Ethics

Organizations vary in scope and their nature of businesses, and it is difficult to make sweeping generalizations without a thorough analysis. Financially difficult times for organizations can result from a downturn in the overall economy, as it is seen at present, due to an unprecedented reduction in global financial liquidity. On the other hand, it can also result from ongoing problems within the market sector the company is currently operating in, or as a result of internal problems within the company itself.

However the two terms ‘redundancy’ and ‘downsizing’ are commonly used in today’s human resource management practice, and must be critically examined in light of difficulties faced by organizations in financially challenging situations. Only then can a comprehensive evaluation of human resource practices be undertaken, taking into account the company’s strategic objectives – to survive, re-structure or do both simultaneously. It is only then we would be in a position to evaluate the relationship between a company’s financial imperatives and its commitment to its employees’ career growth and well-being.

An organisational analysis of ‘downsizing’ Kozlowski et al (1993) defined downsizing as ‘a deliberate organisational decision to reduce the workforce that is intended to improve organisational performance’. The focus here is on improving organisational performance, which although directly related to the organisation’s financial imperatives to survive, implies an adaptive process through which the organization seeks to meet the challenges of the rapidly changing environment it finds itself in.

The survivors in the process will often also have to re-train, re-orient themselves in newly created roles (deployment). Often these people lose their former status, pay, benefits and even their specialized attributes. These actions are carried out even though the management of the company is fully aware of these decisions on company loyalty, morale and a reduced quality of life for its employees, often due to stress and depression.

It might be questioned therefore whether such an organisation placed its financial imperatives above its employees’ interests, but in reality, few employees fail to realize that survival was at the top of the list of the organization’s priorities. The anti-employee stance of the organization can be performed as a management function, a little discussed function of the human resources department of the organisation. “Downsizing is probably the most pervasive, yet understudied phenomenon, in the business world”, according to Cameron (1994).

In may instances, a vertical integration between an organization’s business strategy and human resource strategy may be poor – and this is often perceived as an organisation’s lack of interest in its employees. Downsizing can be carried out by organizations by a planned, systematic pro-active strategic approach which involves openness with employees, an explanation of the organization’s goals and enough time for the employees to prepare themselves for alternative careers and life goals, or allow for transition to other organisations.

It has been found that employees are much more likely to accept a decision like redundancy when and adequate and genuine explanation is offered for it. (Brockner 1990). In sharp contrast is the reactive approach to downsizing, which is carried out without a strategy in place, and results in unpleasant feelings both from those who lost their jobs and the survivors. In a study by McCune (1998), 94 % of HR managers had less than 2 months from start to finish in the downsizing process.

Such reactive downsizing results from an urgent need for cost reduction for some organizations, and often do not consider any other alternatives to downsizing – and gives rise to the popular perception which is the main premise of the article – that in times of economic crises, organizations often respond in own their best financial interests, disregarding that of their employees. Quite often, this has negative consequences for even their remaining staff, and this can lead to adverse consequences for the organization’s strategy.

From a human resources perspective it is essential that organizations that organizations adopt good practices when it comes to employees in the event of downsizing or redundancies. Why not all organizations are pro-active when it comes to employees’ interests Organizations vary greatly to the extent to which their human resources management policies are vertically integrated with their strategic objectives. Some are dependant critically on short-term and temporary contracts, others primarily on outsourcing and yet others have no robust HR management policy in place at all.

Relatively few organizations successfully manage to implement a pro-active policy when it comes to protecting their employees’ interests in the long run. In this respect a few analytical typologies (Thornhill 1998) can be used to explain why organizations vary in their capacity to be pro-active in managing change in financially difficult climates when it comes to human resources policies and their approach to downsizing or re-structuring.

From a strategic perspective, three such typologies have been discussed by Cameron (1991) and Mishra and Mishra (1994) : (i) Workforce Reduction strategy : This is usually a common and widespread method of reducing the headcount of an organization during a difficult economic climate. As indicated earlier, this is often a reactive method rather than a planned strategic action, often with short and long term negative consequences – since the amount of work remains the same but the headcount is reduced.

It is important to remember why this is adopted by many organizations as a preferred method – it is cost-effective, and for many organizations in difficult climates, the cost of alternative strategies is too high for their survival. Typically these are organizations which are typically small to medium, which do not have an ongoing strategy for employee training and development, and who do not require a highly skilled workforce with specialisms essential for carrying out their business.

Mishra and Mishra (1994) typically found that in these organizations, redundancy led to significant loss of productivity and efficiency. In addition Thornhill and Gibbons (1995) discusses a repeated cyclical process in these organizations which continue to implement workforce reduction whenever financial problems arise. This has an extremely negative impact on the morale and job security of the remaining employees, and such organizations find it difficult to recruit and retain the best workers.

(ii) Organisation redesign strategy : In the study by Thornhill (1998) about half the studied organizations employed this strategy. This involves de-layering the organization, and also typically eliminating work and job redesigning for its employees. Therefore, the headcount as well as the amount of work is reduced in a planned fashion, with less negative adverse effects to the organization. It is notable that although the net effect on employees being made redundant is still the same, some organizations actually make to effort to provide proper explanations to outgoing employees.

