Ethical Issues in Management for Corporate Levels - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theEthical Issues in Management for Corporate Levels. Answer: Introduction Ethical issues exist within every nature of business that takes place within the organization and outside the organization. Employees have a moral obligation to protect the reputation of their organization by being cautious on the way they communicate using modern tools of communication. Social media is taking organizational communication by storm through new platforms that allow individuals to communicate. One problem that has been a major issue of social media is the ability for individuals to express their mind, fears and attitudes through social media. This can compromise the reputation of an organization if the individuals puts online a post that relates to the nature of business that the organization carries. Ethically, employees are supposed to be loyal to their organization and should weigh the impact of any statement to the organization before they make. The need to protect organizational image has led business to develop policies to guide social media use by employee. Kenton posted on Facebook an item that management feels undermines the reputation of the organization and that of its stakeholders (Schultz Peltier 2013, P. 289). This led to the need from management to contemplate on the best ethical cation that can be taken. This report analyses the ethical issues that revolve around the case study and proposes ethical approaches that can be used to mitigate the situation and further proposes recommendations form management. Ethical issues in management Summary of the business issue Ethical issues are the order of the day when dealing with employees in the organization. Business ethics or corporate ethics examines moral and ethical principles that arise within a business environment (Jones 1995, P. 870). Business ethics fall under three categories of personal, organizational and corporate levels which are intricately related but require different focus to understand them. Managers deal with a group of people that have different personalities and attitudes towards work. The way these employees handle issues at work is based on a balance between the organizational policy and their beliefs (Aguilar 1994, p. 11). This means that employees may believe in different philosophies that are different from what management thinks. In the modern workplace, many organizations are faced with a generational clash that entails all the four generations working together. This leads to different conflicts especially when it comes to opinions and approach of work (Schultz Peltier 2 013, p. 90). Each generation within the organization was brought up in a different environment that has different views of the typical work environment and how issues that revolve around ethics need to be managed (Schultz Peltier 2013, p. 91). This is because management theories have been evolving since the scientific revolutions with different issues being fronted on what managers should base on when managing the work environment. The millennials is a generation that grew up in a permissive society full of technology that led to different communication patterns (Leonardi Paul 2016). These group of employees believe in freedom of communication and individualism rather than what baby boomers and generation Y people believe in. The use of social media by the millennials generation and part of generation Y has led to new ethical implications within the organization (Zhang Watts 2008, p. 76). It has been argued that social media has led to new sins within the organization that are far from what has ever been experienced. Social media is gaining a lot of prominence in organizations with different reactions over its importance in management. The issue is challenging since it crosses over different ethical issues that may not be fully covered by organizational policy (Zhang Watts 2008, p. 75). Many organizations have been forced to adopt social media platforms as part of communication tools to keep abreast with the se changes in communication. With the rise of applications that can be used on smart phones, employees can easily interact and make contact with both customers and their fellow employees. The evolving nature of social media has changed the way business ethics are controlled within the organization. There is a thin line that differentiates between personal and professional life while at the same time managers have problems judging whether social media posts by employees affect the companys reputation or they are individual based (Kaplan Haenlein, 2010, P. 61). Managers are at cross paths on ethical policies that guide the way their employees need to conduct themselves. From the ethical point of view deontologists argue that employees have a moral duty to protect the organization through their reputation (Driver 2007, p. 12). This means that employees are guided by a code of ethics that shapes both their personal and professional life. Once an employee has been recruited into the organization, any ethical issues that they engage in revolve around both their professional and personal life. Macnamara Zerfass (2012, P. 300) suggest that employees need to be ethically cau tious within the work environment and in their private life. Since there is a blurred line between personal communication and organizational communication, polices need to be put in place to establish ethical positions that guide the way employees use social media. This ensures that the organization protects its image against ethical blunders that can made by employees. These blunders can be within or outside the organizational context but will always affect the organization. Case study scenario In the case study, Kenton a key sales person within the organization did a Facebook post that management believe it has negative implications on both the customer and organizational reputation. According to management Kentons post was ethically compromising and could affect the reputation of the organization with its managers (Lopiano, Lopiano Watson, 2016, pp. 7). This is not the first time that the accused has done this nut rather the second time and management is contemplating on the bets option to be taken to address the issue. Individually Kenton is a key employees that the organization can afford loose since he is a leading sales person, while on the other hand, he is stubborn and such posts show lack of professional ethical values in his personal life. Management is in a dilemma of not being sure with the best decision that can be taken to address that issue (Lopiano, Lopiano Watson 2016, pp. 9). The organizations social media policy has not been updated which gives him lot of freedom but the organization cannot leave