THE BYSTANDER

Ethics refer to standards of behaviour that tell us how human beings ought to act in the many situations in which they find themselves (Markkula Centre for Applied Ethics. Santa Clara University, 2015). The business dictionary describes ethics as the basic and fundamental principles of decent human behaviour. In my own words, ethics are acceptable standards of behaviours among a group of people. The role of ethics in management A set of acceptable behaviours have a role in curtailing management behaviours in order for members of the management team to behave as expected of them in an organization. Ethics helps managers to treat other employees fairly and subsequently create a more conducive work environment for all employees.  In my opinion, ethics are both personal and organizational issues. The ethical climate of an organization depends largely on management. Professor Emeritus Steve Mintz enumerated some ways that management can use to create a more ethical organizational cultur...

Ethics refers to standards of behavior that tell us how human beings ought to act in the many situations ( Velasquez et al , 2015).  Ethics is about determining value; it is deciding what is worth doing and what does not matter so much  ( Brusseau, 2012) . E thics has everything to do with management. Unethical business practice involves the tacit, if not explicit, cooperation of others and reflects the values, attitudes, beliefs, language, and behavioral patterns that define an organization’s operating culture (Paine, 1994 ). DISCUSSION What do you see as the role of ethics as it pertains to management and managers? Managers in organizations face ethical issues every day of their working lives . As managers take decisions they face ethical issues .  Whether they be engaged in   planning, organizing, motivating, communicating, or some   other management role, they face the fact that matters of   right and wrong, fairness and unfairness, and justic...

Ethics is an important part of a successful organization because owners and managers have to set the standard of ethics in the organization. It is management responsibility to set tone and shape the normal working environment. Seeds are easy to sow for unethical behavior in the mind of employees and it is especially important when people who are responsible does not set good example. Employees should know that there are personal and professional rights within the company. As if an employee is facing harassment, than the management should take it seriously. The working conditions are necessary and work schedule should be appropriate and fair. The administration, who does not keep employees' moral rights, will end up creating policies that can adversely affect the morale and motivation of workers (Fabian, 2017). Is employee behavior, ethical or not, a by-product of the organization's ethical climate?  Employees trust their management at the time when employees and executives prac...

In every industry, a code of conduct is important for managers, as a workforce  can not move forward without integrity from its leaders. The best managers place a high value on fairness and ethics, and their own performance as well. Not only do managers who create their own code of conduct benefit their workers, but they also often benefit the entire company’s public image ( Amico, n.d). This statement from the website Chron is crucial. It is easy to make rules and expectations but as a manager and leader you too must adhere to those guidelines as well. The leader sets the tone for the workforce that is why it is so important that they “Walk the Talk”. If the manager does not follow the code of conduct or show ethical behavior, then many will think why should I? Good managers are leaders and they need to set the example because workers are watching and learning from their actions. If a leader chooses to ignore some rules, then it can be expected that employees who see that behavior...

Conflicts of interest In any endeavor involving more than one person, there will be conflicts of interest.  In the Enron case, these conflicts included: Individual vs. corporate goals (for example, Enron leadership’s self-interest vs. the interest of its shareholders) Enron vs. Arthur Andersen auditors Arthur Andersen auditors vs. Accenture consulting Investors vs. Arthur Andersen auditors Avoiding the conflicts I don’t believe “avoid” is the right word.  That word implies that conflict is eliminated.  But there are always competing interests in any exchange.  Therefore, I believe the better course of action is to recognize and acknowledge that the conflicts exist – and then to try to create structures and environments that reduce their effect. Further, “what could have been done” depends, to a large extent, on who is being asked to do something.  Obviously, Enron senior leadership could have decided not to engage in the off-balance-shee...

This paper discusses and analyzes the relationship and conflict of interest between Arthur Andersen LLP, a fast-growing accounting and financial audit company in the United States, and its client Enron, an American energy company, with incorrect financial reports, then will provide some recommendations that could avoid the conflict of interest. Discussion Arthur Andersen LLP established in 1913 by Arthur Andersen, was one of the largest audit firms in the world, Andersen was one of the fastest-growing and most profitable auditing units and consulting networks in the world in 1984. Arthur Andersen and its largest client in the business faces a serious integrity issue that could have avoided if the conflict of interest in their areas of business was properly addressed. The issue starts when it was revealed that Enron ‘s financial statements report which was audited by Arthur Andersen contained some incorrect financial information. Andersen was considered responsible for auditing the Enro...

The conflict of interest between the two roles played by Arthur Andersen, as auditor but also as consultant to Enron; the lack of attention shown by members of the Enron board of directors to the off-books financial entities with which Enron did business; and the lack of truthfulness by management about the health of the company and its business operations. In some ways, the culture of Enron was the primary cause of the collapse. The senior executives believed Enron had to be the best at everything it did and that they had to protect their reputations and their compensation as the most successful executives in the U.S. When some of their business and trading ventures began to perform poorly, they tried to cover up their own failures. Greed and a lack of fundamental ethical values drove a potentially successful company into the ground. Had the executives of the corporation instilled values into their corporate culture that reflected dealings with them and others in a value driven and et...