(iii) Systemic change strategy : This is often a more fundamental re-structuring in organizations involving its own employees and adopting a continuous change management program designed to bring about continued improvement. A third of organizations use this method Cameron 1993), and its use is not only limited to financially difficult climates, but also during times of normal functioning as part of continuous re-structuring. Although downsizing is commonly undertaken it is done as part of a continuous change management strategy in mind, and is likely to generate the least effect on organizational performance.

A cultural perspective on reduced job security in times of recession and financial crises – a case study in the UK Expectations for life-long jobs in the corporate sector have radically transformed over the last two decades, beginning noticeably with the 1990’s. At all levels, from managerial to non-managerial technical ones, employees progressively look at jobs as opportunities to ‘gain skills’ and then move on. A particularly detailed study in this respect was carried out by Hopfl and Smith (1992), on two of the largest British firms British Telecom (BT) and British Airways (BA).

This new shift in organization consciousness was noticed as early as in the 1990’s, to put in the authors’ words : “Many BT staff no longer have the belief that they are “stamped BT to the core”, as one manager put it. This is perhaps an indication of a “healthier” relationship between the employee and the organization. ” This culture change is a very important consideration when it comes to analyzing the attitude of modern organizations to job cuts. Change programs as the study highlights, arise out of commercial needs.

The need to downsize or redeploy as part of an organization’s need to survive overrides all other considerations as competition in the marketplace has become extreme. One senior manager quoted in the study confronted a group of managers with the brutally honest message: “Don’t be deluded into thinking the change was about being nice to each other. It was about effectiveness, performance and survival”. While BA had introduced job cuts as part of its re-structuring, it had also set about a change management program to re-define the relationship between its employees and the organization.

Moving away from its roots of its earlier commitment culture by working 12 hour days, it introduced the concept of work-life balance and stressed upon the importance of family live and espousing family values. Both BA and BT changed the culture of the organization in which they incorporated human resource concerns into their corporate objectives – this was intended to raise the morale of employees in uncertain financial times, improve their sense of commitment and motivation. In this atmosphere of trust, employees feel valued and not manipulated in the event of corporate re-structuring, and even redundancies.

The above real-life scenario provides an example of how human resources can play an effective role in preparing the employees for unfavorable decisions include redundancies, by being transparent, brutally honest and still appearing concerned about employees’ welfare. This can be accomplished by a cultural change management program which encourages such healthy relationships. An Ethical View of Organizations not put its employees’ interests first There is little doubt that organizations can always find legitimate justifications for putting its own survival interests first – before consideration of its employees.

Several authors have stated the same theme : Ethical principles and the reality of the marketplace are often not compatible with each other. (Cadbury 1987). The duty of an organization to safeguard its employees’ best interests in times of financial crisis can only be termed a moral obligation, and a part of the organization’s corporate social responsibility. On the other hand, the process of downsizing and making people redundant raises a host of ethical and moral dilemmas. How to select those people earmarked for downsizing ?

Beauchamp and Bowie (1979) studied the ethical issues facing managers who are responsible for downsizing, and found that the majority of them adopt an utilitarian view. They somehow seem to believe that the decision to downsize is for the common good of the largest number of people within the organization, and would make the financial problems of the organization go away. This finding is shared by other authors as well, notably Premeux and Mondy (1993) and Fritzsche and Becker (1984).

From a managerial perspective, the definition of the population whole best interests were taken care of invariably the company or the organization and its insiders, and not from the social perspective or point of view. Since organizations are chiefly financial entities, and comprise of employees, it is difficult to argue that downsizing implies acting against the interest of employees. It merely implies that unpopular decisions were taken to ensure that the organization survived first and the greatest number of employees’ best interests were at the core of the decision.

In conclusion, a critical analysis of the premise that during financially difficulties, it is always the financial imperatives that are prioritized above the employees’ interests is a situation fraught with moral dilemmas. The role of Human Resources in implementing this decision is merely to ‘soften’ the impact, but at its core, financial imperatives to survive will always remain the chief justification for any difficult decision, in challenging times.

