Business Ethics Assignment.

1. 1st Answer
Introduction: In India, the constant struggle to contain the world’s second-largest
pandemic has reduced the demand, suspended supply chains and transformed the
habits of consumers. In order to survive the changed landscape and uncertainty, many
small companies have innovated or adapted their business models to cope.
During the crisis, the supply chain of many business was under stress. Issues ranging
from procurement of goods to transportation to the facility of production to delivery
without forgetting the human component had to be managed on a daily basis and it was
challenging enough to make sensible short-term plans. For many, the business would
have gone done the route of bankruptcy at a faster rate. Also, the level of financial
assistance that was provided was different to a huge level from one nation to another.
For many business, either they were ordered to close down by the law during the
lockdown, they faced multiple operational challenges, they weren’t prepared to work
from home, staff wasn’t able to travel to work because of the restrictions on travel,
illness to staff members, the staff members staying at home, children and sick relatives
and some operations were not just suited to be transferred to an environment of home.
Also, for those who were able to work from home, there were many challenges to their
own private and family situations, children at home who required their own space to
study or play, to take care of the parents and kids at the same time. For the ones
involved in the preparation of the accounts, they had to face with additional technical
and challenges of business. Challenges to obtain information from management as well
as resources of non-management. Challenges in order to access the workplace, office,
factories or a warehouse. Access to important management resources who could have
been deployed to other spaces of the business on the basis of short-term.
Issues to assess the impact of cash flows: Breach of covenants that could lead to
the repercussions of cash flow. For the ones who are involved in preparing the financial
statements, it is important that all the above challenges can be considered to ensure
quality, completeness, accuracy and exhaustively of the financial statements. Wagle
sports, for instance, now enables the customers all over Mumbai to shop for its products
over WhatsApp without leaving the home, a totally contact-free purchasing experience.
The company which would usually employ 10 people but is currently down to around
four members of the staff made a decision to provide free delivery after the orders of
Whatsapp for carom boards. The company said that they had to move online even
though it is an important cost for us. Otherwise, we would have lost out to sites such as
Amazon, who have already offered huge discounts.
Catering to retail customers, as opposed to organizations, became too important for
Wagle after the Covid-19 restrictions of the government shut schools and sports club a
move that eliminated around seventy percent of the revenue of the business.

2. A digital future: For small business, surviving the pandemic also involved the rapidly
shifting focus of their companies. Overnight, the demand for their customized office-
wear service which was aimed at the workers of Mumbai city collapsed.
The sales of Style Nook have now recovered to levels of pre-pandemic. And, with
more Indian customers who got used to shop online for groceries during and
after the lockdown said that the future of the company is bright. It was believed
that people are likely to increasingly make use of the internet to make fashion
purchases.
Another survival strategy for the brand Style Nook was to help the vendors stuck with
excess stock because of cancelled orders. When partnered with manufacturers who
never previously though to sell direct consumers also were able to help.
In an economy that depends heavily on the demand of the consumers to increase the
growth, the private consumption would account for three-fifth of the economy. Small
business adapting, pivoting and turning to creativity for their survival were not enough.
While small business are anticipated to be impacted the most, most of them try to
reinvent themselves, and they find innovative ways to ensure that their operations
running by the leveraging of technology and ensuring the focus on the customers.
However, the online mode was not feasible for all of them. Many organizations would
not replicate their earlier operational model during the crisis situation.
While small businesses are expected to be impacted the most, many of them are trying
to reinvent themselves, finding innovative ways to keep their operations going by
leveraging technology and keeping the focus on customers. However, the online mode
may not be feasible for all. Many companies cannot replicate their operating model
during the lockdown. It is important to seek a new direction. While there are many
remote-connecting options available, the things that work for a specific organization
depend on its values, needs of customers and culture.
Conclusion: The activities must be aligned with the main mission. Business and
companies find unique ways to leverage this trend to connect with their customers.
Technology has become an enabler during the time of social distancing, and this can
very well be the norms for the upcoming months. The connectivity of digital was the
forefront. Curated modules were created for at-home exercises for strength, agility and
biomechanics that are conducted through remote conferencing, on the basis of fitness
levels.

3. 2nd Answer
Introduction: Whistleblowing enables to raise the alarm on law-breaking, corporate
negligence, malpractices, crime and issues of safety. So, laws are often in place to
protect us if the whistle is blown by us. Around 42% of the corporate fraud is uncovered
by blowing of whistles. So, why are people so reluctant to speak out when wrongdoing
at work is witnessed.
It is important to consider the following things before whistle blowing:
1. The individual has to ensure that you have a valid case: The whistleblowing is meant
to report criminal offences, regulatory breaches, and health as well as safety breaches.
If an individual is reporting any of the above, then he or she will be protected by the law.
Anything else would seem out of the scope.
If an individual would think that it may be too late to report a concern, he or she must be
assured that he or she can raise it at any given point in time, whether it is about an
incident happening in the past, is happening currently and believe it will happen soon.
Only report that right kind of concerns: The whistleblowing of the company channels
must not be made use of as an outlet to air grievances or make any kind of false
reports. If an individual has a complaint regarding the manager or colleague, the
workload, a third party or some other issue, it is covered by the procedures of
grievances.
Ultimately, personal grievances should not be covered by the law of whistleblowing
unless the particular case is in the interest of the general public.
Check the approved channels: The organizational handbook must explain how to make
a report and to whom. In most situations, the first port of call would be your manager.
Also, the individual must be encouraged to report to the HR, compliance, legal or senior
management through a whistleblowing helpline, website or to an independent authority.
In order to go straight to the media or placing it online may undermine the message and
damage the reputation.
4. Remember you're a witness, not an investigator: The individual is not there to gather
inconclusive evidence of the wrong things that are being done. The individual is a
witness and also an observer, so he or she must not delay because he or she wants to
gather the extra evidence.

