Contemporary and International Issues in Business Ethics

Introduction

Business ethics refers to the codes of conduct that regulate the activities within the business environment. It refers to the business conduct and regulates the organizational and individual behaviors and actions. It involves the values, norms, unethical and ethical practices that regulate the business. It helps the business to maintain a better connection with the business stakeholders (Crane & Matten, 2010, p. 67). Business ethics mainly revolve around the provision of justice and equality to environmental issues affecting the generations of business. According to John Rawls, "although it is unjust to impose disproportionately heavy burdens on present generations for the sake of future generations, it is also unjust for the present generations to leave nothing for future generations." He posits that the present generation must guarantee the development of appropriate business ethics that regulate the business actions and behaviors. The development of the justice and environmental ethics helps a company forge an effective working relationship between the key stakeholders. It guarantees the success of the business both internally and externally (Fisher & Lovell, 2009, p. 49). The success of the present generation guarantees the success of the organization's future generations.

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Although the future generation depends on the present generation, "it is unjust to impose heavy burdens on the present generation disproportionately. It is also unjust for the present generation to leave absolutely nothing for the future generations". Stakeholders are the most significant aspect of every business. They affect the decision-making process of the business and determine the productivity levels of the firm (Rowson, 2006, p. 43). Every work place of any business contains human needs required to improve the productivity of the workers and other stakeholders of the business. The human needs fundamental to the success of the business involve the need to survive, the need for money, equality, autonomy, influence others, and self-efficacy. The needs also include discovery and novelty, fulfilling potential and aspirations, to contribute and achieve meaningful work, status, and recognition. The availability of the effective human needs helps in the preparation of the future of the business. The provision of such needs motivates the stakeholders and helps in the implementation of the business ethics (Bickle & Scott, 2008, p. 61). It helps in the provision justice and environmental provisions of the business.

Environmental Ethics

Environmental ethics commenced in 1950's to 1960's. It related with an ethic of care, virtue ethics, rights theories, and utilitarianism. The ethics consider a human beings position about the whole nature. Environmental ethics provides moral motivation and ethical justification of the business. It is concerned with the human duties in a business enterprise. It extends the ethical scope of the business.

One of the major goals of every business is to attain sustainability and improve profitability. Business ethics helps an enterprise to endure as a group. It helps the business to deliver and create better services and products that satisfy the needs and wants of the consumers. The formulation of effective business ethics also helps in the company to meet the evolving needs of the market (Kline, 2010, p. 51). It attracts successive generations of the employees. A sustainable environment is fundamental to the growth of both the business and the local community. It helps in the creation of an effective relationship between the stakeholders of the business enterprise. It also helps in the formulation of the appropriate organizational structure and culture that assists in the attainment of the key objectives of the business. Business and environmental ethics helps in the guaranteeing the sustainability of the organization. It helps in retaining the trust and support of our customers, shareholders and the local community where the organization operates.

Environmental Issues

The primary environmental issues are influencing business to incorporate modern waste, maintainable improvement of crude materials and water and air emanations. "These issues influence business since laws expect organizations to change gear and strategies to meet forced models, which costs organizations cash. Numerous organizations embrace stricter changes with an end goal to protect nature and make the right decision. These organizations pay for the defensive and proactive natural measures and endeavor to recover the costs through positive shopper attitude or the additional customer base picked up from an earth inviting approach (DesJardins & McCall, 2014, p. 67). Organizations that manufacture products also create waste products at different points of the manufacturing process. Natural laws and great ecological citizenship disallow the unpredictable dumping of assembling side effect, so organizations must choose how best to forgo it. Numerous business enterprises practice reusing programs. Other business enterprises offer such wastes to other manufacturing companies that use them in the manufacturing process as raw materials. In any case, the impact is an extra cost to the business in worker hours, techniques, hardware and dealing with all particular to moving the waste items out of business' assembling procedure and offices (Crane & Matten, 2016, p. 85).

