and their personally beliefs. Ethics or being ethical is the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation; it is the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group. Ethics are important when making decisions in or for one's corporation because the outcomes of the decisions affect the shareholders and stakeholders. Being faced with an ethical situation as a leader can be difficult and if dealt with not in an ethical manner could have many repercussions.

Morals are a person's standards of behavior or beliefs' concerning what is and is not acceptable for them to do and relates to principles of right and wrong behavior. Morals are usually engrained into someone at a young age and are a consequence of how one is raised. Although, some morals are taught by the organization for which an individual is employed, based upon culture and codes of conduct. There are many situations in business that require a manager or leader to make a decision that is of good moral character. Many times a manager is presented with a situation that people are not aware of but requires them to do the right thing. Also, managers and leaders at higher levels are often faced with tempting situations that would not be in the best interest if the firm but of themselves. Due to these challenges, it is very important for a manager or leader to have a solid foundation of morals for which the guide their choices. A corporation can feel more at ease with leaving their business in the hands of someone with good moral character then with someone whose character is in question.

There are numerous morals and values that individuals as well corporations put emphasis on. Two important morals for one to always consider when conducting business are honesty and respect. "Honesty is an essential part of integrity...honesty is something that both consumers and employees value in a company and in management" (Husein, F.K. 2013). Honesty helps during right vs right and right vs wrong decisions by helping make choices based on correct information. Honesty is important because in order to have trust from employees and from consumers they must know that the leaders of the organization are providing all information that is true and nothing is being withheld. Respect is another moral value that is vital when conducting business. "Respect has great importance in everyday life. As a child one is taught to respect parents, teachers, and elders, school rules and traffic laws, family and cultural traditions, other people's feelings and rights, our country's flag and leaders, the truth and people's differing opinions. One develops great respect for people they consider exemplary and lose respect for those they discover to be clay-footed, and so they may try to respect only those who are truly worthy of our respect" (www.plato.stanford.edu, 2010). Respect is important when making right vs right and right vs wrong decisions because the individuals involved must believe that all decisions are based on respect for each other. In order for employees and customers to follow a leader or company they must demand respect. The employees must have respect for the leader to have a great relationship and understanding. As well, consumers must respect both management and the cooperation to continue growth and success for the firm.

Laws are a system of rules that a particular country, community, or organization recognizes as regulating the actions of its members and may enforce by the imposition of penalties. Laws help a leader by governing certain aspects of business where ethical or moral issues may play a role. Laws take away the ability for a person to make a decision not favorably, unless they choose the deliberately break the law.

Influences

There are many different influences that affect a leader's ability to lead and manage in the position. Some influences are personal, some from the organization, while some are national and global influences. Some personal influences may include relationships in the work place. This is very common in organizations and is why many companies have policies against management fraternizing with their subordinates. Organizational influences that could affect a managers decision making could be employee cut backs or shortages. Having staffing influences will always impose on a manager's judgments as they must consider