References

1. Beauchamp, T. L. and Bowie, N. E. (1979), Ethical Theory and Business, Prentice-Hall, Englewood
2. Cliffs, NJ. Brockner, J. (1990), “Scope of justice in the workplace: how survivors react to co-worker layoffs”, Journal of Social Issues, Vol. 46 No. 1, pp. 95-106.
3. Cadbury, Sir Adrian, “Ethical Managers Make Their Own Rules”, Harvard Business Review, September-October, 1987
4. Cameron, K. S. , Freeman, S. J. and Mishra, A. K. (1991), “Best practices in white-collar downsizing: managing contradictions”, Academy of Management Executive, Vol. 5 No. 3, pp. 57-73.
5. Cameron, K. S., Freeman, S. J. and Mishra, A. K. (1993), “Organizational downsizing”, in Huber, G. P. and Glick, W. H. (Eds), Organizational Change and Redesign, Oxford University Press, New York, NY.
6. Cameron, K. S. (1994a), “Investigating organizational downsizing ± fundamental issues”, Human Resource Management, Vol. 33 No. 2, pp. 183-8.
7. Fritzsche, D. J. and Becker, H. (1984), “Linking management behaviour to ethical philosophy:an empirical investigation”, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 27 No. 1, pp. 166-75.
8. Hopfl, H. , Smith, S. and Spencer, S. (1992), “Values and valuations: the conflicts between culture change and job cuts”, Personnel Review, Vol. 21 No. 1, pp. 24-38.
9. Kozlowski, S. W. , Chao, G. T. , Smith E. M. and Hedlund, J. (1993), “Organizational downsizing: strategies, interventions, and research implications”, in Cooper, C. L. and Robertson, I. T. (Eds), International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY, pp. 263-332.
10. McCune, J. T. , Beatty, R. W. and Montagno, R. V. (1988), “Downsizing: practices in manufacturing firms”, Human Resource Management, Vol. 27 No. 2, pp. 145-61.
11. Mishra, A. K. and Mishra, K. E. (1994), “The role of mutual trust in effective downsizing strategies”, Human Resource Management, Vol. 33 No. 2, pp. 261-79.
12. Premeux, S. R. and Mondy, R. W. (1993), “Linking management behaviour to ethical philosophy”, Journal of Business Ethics, No. 12, pp. 349-57.
13. Thornhill A, Saunders M (1998) “The meanings, consequences and implications of the management of downsizing and redundancy: a review”. Personel Review. Vol 27 No. 4, pp 271-295.

Topic: Discuss ethics and the development of international law. BY Knockings Name : Ronald Jordan Topic: Discuss ethics and the development of international law. Introduction International law Is defined as body of rules common to all civilized nations, equally binding upon all and impartially governing their mutual intercourse. ” On the other hand, the term ethics, with reference to the Oxford dictionary , simply means Moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity. The question then arises how does ethics play a role in international law?

For the purpose f this paper the writer will first give the readers a general conceptualization, where he speaks of the different sources and the development o International law , he then attempts to highlight the Importance of ethics In International law along with his analysis and promptly after conclude. Development of international Law With essence to the more contemporary contract theorist such as Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau, there is need for sovereignty, which Ideally leads to the creation of law because order Is necessary and chaos Inimical to a Just and stable existence.

Law Is that element which binds the members of the community together In their adherence to recognized values and standards. Every society, whether it be large or small, powerful or weak, has created for itself a framework of principles within which to develop. Law consists of a series of rules regulating behavior, and reflecting, to some extent, the ideas and preoccupations of the society within which it functions.

Law Is no stranger to International relations as It also regulates Intercourse between bodies In the International arena -Public International law (more commonly known as international law) covers relations between states In all their myriad forms, from war o satellites, and regulates the operations of the many international institutions. The term international law has been frequently been used in the 21st century but it is important to understand not only has it existed in the past but is due to the past that it has a structure today .

One o the first recorded instances of the use of international law dated back to 21 00 BC, where a solemn treaty known as Mesopotamia was signed between the rulers of Lagans and mama, with Its purpose being the establishment of a defined boundary to be respected by both sides As time continued there were variations of international law, a next instance was the establishment of eternal peace and brotherhood between Renames II of Egypt and the king of the Hitters. This show how capable states were in handling intercourse with each other. Applied to Roman citizens. It was formalistic and hard and reflected the status of a small, unsophisticated society rooted in the soil. Let was totally unable to provide a relevant background for an expanding, developing nation. After this had been recognized as sieving it purpose the , it augmented to encompass a wider array of the states affairs , its end product being the creation and the Jus genetic. This provided amplified rules to govern the relations between foreigners, and between foreigners and citizens.

At the same time the English had established commercial and maritime law named the Elementary, a code of rules covering foreign traders, and this was declared to be of universal application. By the eighteenth century was ideas pertaining to international law this pushed for the evolution of the doctrine of international law. As time elapsed there was a need for things to get more practical , in the nineteenth the Congress of Vienna, which marked the conclusion of the Napoleonic wars, enshrined the new international order which was to be based upon the European balance of power.

With the Napoleonic wars over and balance of power enshrined ,there was a stimulation of a new threats to the now stable international system ; first there was Self-determination that emerged to threaten the multinational empires of central and eastern Europe,; secondly there was nationalism reached its peak in the unifications of Germany and Italy and began to exhibit features such as expansionism and doctrines of racial superiority. In addition to that there was an enormous growth both public and private international institutions.

International law now not only had to adapt to quell these international issues , but now had to also accommodate these different institutions. And it did so , there were a few convention that came into forefend a few conferences that were held in aid of developing international law, such as the series of Geneva Conventions beginning in 1864 dealing with the ‘humidification’s conflict, and the Hogue Conferences of 1899 and 1907 established the Permanent Court of Arbitration and dealt with the treatment of prisoners and the control of warfare.

Numerous other conferences, conventions and congresses emphasized the expansion of the rules of international law and the close network of international relations International has developed so far that today there is an International Court of Justice and established sources of international law , and these are identified in Article 38 (1) of the International Court Of Justice s statute as treaties, custom, and general principles. Ethics in international Law Ethics as it relates to international law can be a very be very tricky, because of the solemn act that there is no generally accepted standard of morality.

