chapter 9
Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, Environmental Sustainability, and Strategy
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Chapter 9 discusses the role and importance of ethical and socially responsible decision making as well as the AACSB International accreditation requirements. Values and ethics are highlighted in this chapter and their roles discussed as integral part of managerial tasks.
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Learning Objectives
After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
Understand why the standards of ethical behavior in business are no different from ethical standards in general.
Recognize the conditions that give rise to unethical business strategies and behavior.
Identify the costs of business ethics failures.
Understand the concepts of corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability and how companies balance these duties with economic responsibilities to shareholders.
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This chapter focuses on whether a company, in the course of trying to craft and execute a strategy that delivers value to both customers and shareholders, also has a duty to (1) act in an ethical manner; (2) be a committed corporate citizen, and allocate some of its resources to improving the well-being of employees, the communities in which it operates, and society as a whole; and (3) adopt business practices that conserve natural resources, protect the interests of future generations, and preserve the well-being of the planet.
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What Do We Mean By Business Ethics?
Business ethics:
Is the application of general ethical principles to the actions and decisions of businesses and the conduct of their personnel.
Are not materially different from ethical principles in general because business actions must be judged in the context of society’s standards of right and wrong.
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Ethics concerns principles of right or wrong conduct.
Business ethics deals with the application of general ethical principles to the actions and decisions of businesses and the conduct of their personnel.
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Where Do Ethical Standards Come From—Are They Universal or Dependent on Local Norms?
Sources for Ethical Standards:
The school of ethical universalism.
The school of ethical relativism.
Integrative social contracts theory.
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The School of Ethical Universalism
Ethical universalism:
Holds that common understandings across multiple cultures and countries about what constitutes right and wrong give rise to universal ethical standards that apply to all societies, all firms, and all businesspeople.
Effect on business ethics:
Whether a business-related action is right or wrong is judged by universal standards.
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The school of ethical universalism holds that the mo ...Read less