SBM3204 - Sustainability and Ethics: A Detailed Self Reflection

This self-reflection report explores the student's understanding of sustainability and ethics within a business context. It covers key learning outcomes including regulations, law, and business ethics in organizations, the role of organizational values in supporting ethical decision-making, the implications of social and public pressure on ethical behavior, and how to respond to ethical dilemmas. Furthermore, the report discusses promoting corporate responsibility through values, both internally and externally, with a focus on stakeholder engagement in the media. The reflection connects learning to specific experiences, supported by examples and evidence, demonstrating a critical analysis of the subject matter.

Running head: SELF REFLECTION REPORT 1
Sustainability and ethics
Student details:
5/17/2019

SELF REFLECTION REPORT 2
Regulations, law and business ethics in organizations
The law, regulations and business ethics are key concern for the business, corporations, and
similarly for people. Behaving in the manner, which adds the value without improper actions or
adverse cost for the other people or group, organizational leader particularly are required to be
entirely careful of the consequences of some judgments and managerial routes, and make sure
alignment with public interest.
I can see that, there are various cases of ethical mistake where the corporations decision takers
followed interest, which is beneficial for them at a society’s cost. I came to know that the 2008
financial fall down was the big deal of bad decision-taking as per the part of banks. The Enron
scandal is a great example of people selecting personal reward at a society’s cost at the great
level. I realized that these kinds of conditions are edges, but they focus only how serious these
adverse consequences may be at what time ethics are not considered.
During the work in organization, I felt that the workers must never oppress or annoy prospective
client. It is significant to compel with laws, regulations and business ethics. The business ethics
policy should clearly affirm that all the activities are prohibited at works. The workers should try
to rise in the organization through accepting credits for works, which other workers really
performed. It is not required to make this ethical fall in judgments. It is necessarily required to
consider and resolve the issues of employees seriously. As per business ethics, the workers of
organization should act in the best interest of company. In this way, I understand that business
ethics tell the manager and employees how they are required to act at workstation (Perez, 2015).

SELF REFLECTION REPORT 3
Organizational values to support ethical decisions
The organizational values define the key principles as well as ethics that the corporation would
tolerate by, in any case. While working in the organization, I felt that the organizational values
are very helpful in taking ethical decisions. I understand that these organizational values support
the best efforts of workers and also restrain the actions. It can say that, clearly-articulated values
must be the real reflection of the aspirations of company for the proper conducts at workstation
(Rhou, Singal and Koh, 2016).
It is realized by me that the organizational values have very significant role in creating the
helpful culture at the organization. In this way, it is stated that the organizations that state the
logical sets of ethical principles are more likely to be advantageous and place the test of period.
Having clarity in the values would also assist the company to draw the attention of the right
persons including clients, workers as well as colleagues, and enhance the loyalty, focus,
collaboration and faith. I also found that the organizational values include the intricate procedure
utilized to have the impacts of the activities on the people and entities we serve. At the same time
as most of the decisions are regular, the people may surprisingly face the ethical dilemma while
abnormal conditions happen unexpectedly for that the instant responses are required. For being
ethically successful, this is vital that the people know and respect how organizational values
influence the social environment. In this way it can say that without the impacts over ethics, the
companies may miss the chances to support responsibilities for the external environment as well
as internal environment. Hence, the failure may lead to the outcry of unhelpful public opinions,
or even worse, legislative problems (Oh, et. al, 2017).

SELF REFLECTION REPORT 4
Implications of social pressure and public pressure for ethical behavior in organizations
The external social pressure is a main driver in business ethics. It is particularly appropriate for
the small business in the small communities. The corporations require rendering the strong
consideration to social expectation in the fields of the participation of the common community
and the obligations related to the environment. As an employee, I can realize that the social
pressure may destroy the image of corporation, efficiency as well as the brand equity (Skubinn
and Herzog, 2016).
Further in each matter, social pressure has an important role in deciding the organizational
approaches and performances. I also analyzed that the impacts of social pressure over the
organizations are one of the dynamics explored in new prize-winning study, which evaluates the
social atmosphere and political atmosphere where the organizations run. I came to know that if
activists call attention to the bad environmental record of company, the social and public
pressure may discourage the consumer from purchasing the goods, cause certain investors to
avoid the stocks, and decrease efficiency by hurting worker’s confidence as well as inspiration.
In this way, It is required by the company to be helpful to the various types of pressures. It is
clear to me that the great social pressure may lead the best social performances. As per the
different meaning I can say that, the companies step up accountable conduct in relation to the
pressures. Through the internet and journal articles, I found that Nike became the industry leader
in encouraging best working condition in footwear as well as casual wear factories in the world
everywhere subsequent to activist creates the organization the important target in year 1990.
Generally, the social and public pressure tends to improve the organizational social performances
when damaging the financial performances (Lee, Raschke and Louis, 2016).