4. 5. Escalate your concerns to others if needed: If an individual isn’t believed, if no actions
are taken or there is a cover-up, or if lives are at risk, then it is okay to escalate the
concerns to other.
Remember that the law has been designed to protect you: Anyone has the ability to
blow the whistle if they suspect the wrong things that are done or if they suspect any
sort of unethical behavior. Also, it isn’t easy, the law has been designed to protect you
from reprisal or unfair treatment. All the reports should be handled with confidentiality
and sensitivity.
So, all the whistleblowers want is to have their report managed in a confidential manner,
protection from any comeback and to have their report investigated in a proper manner.
7. Consider the moral & financial implications: Often, the moral imperative would
outweigh any financial reward and encourages whistleblowers to act in an altruistic
manner. There has to be a strong case made to reward whistleblowers. In critical
industries, the consequences of non-compliance are greatest, and it is surely a no-
brainer.
Conclusion: Paying whistleblowers could also speed up reporting and uncover
wrongdoing more quickly. With nowhere to hide, this would bring about a new era of
greater accountability.

5. 3rd Answer
3a.
Ethical people are the ones who can recognize the difference between right and
wrong and they consistently strive to set an example of good conduct. In a business
setting, ethical behavior is the behavior that means the application of principles of
honesty and fairness to the relationships with co-workers and customers. Ethical
individuals would make an effort to treat each and every one with whom they come in
contact as they would want to be treated themselves.
The benefits of ethical behavior in business involve when it comes to helping the
business in order to build the loyalty of the customers, avoid any legal challenges and
attract and retain talented employees.
Build Customer Loyalty: Consumes may enable a company to take advantage of
them once, and if they believe they have been treated in an unfair manner, for
instance, by being overcharged, they will not be repeat customers. Having a loyal base
is one of the important keys to the business that happens in a long-range success,
since to serve an existing customer doesn’t involve the cost of marketing, whereas
acquiring a new one does.
Enhance a Company's Reputation: The reputation of the company for an ethical
behavior would enable it to create a more positive image in the market, and this can
bring in new customers through word-of-mouth referrals. So, a reputation for any
dealings that are unethical hurt the chances of the company to obtain new customers,
specifically in the age of social networking when the dissatisfied customers often
disseminate information regarding the negative experience they had.
Avoid Legal Problems: On many occasions, the management of a company may be
tempted to cut corners in order to make profits, such as by not completely complying
with the regulations of the environment, ignoring the safety of the workers and making
use of substandard materials in their products. The penalties to get caught can be
severe, and it includes legal fees or sanctions by the agencies of government.
Conclusion: The benefits of business ethics become crystal clear in such a situation
since organizations maintaining the highest ethical standards tend to be likely in order
to find themselves in such a situation.

6. 3b.
Why is ethics in business important?
Ethical conduct is very important in business as it provides benefits for both the
business owners as well as consumers that include the following functions:
Ensuring legal operations: A code of ethics would enforce a set of regulation and
rules with the intent to keep the company operating within the parameters of the law,
and protect the leaders of the company, employees and customers. Some legal areas
involve the regulations of the environment, financial regulations and equity of the
employment.
Trust between the companies as well as consumers: Ethics in the business would
help to build positive and trustworthy relationships between the companies and
customers. When the companies would demonstrate ethical behavior in a consistent
manner, consumers would feel more comfortable in choosing the company over others.
Appealing to shareholders: Ethical business can also receive too much of financial
support from shareholders as the investors tend to work with morally sound as well as
legally abiding companies.
Attracting high-performing talent: Business that display compassion often attract
more top talent as candidates often look for companies they feel would appreciate and
value their contributions to the company and act in the best interest of their employees.
This helps to improve the work produced by bringing in candidates that are more
committed and reduce the turnaround of the employees.
Transparency: It involves accurate representation of the facts, and to tell the truth in it’s
totally and communication of a clear and open talking regarding everything a company
does and says. It refers to the foundation of a strong relationship with customers, and
directly impact the success and stability of an organization.
The more candidates a company would show, the more the public can trust in its
service, product or mission. This is true during the relations of public crisis when
the full disclosure is important to overcome the issues of the business.