Ethics provides us with the tools to determine whether or not we should do a certain action and the extent to which a past action should have been done. But who creates these guidelines? Who are the ones that are benefited? Every state has their own distinct moral guidelines that they follow some of these even completely contrast that of other states . The issue of this is that there is no enforcing body to regulate how individual countries act ,as how the police act as enforcers within a state. As Just law , the closest thing that can be compared to domestic law is a treaty .

According to Starker: In national domestic law, the private citizen has variety of instruments from which to hose for executing some legal act or for attesting a transaction, for example, contracts, conveyances, leases, licenses, settlements, acknowledgments, and so on, each specially adapted to the purpose in hand. In the international sphere, the treaty has to do duty for almost every kind of legal act, or transaction, ranging from a mere bilateral bargain between States to such a fundamental measure as the multilateral constituent instrument of a major international organization (… For example]… The United Nations Charter of 1945. )” The ethical point being taken out of this is that international law , although a major or ether the most important agent in regulating intercourse between states , in reality there no specific body with the authority to punish a state if he does if it does not submit to a next states moral standard. The International Court of Justice , though it’s a very important organ in solving dispute and other issues , if a state does not agree to a trial , that’s the end of that , the next major option are sanctions .

A next point would be, that no one knows a state has done wrong unless another state has claimed injuries . One major principal in international law that , in my opinion that peps , one principal that embraces ethics in international law is Pact Counterparts[this solely expresses that the treaty is binding and it parties should act in good faith] and this is reinforced by Article 26 of The Vienna Convention on Law of treaties. But there are sometimes where the influence of international law can influence a states normal practice.

For instance However treaties can have a wide ranging effect as seen in the Caribbean Court of Justice’s ruling of case of R v Boyce & Joseph . Let may be seen from that case that the State’s mandatory death penalty elated the American Convention on Human Rights to which Barbados was a signatory. By signing on to the treaty each person on death row in Barbados had the option of applying to the American Convention of Human Rights if he or she felt that they had their rights not to be deprived arbitrarily of their lives infringed.

From the before mentioned the writer seeks to show that there was an established moral standard for a specified group of nations, as can be seen, from this ethics is demonstrated from Barbados by complying with the convention they signed on to. There wouldn’t be a need for ethics if everyone acted as they should or followed very rule in international law , as can be seen in the Guyana/Venezuela border dispute.

In this case there although Anglo-Venezuelan Arbitrary Treaty signed on October 3, 1899 which supposedly settled the boundary dispute between the Cooperative Republic of Guyana (then British Guiana) and the Republic of Venezuela , there is still a current dispute over the same issue that was known to be solved over a century ago. This point was merely to establish non compliance to international law , this shows blatant disregard for a treaty that was supposed to have been signed and to be binding and also to be carried out in good faith .

Small Talk We’ve all engaged in some sort of small talk either in the office, on campus, at a party, or other places where you find yourself in the company of others. For some of us, participating in small talk may come easily, while for others it may be quite difficult. Some individuals may find small talk to be irritating while others find it a necessity.

In this paper I am going to explore what exactly defines small talk as such; the reasons why people find the need to engage in small talk; the benefits, and disadvantages of small talk; is there an ethical approach to small talk; and provide tips on how to participate in small talk—without it creating an uncomfortable atmosphere. What exactly defines small talk as such, segregating it from the normal conversations exchanged between two individuals? Small talk is defined as a light conversation; it is typically polite and about matters of little importance, especially between people who do not know each other well.

In these conversations general-interest topics are commonly discussed such as movies, sports, food, travel, and music. Many find that those who engage in this form of conversation are approachable and friendly. By taking an active part in these conversations you send a message that you are ready, willing and able to communicate. This may not seem like a difficult task, considering all humans communicate at various levels daily, but to engage in small talk may actually be very difficult, so when done willingly and well it can say a lot about that person. Part of being successful at small talk is being an avid listener.

This is a very important part of conversation. Many get worried about being able to communicate their thoughts clearly that they neglect to listen. Listening carefully helps in understanding and encouraging those who are speaking to you. Franklin Roosevelt, the thirty-second president of the United States of America, believed that most people were poor listeners. He believed that this held true especially when engaging in small talk conversations. To prove his point and amuse himself, he would greet visiting guests with, “I murdered my grandmother this morning. He was usually responded with a puzzling look yet a polite nod in approval. However, one evening he was impressed when one guest responded with a surprising response, “I’m sure she had it coming. ” Even so, Roosevelt did prove the common neglect individuals give towards small talk. So, why do people engage in small talk? Talking is the primary form of communication between all beings. The mere act of talking is a way to “break the ice,” relieve any tensions, and it helps individuals find a common ground amongst them.

Small talk is most commonly found in an instance when there is an uncomfortable silence, or is used in a situation where a person is waiting for something—it passes the time. There are many instances when people feel they have to engage in small talk simply not to be rude. We have been cultured in our society to view small talk as a politically correct act when in one of these instances. Those who do not openly converse with others are looked upon as rude and unapproachable. This leads to the topic of the benefits small talk has and its importance.

An article from the Los Angeles Times entitled, “Researchers take a high view of idle chatter” showed that an increase of social contact aided mental function. This affect is similar to those of solitaire games such as Sudoku and crossword puzzles, which have the same benefit when engaged in for the same amount of time. Good news for those who enjoy chatter, but not great for those who have difficulties with it. Striking a conversation with someone gives him or her the opportunity to either accept or reject you. This is probably the main reason for its importance.

