Comparative Report: Business Ethics and Social Responsibility Analysis

This report provides a comparative analysis of business ethics and social responsibility, focusing on the gender pay gap as a key ethical issue. It examines the under-representation of women in management roles and the resulting pay disparities. The report delves into the author's decision-making process regarding this issue, emphasizing the influence of both measurable and immeasurable factors, such as implicit bias and social norms. It then explores relevant ethical moral philosophies, including the utilitarian approach and feminist ethics, to address and propose solutions to these ethical concerns. The report concludes by summarizing the key findings, highlighting the need for strategies like paternity leave, childcare support, and pay equality procedures to bridge the gender pay gap and promote a more equitable workplace. References from academic journals and news articles support the arguments made in the report.

Running head: COMPARATIVE BUSINESS ETHIC & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Comparative business ethics & social responsibility

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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Summary of ethical issues...........................................................................................................................3
Own decision making in relation to the ethical issue...................................................................................4
Ethical moral philosophies..........................................................................................................................6
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................7
References...................................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
This report discusses the summary of ethical concern. It also takes into consideration of own
decision making in relation to ethical issue. This report also examines the ethical moral
philosophies in relation to ethical issues.
Summary of ethical issues
From the article, it is found that women will have to wait another 20 years for arriving at parity
with men in different management roles. The report demonstrated on Friday by Curtin University
and workplace gender equality agency shows that women are under-represented in the position
of leadership. In addition, women now hold 37.5 percent of full-time management role and there
is increasing by 1.6% since the year of 2014. The men continue to be compensated more at each
level (SBS News, 2019).
The report addressed that the highest-paid 10 percent of women to create $162,000 less annually
as compared to the highest paid men. Moreover, women who are positioned at low-level
managerial roles can earn $31,000 as compared to male counterparts. When current growth
patterns continue then it would take until 2037 in order to demonstrate gender parity at senior
management level and 2047 at the executive level (SBS News, 2019).
Female chief managers would have to wait until 2100 before attaining the equal illustration.
Along with this, for top company spot of CEO, female representation is parity and hostile as well
as, it looks to be centuries away with little progress in the last 5 years. WGEA director Libby
Lyons stated that there is a need for employers to take the action. Along with this, primary
schools are started this year would recruit workforces, in which; gender balance can be seen at
management positions. Yet, they would have to live to be almost 90 to demonstrate women reach
equality at the CEO level (SBS News, 2019).

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This article also addresses that people should be making efforts to overcome the hurdles those
women still face in an Australian organization. Among those obstacles, there is a lack of support
for working mother. It is found that companies that offered paid parental leave as well as,
flexible work arrangements were more prospects to retain the women employees. This report
also takes into consideration of data for more than 11,000employers within Australia and also
captures about 4.1 million employees (SBS News, 2019).
Own decision making in relation to the ethical issue
According to my perspective, gender pay is created both by unexplained (i.e. complex to
measure) and explained (measurable) factors. Along with this, measurable factors other than
level and type of work such as tenure in the position, number of subordinates, age and
geography. I feel that even while all measurable components are considered, an unexplained
gender pay gap can persist. This unexplained gap demonstrates the implicit bias, discrimination,
other complexes to measure factors, and social gender norms like tendencies in negotiation,
which differ between women and men (Fitzsimmons, and Callan, 2016).
As per my opinion, to avoid like-for-like gaps in pay, visibility is significant for workforces to
comprehend in which they stand and why they are compensated a certain amount versus what
others are compensated. Moreover, holding manager is responsible for benefits pay as well as,
having official remediation protocol for pay disparities can make sure that manager discretion
does not endorse inequality (Siboni, et. al., 2016).
As per my view, best strategies to avoid the gap of gender pay at the organizational level would
increasingly involve non-transferable paternity leave as well as, offering paid. It would involve
training managers on unconscious bias associated with paternity and maternity leave such as
parents returning towards their work. For example, Accenture has maternity returners program

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facilitates career guidance to newly returning mothers as well as, supports them move back
towards their positions (Van Dijk, et. al., 2017).
I also feel that additional promising practices such as increased childcare support for working
parents particularly mothers. For instance, Google has on-campus childcare as well as, mother’s
rooms. Patagonia is long addressed as a leader in on-site childcare and also found that in the
previous 5 years, there are 100% of mothers who have returned to work. Although, it cannot be
an option for each company, however, Patagonia has developed the business case for on-site
childcare by tax benefits, increased workforces retention as well as, employee engagement
(Terjesen, Aguilera, and Lorenz, 2015).
Bridging the Gap
For a corporation that seeks to identify the pay inequalities on like-for-like, it is significant to
initiate with pay equality procedure. It involves the robust statistical assessment, remediation
protocols, offering managers with pay data and, consistent monitoring. In order to identify the
pay in gender pay at the organizational position, corporations should consider program and
policies for retaining, recruiting and endorsing women (Cuberes, and Teignier, 2016). These
policies are identifying unpaid care requirements and making competent to a manager for
combating unconscious biases as well as, contributing towards equitable organizations. Along
with this, civil society as well as, the government should support women in penetrating and
expanding their careers specifically, in higher-paying sectors and jobs, as well as non-traditional
sectors (Bratton, and Gold, 2017).
A company should remove the social issues for women and girls as well as, supporting the
STEM education is significant to generate comprehensible social transformation that would
favorably affect the economic growth as well as business. Along with this, gender equality and

