Exercises



BUSINESS STUDIES

GRADE 12

Read the following extracts taken from “Business Day - Posted to the web on: 28 February 2008” carefully as the questions below are based on it.

IF YOU have an interest in the collection of oxymorons then no doubt the terms “business ethics” and “ethical management” have long been in your collection. Yet the development of the corporate conscience is no laughing matter. Billions are spent each year by corporations determined to convince employees, customers and shareholders that they can be trusted.

Why then is business in SA being forced to acknowledge that it doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong?

Whether it be the awarding of illegitimate tenders in the public sector; anticompetitive behaviour in the private sector; or the notion that corporate governance and situational ethics provide two more oxymorons for that collection, it becomes apparent that the corporate conscience in SA is underdeveloped and in need of urgent attention. And that doesn’t mean more regulation.

Think about it for a moment. Unethical behaviour starts with someone along the value chain forgetting to ask if it’s legal and fair. And if it’s legal and fair then how will that behaviour make them feel?

The perversity is that many business executives are encouraged to come up with original ways to get around ethical behaviour, something that becomes easier to do as they are able to explain away the need for ethical behaviour using moral relativism (or meta-ethical relativism) to justify their behaviour. It is this type of relativism that encourages a corporate culture that subjugates personal ethics and tolerates unethical behaviour by people who consider themselves to be ethical. Meta-ethical relativism goes some way to explaining Ariel’s finding that we can explain away unethical behaviour if it is one step away from monetary reward.

The greatest threat to moral relativism at a corporate level is the ethical person — people who understand what ethical behaviour is and are prepared to pay a price for upholding their values. Every business executive at some point in their career will be called upon to make a decision that will force them to pay a price for being ethical. Values and principles that don’t cost you something at some point aren’t worth the paper they are written on.

So, now go find yourself a mirror. Look yourself in the eye and ask yourself if this statement is true or false: “ I am an ethical person.”

After the appearance of this article, the local Chamber of Business has decided to address the matter of ethics in business with its members.

You have been asked to present a power point presentation to the members on the theme “Ethics in Business”.

Draw up an outline for a power point presentation, together with your speaker’s notes that you will use.

(50)

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