We have explored the various ways that ethical decisions are experienced, mediated, and managed in the contemporary workplace. A number of different policies and procedures are employed to attempt to manage ethical behaviour within organizations today. Given the expansive nature of management in contemporary society, business ethics places demands not only on our behaviour as employees and managers, but also more broadly as consumers and citizens. These demands play an important role in creating the basis of moral selfhood, helping to shape people’s motivations and actions.
For this assignment, we ask you to write a 2,000 word essay. Using the theories and concepts covered on the module, please analyse how one of the following ethical phenomena shapes the ethical behaviour and experience of those involved:
1. Whistle blowing
2. Policies on discrimination based on race, gender, or sexuality
3. Ethics codes
4. Consumer activism
How does the phenomenon shape ethical behaviour? What demands does it make of us as moral actors? You are encouraged to refer to concrete real-life examples (reported in the media or through publically available company documents or government reports) to illustrate your argument. It must rely on and refer to at least four relevant academic sources listed in the Reading List for the module.
Reading List:
Bakan, J. (2004) The Corporation London, Constable: Chapter 1
Friedman, M (1970) “the social responsibility of business is to increase its profits”, New York Times Magazine, 13th September
Critchley, Simon (2007) Infinitely Demanding: Ethics of Commitment, Politics of Resistance, London: Verso, excerpt from Chapter 1
Painter-Morland, Mollie and Rene ten Bos (2011) “whitstleblowing,” in Business Ethics and Continental Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Schwartz, M. (2000) “why ethical codes constitute an Unconscionable Regression,” Journal of Business Ethics, 23: 173-184
Linehan, Carol and O’Brien, Elaine (2017) “From tell-tale signs to Irreconcilable Struggles: the value of emotion in exploring the ethical dimensions of human resource professionals,” Journal of business ethics, 141: 763-777
Spar, Debora L. and La Mure, Lane T. (2003) “the power of activism: assessing the impact of NGOs on global business,” California Management Review, 45(3): 78-101
Roberts, S. (2003) “supply chain specific? Understanding the patchy success of ethical sourcing initiatives”, Journal of business ethics, 44(2/3): 159-170
O’Rourke, D. (2006) Multistakeholder regulation: Privatizing or socializing global labor standards? World Development, 43(5), 899-918
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Sikka, P (2008) “corporate governance: what about the workers?”, accounting, auditing & accountability journal, 21(7): 955-977