Organizational Ethics: A Review of Woolworths

Running head: MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE
Management Perspective
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1 Management Perspective
Organizational Ethics refers to the ethical practices and the ethical codes of behavior
of the organizations, and focus on understanding the patterns of behavior as a response to
both the external and internal stimuli. The organizational ethics is directed by thee
organizational behavior and the organizational psychology, however it is independent of the
organizational culture. It is often seen that the researchers and the organizational leaders are
of the opinion that the organizational ethics are directed by the organizational culture,
however, it is not true. The organizational ethics are dependent upon or motivated by the
internal and external stimulus or situations that the organizations are perceived with. The
organizational ethics generally, uphold the organizational values that govern an
organizational structure and conducts. The principles and the values that underlie an
organization, and the decisions and the actions taken and made by the organization, uphold
the ethical behavior or the ethical practices of an organization (Richards et al., 2013).
Therefore, the organizational ethics are governed and motivated by the organizational values,
principles, goals, and the organizational behavior, which consists the codes of conduct and
the codes of ethics that are adhered by the leaders and the employees of the organization.
Therefore, it is much important for the organizations to follow and practice an ethical code or
conducts.
In order to understand whether an organization is following or practicing a code of
conducts, the organizations conducts, the organizational behaviors and the coping system of
the organization must be reviewed. In this particular essay the ethical attitudes elicited by
Woolworths, one of the largest and diversified organization of Australia will be reviewed.
Woolworths is one of the major retail industry of New Zealand, and it is the second
largest retail company of Australia, with diversified product interest. It is a conglomerate
Wesfarmers. It also deals in the hotel and gaming poker machine, thus maintaining a huge
chain of organizations across two major countries of the world, and also having smaller sister

2 Management Perspective
chains in other parts of the world. The organization ahs a large supply chain standard,
upholding a high social, environmental and ethical standards and also incorporating an
approach to empower the marginalized groups and tries to include them in the business
conducts of the organization (Beaumont. 2015). This retail based industry includes certain
principles that govern the ethical approaches and the ethical conducts of the organization.
Therefore, the essential ethical considerations taken by the organization are,
 Maintaining a transparency within the organizational structure regarding the
organizational conducts.
 Focusing on the team building attitude, and the on improving the problem solving
skills, in order to grow a team consensus.
 Focusing on the supply chain patterns and addressing the problem situations that arise
in the process and also supporting the partners’.
 Monitoring the performance of the partners, and the stakeholders, and the leaders and
of the employees.
 Focusing on the social and environmental causes and therefore improving the
performance of the suppliers and the employees at the same time.
 Engaging the stakeholders into the organizational code of behaviors and in the
organizational conducts.
 Building internal and external awareness of the organizational conducts, business
processes, team production and workforce motivation and capability.
However, certain recent events and news have shown that there are certain level of
discrepancy in the ethical conducts of the organization. A Federal court case has been
propounded by the organization that says that there have been certain issues related to the
supplier management of the organization and also with the partners of the company. There is
also a child labor scandal upon the company. Again a case on the consumer forum has also