Individual Report: Ethical and Sustainability Analysis, MGT301A

This report, prepared for the MGT301A Ethics and Sustainability course, explores the significance of ethical workplace behavior and its impact on organizational success. Part A identifies and addresses two key ethical issues: favoritism in employee treatment and unethical leadership behavior. The report analyzes how these issues can damage an organization's reputation and proposes solutions based on ethical frameworks. Part B provides a summary of ethical frameworks, emphasizing the importance of ethical principles in organizational sustainability. It reflects on the author's future workplace behavior, highlighting the role of leadership in establishing a strong ethical culture, promoting corporate social responsibility, and influencing employee conduct. The conclusion stresses the importance of ethics and frameworks for organizational sustainability. The report emphasizes the need for ethical conduct and the adoption of ethical frameworks to build a sustainable and successful organization. The report also stresses the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities for the sustainability of any organization.

ETHICS AND SUSTAINABILITY

Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Part A.........................................................................................................................................3
Identification of Issue 1..........................................................................................................3
Addressing Issue 1.................................................................................................................3
Identification of Issue 2..........................................................................................................4
Addressing Issue 2.................................................................................................................4
Part B..........................................................................................................................................5
Summary of Ethics and Frameworks.........................................................................................5
Reflection on Future Workplace Behaviour..............................................................................5
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
References..................................................................................................................................8

Part A
Introduction
Workplace behaviour is an essential element that needs to be considered in today’s day-to-
day business interactions. In order to create a healthy workspace, it is necessary to assess and
inculcate proper work ethics (Ciocirlan, 2017). According to me, my organisation in the
future would be closely knit with positive and relevant behavioural ethics. The issues
identified and addressed in previous studies provide us with relevant information on how
various ethics and frameworks can be used to reduce such issues in the future organisation.
Identification of Issue 1
There are a lot of issues such as economic, environmental, commercial and social issues in an
organization. All these issues need to be dealt with in the most suitable way. Among these
issues lie ethical issues, those which are based on the ethics of humanity. The ethical issues
need to be managed well and ethically so that no one is harmed. Ethics lie within humanity,
as well as an organization. These ethical issues, if lead to bigger issues, can degrade the
reputation of the organization. Ethics is an important part of life in today’s world. Hurting the
ethics of someone can lead to a much bigger problem than expected.
Thus, the issues relating to ethics must be handled well by an organization and ensuring that
the reputation of the organization is protected. This must be done by the senior manager, or
by the director, as they know what is best for the organization.
Addressing Issue 1
A favourite employee – Sometimes in organizations, the manager tends to like someone, and
thus gives promotion and excess recognition to that person, given the fact that they are no
greater than their fellow team members, and does no extra work to deserve that credit
(Hudson et al. 2017). This must be stopped so that a chance can be given to the deserving
candidate, not to the one, who did nothing to achieve that position. This type of issues can
lead someone to lose their job, but it’s not about the job, it’s about the moral code of ethics. If
someone cannot follow the moral code, then it is useless for their position.

The behaviour of Leader – It is usual to be a prey of someone’s unethical behaviour, but
when it is done by the team leader or the team manager, then that is a question of leadership.
Making rules for the employees, but not following it themselves can set a bad example and an
issue of ethics. A leader must lead his people, not break the rules and become a bad example.
Identification of Issue 2
The issues mentioned above must be managed by all means. If these are not managed then
the downgrade of an organization has already begun. It must be managed smoothly by a
senior manager, and it must be made sure that this type of ethical issues never arises again.
For this to happen, one must have enough knowledge on how to handle these situations, for
they may change for the worst in future if not handled properly.
If one has no knowledge about how to handle them, then they may refer to some ethical
framework, which will let them knowledge about how to handle these situations. An ethical
framework is simply preparing some codes to guide one's behaviour, in a way that no one is
harmed.
Addressing Issue 2
In the case of a favourite employee of the leader or manager, they must be warned the first
time and some actions must be taken so that the similar actions must not be encountered
again. If this issue is still ongoing then strict actions must be taken, which may lead to the
employee getting fired. Moreover, proper knowledge of this action must be discussed with
the employees, and they must be discouraged from doing similar actions. The senior manager
must also keep a regular eye on the behaviour of the employees those work under him so that
the same issue is not encountered.
The behaviour of the leader must be ethical so that he could set a proper example for his
fellow employees (Storey, 2016). In the cases of unethical behaviour and breaking rules, the
leader must be demoted to make them repent for the ways of work. If this issue goes further,
strict actions must be taken. The other employees should be taught about the rules and to
respect them.

Conclusion
Ethics is an important part of one’s life, and without it, we are merely animals. Ethics must be
followed by people to make life easier and meaningful. Ethics is the base of humanity. In an
organization, unethical work should be avoided as it may lead to some serious damage, after
which repenting is of no use.
Part B
Introduction
Ethics, simply, is a set up of moral principles. Being an important branch of philosophy, it
decides what is best for a society and its individuals. This term, ethics, is obtained from a
Greek word, ethos, which means character and habit. Ethics is derived from various things
such as religion, culture, and philosophies. It guides us toward proper humanity.
Summary of Ethics and Frameworks
Ethics is the base of an organisation. Without it, the company has no sustainability and its
reputation is harmed in the long run. There are various types of unethical activities that harm
the workplace. Some very common as discussed earlier in Part A, the company has to reject
all forms of personal bias within the employees and the employers to create a positive and
healthy environment. The behaviour of the leader in these concerns has to be crucial and
tactical (Brenner, 2016). Identifying and rectifying your workplace behaviours can greatly
influence the behaviour of the employees. Hiring specialised people will also help you build
proper and tactical frameworks for the different employer-employee situation. Strict
measures should be taken against those who engage and encourage unethical workplace
behaviours. The leader also has to follow the ethics code. The leader sets up the example by
showing everyone how to operate ethically and creating a prosperous organisation, without
harming anyone.
Reflection on Future Workplace Behaviour
My future workplace behaviour will be greatly influenced by the studies and findings done
previously on the importance of organizational ethics and the need for proper leadership. I
will keep in mind that my workplace adopts all the necessary ethical frameworks in order to