Another environmental issue that affects the operation of the business is the sustainable development of raw materials. All producers utilize crude materials to assemble their merchandise. At the point when these crude materials are normal, for example, wood, laws and great ecological citizenship require that the business take measures to supplant what it employs. Christmas tree branches are a prime case, as dealers purchase from producers who collect and replant to keep from completely exhausting backwoods of normally happening pine trees. Once more, the effect on business takes a toll as far as higher crude materials costs, which incorporate the provider's cost to "replant" or "restock" the normal crude materials (Werhane, Freeman & Dmytriyev, 2017, p. 93).

An emission is also an environmental issue that affects the sustainability of the business. It also affects the operation of the business and the relationship between the business stakeholders. It affects the ethical standards and norms of the business. Assembling processes frequently create air and additionally water outflows, which incorporate molecule or substance filled smoke, fiery debris, particles, and chemicals that saturate groundwater through run-off. Natural insurance laws expect organizations to shield the earth from the introduction to these outflows. Healing procedure incorporate setting screens of determined checks over smoke stacks, filtration of wastewater and fixing of maintenance lakes with mud and poly liners. New directions are actualized habitually that require retrofitting of assembling offices with expanded insurances, for example, screens of even better measures and lake liners of more current and more secure materials. These measures are exorbitant to business and influence organizations first by diminishing overall revenues (Weiss, 2014, p. 82).

Discrimination and Rights

Discrimination and rights of stakeholders affect the transition of ethics from the present generation to the future business generations. The equality and protection of individual's rights help in the formulation and protection of the future generations. It helps in the creation of appropriate justice and environmental issues that guarantee effective and healthy future generations. Gender equality is one of the issues that help in guaranteeing the protection of rights. It eliminates discrimination at the work place. Gender equality also ensures the fair treatment of women and men in the work place. It also leads to responsible operation of the manufacturing companies (Werhane, Freeman & Dmytriyev, 2017, p. 112). Discrimination affects the morale of the individuals and leads to negative organization culture that affects the future generations. Both men and women in the organizations are entitled to the equal protection and equal participation in the organizational activities. Equal representation of men and women in the business helps in the development of the healthy and effective future generations. It ascertains perfect present operations by the business and assures appropriate future generations. Diversity is essential to the success and sustainability of the enterprise. Managing diversity creates harmony and understanding between the stakeholders. It leads to an effective working relationship between individuals from different cultural backgrounds (Kolk, 2016, p. 26). It creates a mechanism through which the current generation develops and prepares for the success of the future generations. Discrimination originates from the negligence of the current generation and avoiding the ethical values and norms required to foster good and effective working relationships. Justice is the most important element that helps in eliminating discrimination. It also increases the utility of the available resources. It also guarantees equal and equitable representation of both the present and the future generations. It leads to successful operation of the business. Taking affirmative action's helps in reducing the negligence caused by the stakeholders of any business. It also helps in the formulation of appropriate strategies that assist in the attainment of the primary goals of every initiative. Eliminating discrimination, protecting and conserving the rights of stakeholders, therefore, helps in the formulation of effective and successful future generations.

Employee Rights

Contemporary issues in business ethics focus on the impacts of the social values and the market mechanisms on the norms and values of the workplace. It highlights the significance of ethics both in the workplace and at home. It illustrates the impacts of ethics to both the employer and the employee. Protecting and conserving the employee's rights helps in maintaining the effective business and environmental, ethical standards (Ferrell & Fraedrich, 2015, p. 73). Every employee is entitled to the right of equal representation. Equal representation of both the men and women employees in the help build a strong foundation upon which the success of the future generation depends. It guarantees the success of the future generations and equal protection of the stakeholders. Employees also have a right to promotion in the workplace. The promotion of the employees depends on equity and equality administered by the management. Promotion motivates the employees and formulates ethical standards within the firm. It enables the creation of employees to abide by the organizational norms, culture, and values. It helps in fostering appropriate strategies that help in the development of the future generations. The employees also have rights to privacy and freedom of speech. It allows the employees participate in the decision-making process. It also helps in the analysis and determination of the primary factors that affect the employees in the organization. Determination of such factors also helps in the development of the mechanisms and strategies that help create effective working conditions for the employees. It also helps in learning on how to manage the factors affecting the employees and the factors affecting the performance of the employees. It helps in creating a culture that enhances the growth and development of the current employees and the future generation (Bowie,...