Americans typically strive to be accepted by their peers. We want to be liked by our peers and when we engage in small talk we are being judged. A lot of the time it is the first impression we leave with someone. Another benefit of small talk is meeting new people and possibly new friends; or making new business relations, which could lead to a promotion or new business venture. Wendy Warman, co-author of Loud and Clear: How to Prepare and Deliver Effective Business and Technical Presentations, gives instructional seminars on how to effectively participate in small talk for big success.

Warman discusses the importance of small talk in order to improve communication, boost sales, enhance customer service and increase profits in any organization or industry. These are all very important benefits, which I think everyone could find use for. Now that we more thoroughly understand the basic means of small talk and what small talk actually consists of, we need to be aware of the topics chosen for these conversations. There is an ethical approach to small talk and ethical judgments need to be made.

Very frequently small talk is shared between individuals whom do not know each other well, therefore there are many ‘forbidden’ topics that should be avoided. When people do not know each other well it is not a wise decision to discuss personal information such as salaries or divorce. Two main topics that should be avoided are religion and politics. The foundationalist’s view should not be considered here since everyone’s justified beliefs on these topics might vary. The intent of small talk should basically be to get to know someone better, keeping in mind other peoples feelings.

Raised emotion may arise if one of these topics is brought forth in a conversation. The consequence of these discussions may be a negative response, being that many people have different beliefs and opinions in the matter. An altruistic approach is definitely called for when engaging in small talk. The “golden rule” of “Love your neighbor as yourself” should be remembered in these situations. Placing the other person’s feelings first will usually lead to a pleasant conversation with affirmative results. Thus one can also say a utilitarian approach is also necessary when engaging in small talk.

There are some basic guidelines one can follow to assist in creating proficient small talk. The first step before going to a function or gathering is to prepare yourself. Here is a list of tips that will help in engaging in small talk: 1. One should derive at least three topics to discuss as well as four questions that can be asked to others to spark conversation. If you know that there will be people there that you have met before, try to remember some things about them that you can bring up . . . maybe a charity they’re involved with or a hobby they partake in. 2. Be the first to say “Hello. Offering your name when greeting someone will avoid an uncomfortable situation of him or her not remembering your name. 3. Make an effort to remember names and use them frequently. 4. Motivate the other person(s) to start talking by asking an open-ended question that is common ground, such as, “How do you know the host? ” 5. Be an active listener and provide feedback. 6. You were given two ears and one mouth . . . you should listen twice as much as you talk. 7. Try to contribute something interesting to the conversation. Stay away from negative or controversial topics, as mentioned above. . If you want to meet someone in particular, be introduced to him or her by someone they respect. A mutual friend should be asked to do so. 9. When accepting a business card, receive it with both hands, read it, and place it in a coat pocket, purse or wallet to show it is valued. 10. Be mindful of you body language, this can cause others to be uncomfortable. Act confident. 11. Observe and listen before entering a conversation that has already begun. 12. Always be prepared with a few exit lines so you can have a graceful dismissal from the conversation. “Be bright. Be brief. Be gone. I chose this topic with the expectations of finding good reasons for small talk. Although I find small talk to be necessary and appropriate in certain situations, I find it unnecessary at time and frankly quite annoying. I still think talking about the weather with a fellow employee at the printer is unnecessary, but I don’t see those instances being avoidable. However, I have learned if you are active in using the tips provided, you can obtain more control over the conversation and guide it so that it is more enjoyable. Being prepared for small talk is the best way to avoid ‘lame’ conversation.

If you go to a function with a select few topics to discuss, chances are the conversation will be strong and others will be guided by your contributions. Another important matter in successful small talk is to think of others first. This is very important with successful small talk and getting positive results. You want to make people happy and to feel good—everyone likes to be around people that make them feel better about themselves. Reference List “12 Tips for Making Small Talk. ” CareerBuilder. com. 2005. CNN. com. 1 May 2009 Hoekman, Laurel. “The Benefits of Small Talk. Gray Center SUN News. 2008. Gray Center. 2 May 2009 Murphy, Peter. “How to Master the Art of Small Talk. ” Relationships/Communication. 2007. Ezinarticles. 1 May 2009 Rosenstand, Nina. The Moral of the Story: An Introduction to Ethics (Sixth Edition). New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. , 1994–2009. “Small Talk. ” Encarta World Dictionary. 2009. EncartaMsn. 2 May 2009 “Small Talk: Who, What, Where, When, Why?. ” EnglishClub. com. 1997–2009. nglichClub. com. 1 May 2009 “Wendy Warman. ” World Class Speakers & Entertainers: wcSpeakers. com. 2005–2009. wcSpeakers. com. 2 May 2009.

When explaining the role of ethics and social responsibility in developing a strategic plan, the stakeholders need to be considered. So it’s not just customers and employees now you have these people who have invested in your company. “Each of these interest groups has justifiable reasons for expecting (and often for demanding) that the firm satisfy their claims in a responsible manner.