avoid any unethical behaviour. One of the serious organizational behavioural flaws is
nurturing a culture of bias amongst the employees. I will make sure that I and my other co-
workers from the management treat all the employees equally without showing
unprofessional bias towards any of them. Secondly, I will focus on not only nurturing my
own leadership skills but also emphasize on creating strong leaders amongst the workforce. A
thorough assessment of organizational activities would help me identify the particular
behavioural flaws like these and rectify them to make the processes more transparent.
Organisational ethics have a huge influence on workplace behaviour of employees. An in-
depth understanding of ethical frameworks and how they affect different processes would
help me diminish the unethical practices from the various operational processes of the
organisation. I aim to create relevant ethical frameworks that would be on the favour of
organisational objectives and culture. Employees would have to be trained in order to
establish a strong sense of a code of conduct of the given Company. My behaviour with the
different stakeholders, including employees, management and other extra organisational
members, would be transparent and highly professional—keeping the aim of organisational
development.
The behaviour of the senior workers in an organization is a crucial element that defines the
organizational culture. Therefore, leadership qualities play an important role in the
management of the Company (Alvesson & Sveningsson, 2015). The employees of an
organization learn the organizational values and ethics from the performance and practices of
senior members. When employees see their senior members practising the ethical frameworks
with dedication and perseverance, they naturally feel the urge to diminish their unethical
behaviours and practices. For example, if I see my senior colleague be punctual and
hardworking in the workplace, I would not only be inspired to do the same but also
encourage my fellow co-workers to adopt the practice of time-management.
One of the most essential government structures that are absolutely necessary for the current
business market is the adoption of CSR activities. CSR refers to Corporate Social
Responsibilities towards the external environment and society, which in turn makes the
business more sustainable. Unethical business practices take a heavy toll on our external
environment by over-consumption of resources and abilities. A sustainable organisation
would need to take up various activities that would work towards the improvement of the
external environment. This particular corporate structure is important to not only make the

business processes more sustainable but also evolve as a socially aware and sensitized
business force in the international market.
According to (Pope, 2015), every organisation has its own code of ethics and culture. In
future when I start working in a particular Company, I will need to be trained and informed
about the specific ethical framework. With proper guidance and self-dedication, I would try
to internalise the organisational code of ethics and frameworks. I will look up to my
colleagues and other senior members of the organisation and observe them in their day-to-day
work practices. In an organization where all employees maintain a specific code of conduct,
my behaviour will also be influenced by them. Therefore the particular culture of the
organisation is bound to have a huge influence on my organisational behaviour.
Therefore, it can be said that particular codes of conduct can be used to create a particular
organizational culture. Organizational cultures play an influential role in achieving
Companies aims and objectives. The specific codes of conduct are then used by organizations
to influence their organization’s culture in relevance to their particular aims and objectives.
For example, the culture of punctuality, transparency, time-management and adoption of CSR
activities comprise an effective part of organizational codes of conduct. Practising such
relevant regulations and corporate laws not only benefit the organization itself but also the
external environment and society concerned. Hence, creating an ethical culture in the
organization is a process that requires all parties to devote themselves to the greater good of
the organization concerned. Particular codes have been devised for particular industries and
their specific cultures. Adopting such relevant codes can be extremely beneficial for creating
the required organizational culture.
Conclusion
To conclude, the sustainability of an organisation heavily depends on the code of ethics and
frameworks. Ethical management of corporate issues like bias and unprofessionalism would
give sufficient information on how to develop leadership qualities. The studies about ethics
and culture play an important role in influencing my behaviour in my future workplace. In
this process, all the stakeholders work in close relation to each other and influences each
other to strengthen the organisational codes of conduct.

References
Alvesson, M., & Sveningsson, S. (2015). Changing organizational culture: Cultural change
work in progress. Routledge.
Brenner, M. L. (2016). Investigating chef-leader behaviour impacts on subordinate work
team identification: A pitch. Accounting and Management Information
Systems, 15(4), 826.
Ciocirlan, C. E. (2017). Environmental workplace behaviors: Definition
matters. Organization & Environment, 30(1), 51-70.
Hudson, M., Netto, G., Noon, M., Sosenko, F., de Lima, P., & Kamenou-Aigbekaen, N.
(2017). Ethnicity and low wage traps: favouritism, homosocial reproduction and
economic marginalization. Work, Employment and Society, 31(6), 992-1009.
Pope, K. S. (2015). Steps to strengthen ethics in organizations: Research findings, ethics
placebos, and what works.
Storey, J. (2016). Changing theories of leadership and leadership development. In Leadership
in Organizations (pp. 33-58). Routledge.