Tackling the Challenge in Ethics, Responsibility and Sustainability

Business 1.
BUSINESS: TACKLING THE CHALLENGE IN ETHICS, RESPONSIBILITY AND
SUSTAINABILITY
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Professor
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Business 2.
Introduction
The concept of ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability is
essential in organizational as well as institutional development (Kolk, 2016, p. 28). As a result,
these concepts are integral for any manager in the modern corporate/institution world and
determine how successful and sustainable their businesses are in a given environment I n which
they operate. Ethics or business ethics play a critical role in business decision making and are
highly influenced by an individual character and organizational culture. The concept of Ethics,
Responsibility, and Sustainability (ERS) has therefore increasingly become a significant concern
in businesses as they strive to achieve different social, economic and environmental goals (Setó-
Pamies & Papaoikonomou, 2016). It is however increasingly challenging to achieve the active
development of business ethics, become responsible in various dimensions as well as achieve
corporate social sustainability. The purpose of this study is therefore to analyze the challenges in
Ethics, Responsibility, and Sustainability in the contemporary corporate world that I need to
tackle at my company based on my experiences as residency in the University for one week. The
study will also provide an understanding of to what extent does the leadership approach of the
organization enable me to address the issues. The analyses of the challenges will, however, be
based on my experiences from my residency in the University. The study will therefore provide
recommendations based on the experiential learning from my residency at the university.
Definition of Key terms
Ethics - refers to a school of behavior that is influenced by a particular value system such as
equity, honesty and integrity. The ability to develop ethical behavior in any organization is,
therefore, a factor of an individual character as well as the corporate culture of an organization.
A positive ethical culture promotes responsibility and business sustainability.

Business 3.
Responsibility - refers to the willingness or an ability to incorporate a broader environmental
and social consideration into an individual or organizational decision making and also to become
accountable for the impact of the decisions made. It is therefore highly correlated to
sustainability in business development. It is usually embedded on business CSRs initiatives
which refers to a business commitment to proactive environmental and social responsibility as
well as to become good stewards of the environment in which they operate. To become
responsible then one must be guided by specific ethical values or ethical culture which shows the
relationship between business ethics and responsibility.
Sustainability in business refers to the ability to maintain various systems or processes towards
environmental, social and economic goals. It is therefore about the social, economic and
environmental business challenges/issues and objectives that are common to the society as a
whole. It is linked to responsibility and ethics in that the development of favorable business
ethics is depended on a business ability to show concern for sustainability and therefore the
business socially, economically and environmental responsibility behaviors contribute to
sustainability in business.
Corporate citizenship refers to the extent to which businesses can meet the legal, ethical and
economic responsibilities as established by the business stakeholders (Crane & Matten, 2016, p.
18). It reduces financial risks and improves the financial performance of efficient firms. It is born
out of the recognition that business has cultural, social and environmental responsibilities to the
community which seeks a license to operate in such a community as well as financial goals and
responsibilities as set out by the business stakeholders.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refers to the need or desire of the businesses or
companies to be good corporate citizens. It is therefore, a management concept, which

Business 4.
establishes or promotes responsible behavior within a business or organization. It can also refer
to the responsibility of businesses or enterprises for their impacts on society as well as their
consequences for the integration of social, environmental, ethical and human rights. It is,
therefore, the concept in which ethics, responsibility, and sustainability are embedded.
Main Challenges in Ethics, Responsibility, and Sustainability
Having worked in my organization for the last year, I have had the first-hand experience
with organizational challenges about business ethics, responsibility, and sustainability. However,
my residency at the university has helped me gain experience on how these challenges can be
solved. The concept of corporate social responsibility has become the new driving force in
business with managers seeking to integrate every initiative that will enable their business
organizations to achieve improved corporate social responsibility (Quarshie, Salmi & Leuschner,
2016). However, the effectiveness or the integration of these practices is highly dependent on the
organizational culture and the environment in which the business operates. As a result, corporate
social responsibility initiatives are not compulsory business strategies or frameworks which
every business should adopt but are a necessary framework which determines the ability of a
business to succeed in any given business environment. The business ethics are based on the
value system of the organization where in this case in my organization the fundamental values
were accountability, integrity, respect for others and responsibility. Therefore an individual
behavior within the organization was judged based on the ability to uphold the above value
systems.
Severe environmental problems characterize the modern corporate world while ethical
issues are still a massive threat for us human beings as they strongly affect the lives of future
generations. However. It is essential to note that there are many organizations and companies