In general, stockholders claim appropriate returns on their investment; employees seek broadly defined job satisfactions; customers want what they pay for; suppliers seek dependable buyers; governments want adherence to legislation; unions seek benefits for their members; competitors want fair competition; local communities want the firm to be a responsible citizen; and the general public expects the firm’s existence to improve the quality of life. ”

There are two kinds of stakeholders the inside ones and the outside ones, the issues are that they both look at the company mission for a social responsibility towards society and at the same time the financial interests of the stockholders. For example an outside stakeholder may demand that an insider would be subordinated for the well being of the society and vice versa. This starts to get complex by thinking you’re running a company that needs to make a profit to succeed but at the same time must answer to a social responsibility and particular ethics point of view.

An example of a company being socially responsible while making a profit is Toyota. They make the top selling Prius which is the hybrid that leads in developing efficient gas-electric vehicles. There are four types of social responsibilities for which strategic planners must plan, which are: economic, legal, ethical and discretionary. In economic is assumed that the company is providing goods and services at a cost that’s reasonable. In legal responsibilities the company must adhere to the laws that regulate it. In ethical responsibilities the company must have a notion of right and wrong that’s well defined and most of all ethical.

In discretionary responsibilities are those that voluntary and throughout those sometimes the company tries to enhance their image. Ethics “refers to the moral principles that reflect society’s beliefs about the actions of an individual or a group that are right and wrong. ” The perception of ethics in business has currently hit a all time low, this could be due to the never ending recession and others. Throughout the program my view of ethics in the workplace has evolved and is no longer so black and white anymore.

I have learned that the ethical perspective of a individual not necessarily is the same view of a organization. The company has to think about the whole company and also the impact on society. While the individual’s perspective come from him alone, and how he vies society. References: Casio, W. (2005). Managing Human Resources: Productivity, Quality of Work Life, Profits 7th Edition New York Mac Graw-Hill. University of Phoenix. (2010). InterClean Scenario [Computer Software]. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, Simulation, HRM/531 Mondy, R. (2008). Human Resource Management 10th Edition Prentice Hall.

Introduction

Ethics and Quality are cornerstones for sustainability and the economic performance of Toyota and other entities within their supply chain. The two play a major role an in Toyotas strategic plan; they are woven in the very fabric of the culture of the organization; and they are integrated in risk management as a part of the contingency plan. This paper seeks to highlight Toyota’s concepts of ethics and quality; their continuous benchmarks for improvement as well as their use of knowledge management throughout their supply chain.

Ethics in the Supply Chain

As part of my analysis of Toyota’s underlying concept of ethics for supply chain management, the following is five essential values implemented by Toyota:

1. Contribute to the development and welfare of the country by working together, regardless of position, in faithfully fulfilling your duties;
2. Be ahead of the times through endless creativity, inquisitiveness, and pursuit of improvement;
3. Be practical and avoid frivolity;
4. Be kind and generous; strive to create a warm, homelike atmosphere;
5. Be reverent, and show gratitude for things great and small in thought and deed.

These values are the guiding principles for their production and supply system. They incorporate three core philosophies: customer first, employee satisfaction and company stability. They have also worked in defining boundaries of the supply chain both internally as well as externally.

Quality in the Supply Chain

Toyota maintains a commitment by putting customers and quality first, and this means ensuring customer satisfaction through the products and services it offers.

With respect to quality, Toyota implements “jikotei kanketsu”, which is a concept that holds true that defect-free process completion ensures that no defective product leaves any production process. Toyota also strives to preserve and improve quality at the world’s highest level and raise cost competitiveness to support high-quality and sustainable growth. They strive to project years into the future and make intentional earnest steps toward making improvements to each and every process. Total ocus and commitment on these ideas has made possible steady well-documented processes, Toyota’s ability to offer the highest quality products and services at the lowest possible cost, and getting it there in the shortest lead time.

Knowledge Management

Knowledge can be defined as a synergy framed from experience, values, data, evaluation, and expert insight. Knowledge management is a multi-discipline within an organization that makes the best use of knowledge by making it available, sharing it with everyone, and making sure that it is structured in a highly formalized system in an effort to achieve its stated goals and objectives.

Toyotas knowledge management strategy focuses on reducing cost risk, leveraging existing assets to reduce cycle time, improve decision making, develop innovative technology faster, develop solutions to problems quicker, and to increase versatility within the workforce.

References

1. Bozarth, C. , & Handfield, R. (2008). Introduction to Operations and Supply Chain Management (2nd ed. ). New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Prepare a memorandum to the board of directors of HMI outlining and supporting your recommended course of action for addressing the issues at the Mines 1 and 2. The memo should include the following: a) Identify the corporate governance issues at HMI’s mines. * The issue: On one hand, the diverting power into provincial electrical grid has resulted in an overlook for its own operations. On the other hand, a significant portion of these earnings is going into executive bonus pool for distribution to senior management.

* This has demonstrated the company’s management has been corrupt in some respects, especially the earning should be used to solve the company’s own operation problem. * The company is lack of social responsibility in a way which the management has paid insufficient amount of money to address the environmental damage. Additionally, the company has bribed the political figure in order to bury the truth. b) What measures are required to eliminate the shortcomings you have identified in (a)?

