Ethics in Organizations and Corporate Social Responsibility Analysis

This homework assignment, prepared for HRM213e, delves into the critical role of ethics in organizations and corporate social responsibility. It examines how ethical considerations are integral to business operations, moving beyond financial metrics to include non-financial factors like ethics and governance. The assignment explores various ethical theories, such as Kantianism, and contrasts Eastern and Western philosophical perspectives on ethics, referencing Plato and Confucius. It highlights the importance of ethical decision-making in various scenarios, such as HR practices. The analysis underscores that ethical mistakes are detrimental to organizational integrity and public image, especially in today's globalized and diversified business environment. The assignment references sources such as Queensland Government, Management Help, and academic journals, providing a well-rounded perspective on the subject.

Running Head: GROUP BASED ASSIGNMENT
Ethics in Organizations and Corporate
Social Responsibility
Subject Code- HRM213e
Trimester No.-
Student’s name-
Word Count -500
Name of the tutor -

GROUP BASED ASSIGNMENT P a g e | 2
Question 1a.
The actions which we take has its effect not only upon us but also around us.
Similarly, in the professional environment, our professional decisions are based somewhere
on ethics. If ethics plays a major role in our personal lives, it equally impacts our professional
life with an immense intensity. As a group, we do consider ethics as an important topic to
discuss in business organizations.
Today, business ethics is quite crucial and that they are now a part of management
discipline. It is the need of the business which has demanded the governance of ethics in
business organizations. For example, in order to have a more strong and positive image in
front of the public, the concept of public relations was found out. It is one of the extensions of
ethics (QueenslandGovernment, n.d.).
In this period of diversification and globalization, an organization cannot survive
merely on the basis of financial strength. Non- financial factors like ethics, governance,
corporate social responsibility plays a major role in the going concern of a business. Based
on human rationality, various ethical theories have been developed.
For example, Kantianism theory focuses on the ideology behind the actions rather on
the end result of actions. For example, providing edibles at the best price will increase the
profitability but the raw material of such edibles should not be compromised. The focus here
is on the actions taken in the preparation of the edibles and not just the profitability. The
motivation behind the right principles helps us to work in an ethical way (Mcnamara, 2017).
Question 1c.

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In order to know the roots of ethics, we have a different point of view when it comes
to the theories from the eastern and western philosophies. Ethics from Plato’s point of view
western philosopher considers virtue as the highest skill which human struggles to get it all
his life. Humans were considered to be an epitome of conduct and moral thought. Plato’s
philosophy considers an ethical mistake to be the worst mistake because such actions stand
opposite to the ethical image of a human (Herboso, 2017). Confucius, an eastern philosopher,
had focused on the maintenance of ethics. In his philosophy, it is the compassion upholds the
mankind. This theory does not consider an ethical mistake to be the worst mistake (Koehn
D. , 1999).
Humans of today are capable enough to understand the difference between the right
and the wrong course of action. They are behind the world’s best invention which proves the
fact that they have a rich thinking ability. With such a human brain, an ethical mistake cannot
be entertained.
For example, if an HR selects a candidate for a particular job and later, on the basis
of the recommendation of the management offers a job to another candidate, it is an ethical
mistake. Here, Kantianism theory has been surpassed critically by the HR and he has
focussed on the end result. But to safeguard his job, an HR was under pressure to take such
action. Still, in spite of all facts, an ethical mistake is a grave blunder if committed by the
organizations (Mcnamara, 2017).

GROUP BASED ASSIGNMENT P a g e | 4
References
Herboso, E. (2017). Plato's Belief on Ethics. Retrieved from People of our Everyday Life:
http://peopleof.oureverydaylife.com/platos-beliefs-ethics-4672.html
Koehn, D. (1999). What Can Eastern Philosophy Teach Us About Business Ethics? Journal
of Business Ethics, 71-79. Retrieved from
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1006102022834
Mcnamara, C. (2017). Complete Guide to Ethics Management: An Ethics Toolkit for
Managers. Retrieved from Management Help:
http://managementhelp.org/businessethics/ethics-guide.htm
QueenslandGovernment. (n.d.). Public relations ethics and industry links. Retrieved from
Business Queensland: https://www.business.qld.gov.au/running-business/marketing-
sales/marketing-promotion/pr/ethics