SELF REFLECTION REPORT 5
Respond to ethical dilemmas that threaten the organizations and industries
I realized that the values-based issues or ethical dilemmas in a workstation are, at best, complex
to handle while the workers have to select between what is correct or what is incorrect as per the
own principles. It is well experienced by me that the forward-thinking workers who apply the
workplace ethical approaches are normally well-prepared for a possible interest conflict, which
arises because of the diversity of the views, beliefs and culture in a labor force. On the other
hand, handling ethical issues in the workplace requires steady and cautious strategies to the cases
that may possibly be prohibited and risky.
I realized that the training of employees is very much important to resolve this issue. It is
required to use different directional approaches to take on the workers within learning how to
state and solve the ethical dilemmas at workstation. I also recognize that establish the workplace
policy based the philosophy of company, code of conduct and mission statement. I came to know
that it is required to integrate the policies in the performance management programs to keep the
workers liable for the activities and alert them to the duties to uphold professional norms through
the job performances and interaction with manager as well as people (Crane and Matten, 2016).
How to promote the corporate responsibility by values within and to stakeholders in media
The Corporate Social Responsibility is the business strategy with the increasing currency in USA
and everywhere in the world. I read that it is stated by Corporate Social Responsibility that the
companies have duties towards the various stakeholders in the conducts of a business, and not
only to company’s shareholders. I know that this is regarding business assuming duties, which go

SELF REFLECTION REPORT 6
well beyond a scope of easy trading relations. I have gained the knowledge of a connection
between organizational corporate social responsibility reputation and the performances of
company (Ferrell, 2016).
It is found by me that it is essential to describe the CSR for the entity as well as industry. What
works for the banks or the producers of furniture can be importantly diverse from the bottling
corporation or the store. It is also required to make wide-ranging and constant research over the
matter of Corporate Social Responsibility. The measurable costs must be tracked because as
much as an organization desires to be socially liable; this also has the duty to be economically
liable to different shareholders. Further, I experienced that the activities should be
communicated on the inside to all the workers and outwardly to all the stakeholders of
companies in proper manner. It is essential thing to state the organizational leader that what the
people are doing and motivate them to join in conducting the efforts. Moreover, it is required to
provide ad-hoc people the authorities as well as duties to find out the manner to make this occur.
I think the reason is that they would do this far faster in comparison of certain corporate
committees. In this way, the value of corporate social responsibility should be communicated to
the workers of company effectively (Scandelius and Cohen, 2016).

SELF REFLECTION REPORT 7
References
Crane, A. and Matten, D. (2016) Business ethics: Managing corporate citizenship and
sustainability in the age of globalization. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Ferrell, O.C. (2016) A framework for understanding organizational ethics. In Business ethics:
New challenges for business schools and corporate leaders (pp. 15-29). Routledge.
Lee, M.T., Raschke, R.L. and Louis, R.S. (2016) Exploiting organizational culture:
Configurations for value through knowledge worker's motivation. Journal of Business
Research, 69(11), pp.5442-5447.
Oh, I.S., Blau, G., Han, J.H. and Kim, S. (2017) Human capital factors affecting human resource
(HR) managers' commitment to HR and the mediating role of perceived organizational value on
HR. Human Resource Management, 56(2), pp.353-368.
Pérez, A. (2015) Corporate reputation and CSR reporting to stakeholders: Gaps in the literature
and future lines of research. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 20(1), pp.11-
29.
Rhou, Y., Singal, M. and Koh, Y. (2016) CSR and financial performance: The role of CSR
awareness in the restaurant industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 57,
pp.30-39.
Scandelius, C. and Cohen, G. (2016) Achieving collaboration with diverse stakeholders—The
role of strategic ambiguity in CSR communication. Journal of Business Research, 69(9),
pp.3487-3499.

SELF REFLECTION REPORT 8
Skubinn, R. and Herzog, L. (2016) Internalized moral identity in ethical leadership. Journal of
Business Ethics, 133(2), pp.249-260.