Ensure you specify the requisite corporate governance requirements that must be adhered to. According to the 8 principles of ASX. The company should make a few improvements to rectify the misconducts. These recommended measures are as below: * Promote ethical and responsible decision making Companies should promote ethical and responsible decision-making. * Safeguard integrity in financial reporting. Companies should have a structure to independently verify and safeguard the integrity of their financial reporting. * Make timely and balance disclosure

Companies should promote timely and balanced disclosure of all material matters concerning the company * Companies should establish a sound system of risk oversight and management and internal control. c) Suggest ways to monitor compliance with corporate governance requirements. * Establish sound, transparent and compulsory reporting system. Stringent transparency in all important matters (in particular regarding conflict of interests, third party transactions); Timely disclosure of the annual report (also in English);Reporting of non-financial risk related information * Set up audit committee.

To ensure sufficient audit quality: True independence of auditors including an open and transparent tender process as well as prohibition of most non-auditing services. * Allow public bodies to monitor and interfere in company’s compliance issue. Public bodies like ASX, Government. d) Recommend the philosophy and approach of Heavy Metal Inc. to the shareholder The company should respect the right of shareholders Companies should respect the rights of shareholders and facilitate effective exercise of those rights. e) paramountcy vs.

corporate social responsibility debate and make recommendations to the board of directors on both of the above situations under separate headings. The board of directors should establish audit committee to monitoring financial and non-financial performance of the company. Regular disclosure of management respective roles and responsibilities and achieve transparent corporate governance is important. The board of directors should establish sound risk management system that able to guide the company in the right direction and minimize the risks.

Implement the authorization to make ethical and social responsible decision and judgment on behalf of the company. f) What criteria would you use to establish corporate guidance failure? The criteria I adopt this time is ASX “Principles of corporate governance” 1. Lay solid foundation for management and oversight. 2 Structure the Board to add value 3 Promote ethical and responsible decision making 4 Safeguard integrity in financial reporting. 5 Make timely and balance disclosure 6 Respect the right of shareholders 7 Recognize and manage risk. 8 Remunerate fairly and responsibly

Everyone deserves a comfort, save, and beautifully well-designed house to live in. Unfortunately, there hardly ever an architect who is willing to get involved in a low budget house design project whereas in fact, an architect support is extremely needed in one. People need a particular architecture solution for their lack of budget, space, material, and opportunity in building a house. On the other hand, the low budget house should be made with an ideal plan so it wouldn’t cost more than the fund they have.

Which hopefully, can be done with a hand from an architect. A good low budget house should be a sturdy one, so that it could have a low maintenance and sustainable construction. It should have fine light and circulation thus it won’t need much electrical energy which also means saving the energy and expense The space should be properly designed in an exact space, thus every space available is properly used and the material and structure are effective and efficiently applied along with the necessity so that the building cost can also be economized.

In Indonesia, the issue is crucial due to the need of good quality house supporting a good quality of life. With a well-constructed environment comes well social environment. The problem is the fact that most architects lack of awareness these days towards the need of middle class society for a good architecture. Not to mention the society which doesn’t seem to assume architecture as a fundamental issue. The main problem due to the problems, there is a very different opinion about how should architects deals with this matter.

To make an affordable houses designed by an architect, first of all architect should lowering the rates below the standard rates decided by the Indonesian Architects Association. This is not a really ideal solution, because ethically those who want to create a price war in the business could misuse it. In the other hand, if we keep up with the standard fees, it was to high to be reach by the poor.

The Affordable Houses

Affordable housing and low cost housing are the most talked about issues in the real estate sector these days. However, there is a distinct difference between the two concepts. In the absence of an institutional rental market in Indonesia affordable and low cost housing denotes ownership and not rental housing. Low cost housing generally refers to cost effective housing that relies on ‘low cost technology’ that ensures similar quality and durability as compared to more commonly used technologies.

In Indonesia, the affordable houses was definite by the government through some of the rules and laws and minimum standard, Indonesian government set some rules about it such as : It provides a comfort, save, and proper shelter for the user. It provides a proper air circulation, and ventilation for natural light. It provides drainage, clean water, and a proper waste system. It provides access to public facility. It provides electricity.

More over, there is some standard minimum area of the houses so it would fulfill the criteria to be called as ideal affordable houses.There’s still some unfinished points about this criteria and standards, for examples the government set up the standard height for ceiling in houses should about to be around 3. 2 meters from the floor. In fact, with a great design on the layout and opening for windows and doors, 2. 4 meters from the floor is all needed to had a proper, safe, comfort, and healthy affordable houses.

Business Ethics for Architects in Indonesia

Architects is someone creating an architecture. The job is to make a real manifesto from the idea and the needs of a client. In doing their jobs an architect give a focus on some designs factors during the process, some of those are the style of the building, air circulation, natural light, ventilation, concepts, and the basic structure of the building, the materials that should be use, and so on. The working process would be start right after the architect had been chosen by the client, the next xtep is to collect all the neccessary data, surveys, and then the consultation begin.

After the architect and the client had reach some agreement of how the design proccess should be done, the client gave the down payment no more than a 30% of total of the architects fee on the current project to get to the preliminary design process. It including the plan, elevation, and 3D image. Another 30% was given after, to start the works drawing, and at last another 30% to complete all the details and full drawing. There is no rules about the supervision during the construction process yet, but some architects takes 10% left as the supervision fee, and some ask for another contracts.