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equal pay are more broadly as well as, is an ongoing procedure, which has needed of steadfast
collaboration, commitment as well as, willingness to accelerate (Brieger, et. al., 2019).
Ethical moral philosophies
The field of ethics entails the organizing, protective as well as, suggesting concepts of wrong and
right behavior. It may entail a demonstration of good habit that people should acquire, the
responsibilities that should obey as well as, the consequences of their behavior on others. There
are different ethical moral philosophies that may apply to overcome the ethical principles such as
Utilitarian Approach and Feminist ethics approach (Drake, et. al., 2018).
The Utilitarian Approach evaluates an act with respect to its outcome or consequence i.e., the net
costs and benefits to all stakeholders individually. It takes an effort to attain more benefits with
creating minimum harm as well as, preventing the greatest amount for suffering. It also holds
that interest of each entity should be entailed equally while making a judgment as well as, this
involves those of other species since they also are competent to suffer (Crane, and Matten, 2016).
Feminist ethics is an ethical principle that involves belief related to the traditionally ethical
concept. It can be undervalued and underappreciated moral experience of women that is highly
male-dominated. This philosophy also selects to re-imagine ethics related to holistic feminist
strategy to transform it (Morgan, and Pritchard, 2019).
Moreover, feminist ethicists state that there is an obligation related to differing the point of view
of women as well as, fashion is wide-ranging consensus notion from them. In order to make
efforts this and to push with respect to gender equality with men is the objective of feminist
ethical moral philosophy. Overcoming these concerns is significant in modern times due to
moving viewpoints regarding what should be considered to be ethical with respect to treatment
and how women, in special, women’s bodies can be treated (Bratton, and Gold, 2017).

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In addition, feminist justice ethics is associated with a feminist view regarding morality. It seeks
to engage with as well as, ultimately transforms the traditional universal strategies to ethics.
Feminist justice ethics can be related to categorizing the ‘thick’ morality from ‘thin’ morality. In
this way, feminist justice ethics defines the ‘thick’ account of morality as opposed to ‘thin’
accounts related to morality are fundamentally prone to eroding valid feminist assessment
(Drake, et. al., 2018).
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that the gender pay gap is a key ethical issue that
is faced by women in Australia at the workplace. It can be summarised that women are
positioned at the managerial position after waiting 20 years at parity with men. It can be
summarised that there is a lack of assistance for working mother. A corporation that provides
paid parental leave and flexible work arrangement are more likely for retaining the women
workforces. It can be also concluded that there are different strategies for eliminating the gap of
gender pay at the organizational level will increasingly entail non-transferable paternity leave
and offering paid It can be concluded that there are certain ethical moral philosophies that can be
applied for overcoming the ethical principles like feminist and utilitarian ethical approach.

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References
Bratton, J. and Gold, J., 2017. Human resource management: theory and practice. UK: Palgrave.
Brieger, S.A., Francoeur, C., Welzel, C. and Ben-Amar, W., 2019. Empowering women: The
role of emancipative forces in board gender diversity. Journal of Business Ethics, 155(2),
pp.495-511.
Crane, A. and Matten, D., 2016. Business ethics: Managing corporate citizenship and
sustainability in the age of globalization. USA: Oxford University Press.
Cuberes, D. and Teignier, M., 2016. Aggregate effects of gender gaps in the labor market: A
quantitative estimate. Journal of Human Capital, 10(1), pp.1-32.
Drake, D., Dandy, J., Loh, J.M. and Preece, D., 2018. Should parents financially support their
adult children? Normative views in Australia. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 39(2),
pp.348-359.
Fitzsimmons, T.W. and Callan, V.J., 2016. Applying a capital perspective to explain continued
gender inequality in the C-suite. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(3), pp.354-370.
Morgan, N. and Pritchard, A., 2019. Gender Matters in Hospitality (invited paper for
‘luminaries’ special issue of the International Journal of Hospitality Management). International
Journal of Hospitality Management, 76, pp.38-44.
SBS News. 2019. Women managers to wait 20 years for equal pay. [Online]. Available at:
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/women-managers-to-wait-20-years-for-equal-pay (Accessed: 12
May 2019).
Siboni, B., Sangiorgi, D., Farneti, F. and De Villiers, C., 2016. Gender (in) accounting: Insights,
gaps and an agenda for future research. Meditari Accountancy Research, 24(2), pp.158-168.

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Terjesen, S., Aguilera, R.V. and Lorenz, R., 2015. Legislating a woman’s seat on the board:
Institutional factors driving gender quotas for boards of directors. Journal of Business Ethics,
128(2), pp.233-251.
Van Dijk, P.A., Kirk-Brown, A.K., Taylor, B. and van der Mei, I., 2017. Closing the gap:
Longitudinal changes in employment for Australians with multiple sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis
Journal, 23(10), pp.1415-1423.