A few years ago Shell, a British oil-company, had to close an old oil-rig in the North Sea. All relevant scientists and governments agreed pulling it down into the sea would be best in terms of environment and costs. But when the idea was launched by Shells managers there was a lot of protest all over Europe. People, heavily supported by Greenpeace, started to boycott Shells petrol stations and stopped buying in their shops. As a result the company decided to rebuild the oil-rig on land accepting several negative consequences.
This essay therefore aims by way of the examples of Shell and others to become more familiar with the issue of practical business ethics and it gives details about its routes and meanings. Also, the reasons for implementing ethical action into daily business are explained more detailed and questions of why the management has to behave socially responsible are tackled. Thoughts are spend on “How could ethical behaviour be introduced into the business world?” and ‘social responsibility’ is divided into three main strands and directions. And finally, some practical advice for future behaviour is give, too.
At a glance
- Grade: 1.0 (1.0 is the best grade)
- Includes ten practical rules for good business conduct
- Includes a twelve-step process for implementing a business ethics code
- Examines Shell's North Sea oil-rig disposal controversy
- 15 sources in the bibliography
Table of Contents
The document does not contain a table of contents.
Objective and Themes
This essay examines how managers can address ethical dilemmas, drawing on concepts of business ethics, corporate social responsibility, business examples and practical guidance for ethical conduct.
- The meanings of morality, ethics and business ethics
- Social responsibility and its internal and external dimensions
- Individual and collective reasons for ethical business conduct
- Stakeholder concerns in the Shell and ABB examples
- Practical rules and implementation of a business ethics code
Excerpt from the Book
DRAWING ON RELEVANT THEORIES OF BUSINESS ETHICS, EXAMINE MANAGERIAL APPROACHES USED IN DEALING WITH ETHICAL DILEMMAS.
A few years ago Shell, a British oil-company, had to close an old oil-rig in the North Sea. All relevant scientists and governments agreed, pulling it down onto the ground of the sea. This seemed to be the best solution in terms of environment and costs. But when the idea was launched by Shells managers there was a lot of protest all over Europe. People, heavily supported by Greenpeace, started to boycott Shells petrol stations and stopped buying in their shops. As an result the company decided to rebuild the oil-rig on land.
The reasons for peoples behaviour might have been diverse. Some probably could not believe that companies are allowed to waste environment that much. Others might be concerned how this could affect the food chain. But the majority of protestants argued that companies are responsible for their surroundings [Palazzo, G., 2002]. Namely managers should take care about their stakeholders. They have to respect others and to behave therefore. This essay is going to outline several aspects of ethical behaviour to be done by managers recently.
To become more familiar with the issue of business ethics it might be necessary to give details about its routes and meanings. For ethics there are two specific fields of interest: Firstly ‘moral’, which stand for answers that can be given by any human being as an individual person to judge between ‘good’ and ‘bad’. It was developed within many years in each culture independently. But as general ideas all over the world can be seen: the ‘idea of the good’ (Plato), the ‘idea of succeed life’ (Aristotle) and the ‘clear practically reason’ (Kant). Their observance is basic and necessary to live in a peaceful and worth living surrounding. It is essential that every member of this particular society keeps in these ‘guidelines’ - otherwise it would not work. On the other hand there is ‘ethics’ itself. This means the reasoning of all individual values and principles, which are causing human actions – or in other words the ‘what-has-to-be’. And business ethics, generally, are asking for good and moral actions to be implemented and transferred into business [Kreikebaum, 1996].
Chapter Summary
The essay has no separately titled main chapters. Its continuous discussion introduces business ethics and social responsibility, considers reasons for ethical conduct, and examines managerial responses using business examples and practical guidance.
Keywords
business ethics, ethical dilemmas, management, corporate social responsibility, stakeholders, morality, corporate values, ethical conduct, code of ethics, Shell, ABB, employee motivation
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the essay about?
It examines managerial approaches to ethical dilemmas in business.
What are its central themes?
Its themes include morality, social responsibility, stakeholder interests, corporate values and practical ethical guidance.
What is the essay's main question?
It asks how managers can deal with ethical dilemmas using ideas from business ethics.
What method does the author use?
The author presents a literature-based discussion illustrated by business examples and published ethical guidelines. The essay does not describe an original empirical study.
What does the main discussion cover?
It explores the meanings of ethics, reasons for responsible conduct, illustrative dilemmas and ways to implement ethical standards in business.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include business ethics, ethical dilemmas, social responsibility, stakeholders, corporate values and codes of ethics.
How is Shell used in the essay?
The essay uses a North Sea oil-rig disposal controversy to introduce stakeholder concerns and public responses to managerial decisions.
What practical guidance is included?
The appendices reproduce ten rules for good business conduct and twelve steps for implementing a code of business ethics.
- Quote paper
- Michael A. Braun (Author), 2002, Drawing on relevant theories of business ethics, examine managerial approaches used in dealing with ethical dilemmas, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/43158