According to The Indonesian architects association (known As IAI stands for Ikatan Arsitek Indonesia) the rules for an architect’s fee is classified through their experiences. So the senior the architect are, the more he or she should be paid. There are 2 kind of fee classification according on year’s experiences. The first one is calculated from man/hour, man/month, even man/ year (see exhibit 3). The second is to calculate the fee from the total price of the projects. The basic fee is 6-9% for housing and 3-5% for public space. This fee is the minimum standard to gain a quality control of architects works throughout Indonesia.

Studio Habitat Studio Habitat is voluntary organization of students and professionals in the field of architecture that helps design for cost effective houses clients, doing the design process for free. During their works we had a partnership with Habitat for Humanity, an international nonprofit organization that helps families build safe, decent and affordable houses by providing labors and interest-free funding. Studio Habitat was established to answer the need for good design to help home partner (known as partner families as a clients) build their houses under Habitat program.

Studio Habitat Indonesia, whose participants are mostly students of architecture helps to design houses for partner families. Students, who are used to designing houses on paper, get a chance to actually build their designs and learn something in the process. Ideally every Habitat for Humanity home partner that chooses to do so will have their house designed by participants of Studio Habitat Indonesia, under supervision of a mentor. The mentors are professional architects who volunteer for Habitat.

Studio Habitat plays a more specific role, as architecture students are involved in designing houses, in addition to helping with the actual construction. The student become more adept in dealing with clients and we learn to be more sensitive to the need of the family in regard to their house is one of the benefits they get from joining Studio Habitat Indonesia. Students joining Studio Habitat talk to the homeowner. They survey the site and design the house in-group supervised by a mentor. Then they will give the workshop-draw to the Habitat for Humanity, and design the building budgeting plan.

Afterwards the volunteers go to the location as the houses were built, to supervised and checked whether the workers had a problems on the building process. The Issue While Studio Habitat continuing to help the client, some problems occur. Some architects began to protest about the free-consultation concept this organization used. They don’t see any positive thing in a perspective of an architect to do such projects, and they afraid that this free-consultation idea would inspire some bad quality consultant to create some kind war of setting the price between architects.

Some of them had bad experiences on meeting clients requested such a low price for the architect fee, and seeing this concept as a thread. This situation is not a new problem, for a long time certificated architects of The Indonesian architects association had struggled to compete the bad quality so called illegal-architects which selling their drawing per sheet on a very low prices. Others gave a free design, in exchange to use them as a contractor in the construction process. This is not just a thread to the architects, but also to the client, and more over it threatened the architecture business in Indonesia.

To solve these problems, Indonesian architects association set the rules on the protection of the architecture business and tried to have it signed by the government on 2010. As for Studio Habitat, they create their own rules and criteria for up coming projects. It includes, the criteria of the client such as income, profession, family background, and so on. And for the houses they set the limits on budget, area, and function. And change the way they do the consulting process. The free consultation programs In brief, the idea is to provide a free of charge architecture consultation system for a low budget house design.

The program should be held regularly from one to another middle class social area by turns in order to collect the data about related issue. As a result, this consultation might develop to a fund-raise or loan track activity for people with less budget, a coordination of community self-help activity done voluntarily, or low budget house renovation with followed by a fund raising. With a complete data, this program certainly can be a facility to provide source of information and education both for the architect and client as well.

The targets of the program are low budget house clients who don’t know how to optimally spend their budget, space and opportunity. By planning a neat design of the house, the money can be spent properly, plus the rest of it could be used for another need. With a frequently updated data system, the information of building material price and execution charge could help to free from the possibility of deception. It can be sure that, with a well design, every cost spent is worthy and not useless. The most important part of the program is to gathering a number of architects who are willing to give voluntary consultation.

And then followed up by finding fund supporting parties so that the consultation and design ideas are not only can be seen on the paper but can also be a realized. At last, forming a system among society to support each other, particularly in designing low budget house architecture within their environment which is not only limited to individual house for living but also public accommodations. The purpose of this program is to spread enthusiasm and idea that everyone deserves good architecture.

Therefore, hopefully the community consists of society, architect as well as everyone interested, has been formed within a year. With a simple and low cost system, along with the ability to support individual through cooperation system, the program is wished to develop more and become an inspiration for other society and architect communities. Conclusion From a long, man-to-man consultation process, at the client house, to a short but mass consultation done in villages and traditional public space, The Studio Habitat had change their way of helping the low-income clients.

Therefore, the target of the program would not be missed and not being misuse by irresponsible people. And starting from 2009, Studio Habitat is focused on designing prototype of an anti-disaster house for the government. The process is 90% done by the architecture student, within under Indonesian architects association considered as an internship programs member, and allowed to do the design process for free under supervision of certificated architects.

The process would help to create a standard about what is architects and what can they do for their clients, so if a good design is for everyone their should be a specific ethics and laws on running the business. And to narrowed the gap between the architects and clients, the affordable houses for the low-income clients is the best way to do, while waiting for the government to step up with the legal laws.