the ethical issue unattended to since other employees may follow suit. Each of the options that will be taken by management has implications which will affect the company in one way or the other. Approaches to resolving ethical issues When dealing with ethical issues, Al-Tarawneh (2001, p. 4) suggests that it is important to frame the issue ethically to understand the level on which it falls. The utilitarian approach suggests the need to consider the impact of the employees ethical implication to the organization and whether its outcome increases benefits to the organization or not (Mack 2004, p. 65). The deontological approach on the other hand emphasizes moral good of every action thus employees need to exercise a sense of moral duty when making decisions that may have ethical implications on the organization (Hill 2001, p. 10). Lastly, virtue ethics suggests that every action that the individual should engage in should be based on deep contemplation of its value (Driver 2007, p. 9). Therefore there is need to develop an approach that balances between the needs of the employee and the needs of the organization. Utilitarianism decision-making approach is based on evaluating the harm that the employees action has on the organization. Utilitarianism is based on the pleasure principle where the decision chosen by the employee needs to maximize the benefits that the organization will receive (Mack 2004, p. 66). This means that the organization weighs how the ethical issue affects the integrity of the organization and chooses an action that will seek to protect the organization. Management needs to weigh the available options and the impact that the organization will receive. Kenton has been on notice for uploading Facebook posts that may demean the organization while at the same time the organization is not will to lose his expertise. The utilitarian approach will be warning him through a formal procedure and updating the existing social media policies to mitigate future employee actions. This strategy will maximize the benefits by ensuring that the organization retains Kentons expertise and at the same time ensuring that such posts are not repeated again. The egoism approach can be used in ethical dilemma by looking at the effects of the Facebook posts and analyze each available course of action that can be taken. According to Waller (2005, p. 79) suggests that egoism is based on the notion that individuals are free to do what is in their self-interest. From this perspective, it means that self-interest guides ethical decisions that employees make within the organization (Biddle 2002, p. 21). As such employees will make ethical decisions depending on what they feel about the organization. From the point of Rachel, it means that Kenton was having a personal problem with the organization which was being communicated for his own interest that may also benefit others. Rachel suggests that if the post was positive or highlighting a real issue in the organization directly, then the approach would have been different. The ethical implication of the post should be weighed both on long run and short run returns in the perspective of Kenton and the organization (Waller 2005, p. 14). This forms the action that will be taken against him. Management needs to way the returns of every available option against the organization. From the duty approach or deontological ethics, the importance of personal will and intention are analyzed to determine the motive of an individuals action (Hill 2009, p. 12). Based on the categorical imperative, the individual acts on a maxim that should be regarded as universal law (Waller 2005, p. 15). This means that every action that the individual engage in should be highly ethical and recognize the effects that it will have on other people. According to Driver (2007, P. 16) the moral action of the ethical issue need to be justified from the rationality principle. Therefore, management needs to understand the intrinsic good and bad behind the Facebook post by Kenton. Since moral rules are used to achieve the highest possible ideal within the organization, then the employee should be guided by the moral code that the organization is built on (Hill 2001, p. 310). When taking action against Kenton, it is best to take an action that best meets universal mutual promotion of individu al ends and will enable the organization to continue pursuing its ends (Jones 1995, p. 869). Thus the organization should weigh on whether it is ready to loose Kenton by firing or only punishing. On the other hand, there is need to understand actions that be taken against him have on other employees and similar actions in the future. Lastly, the rights approach is based on the notion that the best ethical issue within the organization is the one that protects the ethical rights of all those who are affected by the action (Waller 2005, p. 19). As a sales employee Kenton understands the implications of any Facebook post that is made on the reputation of the organization and its stakeholders. This is one of the reasons why management is concerned if the post has reached the Mercedes head office. Since all humans have the right to dignity then every action taken should be dignified. On the other hand, management needs to put in place proper policies that can regulate employees against violating ethical standards in the organization. Recommendations for most appropriate solution From the above arguments it is evident that the decision taken by management should be critically analyzed to avoid secondary effects that may be realize. The rights approach is best way to decide on how the issue will be dealt with. First of all management needs to look at the existing policies to determine what they stipulate on the ethical issue (Leonardi Paul 2016, p. 177). Then the Facebook post needs to be analyzed to determine the general effects that the issue will have on the organization and its stakeholders. Further, the intention of Kenton needs to be analyzed to ensure that it is known whether the issue referred to a personal level or organizational level. Then there are two main courses of action that can be taken, the first one entails firing and the second one entails any other form of punishment like warning or suspension of salary. Each decision needs to be weighed to ensure that it reflects the best action and justified to both Kenton and the organization. Thus Ma cnamara Zerfass (2012, p. 292) suggests that the rights approach will weigh how the rights have been ethically violated and pick on the highest form of action that can be taken. References Aguilar, F, 1994, Managing corporate ethics: Learning from America's ethical companies how to supercharge business performance. New York: Oxford. 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