Comparative Business Ethics and Social Responsibility

HC2121
Comparative Business Ethics and Social Responsibility
Assignment 1
Student Name:
Student ID:
University Name:
1

Contents
Introduction........................................................................................................3
Discussion.........................................................................................................3
Conclusion.........................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................6
Appendix...........................................................................................................8
2

Introduction
According to According to Toulas (2019), Uber Australia was accused of deploying a custom
spyware tool for identifying the drivers working for its competitors, in particular GoCatch and
stealing them. This unethical business activity created tremendous disruption in GoCatch,
who failed in explaining how suddenly they were losing their drives one after another. Uber
Australia internally developed the spyware with the help of Surfcam for hooking the rival’s
drivers, starve them of contractors permanently and hence, damaging their operations at
elementary level. Uber’s offices across Australia were fed with data competitor cars location,
the driver’s name, the car registration, and more through the spyware that has been planted.
Uber then used this data in making targeted offers to these drivers by offering deals that were
comparatively better than GoCatch, and getting them converted into their own contractors.
The revelation of this diabolic plan of Uber has hurt the brand name and image much more
than the planting of spyware has helped in bashing the competition. Even though the
existence of the spyware had been admitted officially by Uber, but has accused a former
senior employee in acting under his own authority. For answering the questions the plan
revolves around first outlining own understanding of the ethical issues that surfaced from the
chosen case study going beyond personal ethics and legal ramifications. This will be followed
by exhibiting own decision making/judgement processes towards ethical issues. Then related
ethical moral philosophies for demonstrating understanding of the ethical moral philosophies
will be outlined.
Discussion
According to Wang and Calvano (2015), for all businesses, small or large, public or private,
generating revenues and establishing the brand as the best in the different industries they
operate into is the ultimate goal. However, achieving these goals at any costs might not be
ethical always. Every business needs to have and uphold business ethics, defined as how
practices and policies are executed by the organizations. Businesses that fail to stick with
ethical business practices are more likely in losing out customers and earn bad image in the
markets. Caring for both employees and customers are important for firms since their ethical
business decisions not only have a direct impact on them, it is indirectly going to influence
them sooner or later. On the other hand, organizations must cultivate social responsibility in
their workplaces in order to make employees, either as a team or individual accountable in
fulfilling their civic responsibilities to benefit the society as a whole thereby, maintaining a
balance between the economic growth, well being of the societies and the environment.
Organizations can carry out their social responsibility through the maintenance of this
equilibrium. The theory of social responsibility is build on ethics structure where before
moving ahead of business proceedings, decisions and actions are ethically validated. Actions
or decisions that are likely to cause damage to the environment and society at large are
widely perceived as socially irresponsible. According to Leiva, Ferrero and Calderón, R.
(2016), over the last three decades there has been a significant increase in the attention on
ethical issues in business. Because of this increasing emphasis, this domain is facing
difficulties and various troubles in the absence of proper directions and hence, struck in with
issues revolving around logic, reasons etc. In the past companies perceptions about the
ethical issues in business were associated with the administration of rules and regulations at
the workplaces. However, this has witnessed a dramatic change in the today’s contemporary
3