Business Ethics | Superdrug | Assignment
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Added on 2020-02-12
Business Ethics | Superdrug | Assignment
Added on 2020-02-12
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BUSINESS ETHICS
Table of ContentsIntroduction:...............................................................................................................................................................Task 1:........................................................................................................................................................................1.1 Background and development of theoretical ethical approaches:........................................................................1.2 Compare and contract absolute and relative ethics..............................................................................................1.3 Explain the ethics issues which can affect the operational activities of business................................................Task 2:........................................................................................................................................................................2.1 Explain how the business objectives are affected by ethical consideration.........................................................Task 3:......................................................................................................................................................................3.1 Assess the role of the organization acting as a moral agent ..............................................................................3.2 Analyse the development of mechanism for achieving employee involvement................................................
Task 4:......................................................................................................................................................................4.1 Research current ethical issues affecting a selected business............................................................................4.2 Improvement process of business.......................................................................................................................4.3 Suitable ethical codes.........................................................................................................................................Conclusion:...............................................................................................................................................................Reference list:...........................................................................................................................................................Introduction:Business ethics is a form of ethics of any particular business. It also examines themoral ethical problems which arise in a business environment. Business ethics is applied toall aspects of business conduct which is also related to the conduct of an individual. There are
generally four elements in business ethics such as responsibility, commitment, quality andreliability. Superdrug is a popular health and beauty product retailer in UK after Boots.Superdrug was established by Ronald & Peter Goldstein in 1964 (Superdrug.com, 2016).This popular retail currently has more than 787 outlets across UK and Ireland. Thispopular health and beauty product retailer has appointed a consultancy guide the organizationon its ethical behaviour and conduct. As stated by Bunge (2012), Superdrug has recognizedthe importance, value and benefit of managing the business sustainability. It has been noticedthat Superdrug was committed to follow the environmental good practice, socialresponsibility and maintain economic prosperity (Rutherford et al. 2012, p.176). Theorganization has been purposefully lobbying and the government has not just reduced theVAT rates out of the blue (Brenkert and Beauchamp, 2012). On the other hand, Superdrughas started selling of range of beauty products which have not being tested on animals. Thoseproducts carry the logo of “British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection” (Zikmund et al.2013).
Task 1:1.1 Background and development of theoretical ethical approaches:As stated by Ferrell and Fraedrich (2015), theoretical ethics is concerned with norms,values and beliefs embedded with the social process. Theoretical ethics defines the right andwrong for the organization like Superdrug. Every organization has a morality because thisconstitutes the basis for mutual beneficial interaction. Those fundamental rules areconsidered as rules and regulations for the employees. Rutherford et al. (2012, p.179) opinedthat ethics is the branch of philosophy which focuses on the morality of things. On the otherhand moral principles are applied to everyday life. Theoretical ethics includes applying valuewhich may range from religious principles to customs and traditions (Leroy et al. 2012,p.258). According to Bondy et al. (2012, p.284), ethics is a set of moral principles whichdistinguish between the rights and wrongs. It has been observed that different organizationshave followed different ethical theories such as consequentialist theories, non-consequentialist theories and agent-cantered theories. The consequentialist theories areprimarily concerned with the ethical consequences of particular action (Acevedo, 2012,p.199). On the other hand, the non-consequentialist theories are generally broadly concernedwith the intentions of the person for making ethical decisions about the particular actions (aet al. 2012, p.287). The agent-cantered theories are more concerned about the more ethicalstatus of individuals or agents. The agent-cantered theories are less concerned to highlight themorality of the particular actions (Bunge, 2012). It has been noticed that higher officials of Superdrug have implemented theconsequentialist theories for maintain the ethical consequences of every operation of theorganization (Brenkert and Beauchamp, 2012). The business consultant has criticallyobserved different approaches such as duty-based approaches, rights approach, utilitarianapproach, virtue approach, fairness or justice approach, common good approach and egoism.After observing different types of approaches, the business consultant has advised to followthe duty-based approach. As stated by Bondy et al. (2012, p.286), duty-based approach iscalled deontological ethics which was implemented by the philosopher Immanuel Kant.
According to this approach, the activities of the higher officials is not alwayshighlighted the consequences of the aim of the organization but those activities have properintention in performing the action. As stated by Ma et al. (2012, p.287), the fairness or justiceapproach is appropriate for organization. Fairness or justice approach is a law code ofHammurabi in Ancient Mesopotamia. According to this approach, all free men should betracked alike, just as all slaves should be treated alike. Organization can combine universalityalong with this approach for implementing the justice approach for all human persons oremployees (Zikmund et al. 2013). Ethics is related to the values and principles that are used by the business organizationso that they can perform their operations in a smooth manner. Through the ethical princilpes,they will be able to know that how they have to behave in the market in order to providebenefits to the society. Some of teh ethical approaches can be used by the enterprise such asvirtue ethics, deontology, consequentialist, morale relativism. Now a days this activities arefollowed by the Superdrug.Business Ethics evelved over the time as before people only believe on the culturalvalues they does not took into consideration the social values that peotects the environmentsand the young minds wantede to make innovations in the products using their own skills andabilities and the workers in the organisation found their work more ethical than the previoustime. The companies established different code of conduct for the employees so taht thwerewill be systenmatic flow of work in the organisationsb and all the employere will be treatedfairly at the work place. 1.2 Compare and contract absolute and relative ethicsEthical absolutism is a one side of the spectrum in ethical theory. Ethical absolutismclaims that there are eternal, universally applicable moral principles. According to Voegtlinet al. (2012, p.12), ethical absolutism determines the qualities of the right and wrongobjectives. It has been noticed that absolutism allows the moral rules which can be evaluatedcritically. The management of Samsung and HCL have implemented absolute ethics so thatevery employee is treated the same way (Leroy et al. 2012, p.261). According to absoluteethics, the managers of the organization need not change the moral only when the moral ruleis right (Bunge, 2012). Therefore, the managers would not need to develop different rules fordifferent employees because absolute rules are universal. It has been noticed that the
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