France Business Code Ethics - Assignment Example

 France Business Code Ethics Project Summary There are a number of factors which help in the determination of the business environment of any business entity. France is one the most culturally diverse countries of the world which enjoys pluralism and, hence, this characteristics plays a vital role in the conduct of the businesses which can either strengthen the entrepreneurship or weaken it. Due to the cultural diversity of the country which imposes barriers to the new entrants in the market where at the same time pluralism, it gives rise to the differences in the cultural heritage, the ethical values and conducts, as well as the business success in France. Driving Factors of Business Ethics Business Ethics is the study of what constitutes right and wrong, or good and bad, human conduct in a business context (Shaw, 1990). There are a number of factors which give rise to the importance of the business ethics. With the increasing businesses and cut throat competition in the world of commerce, some issues such as the business malpractices have been introduced as well, where unscrupulous businessmen reap profits through the help of unfair trade practices, such as adulteration, artificial shortages and black marketing. The importance of stopping such malpractice is immense and, therefore, the business ethics and the code of conduct have a vital role to play in order to barricade such practices which can have an overall negative effect in the market. Business ethics promotes improvement of the confidence of the customers since this framework gives a vote of confidence about the product or the service’s quality, quantity, price and other similar elements. Once a customer has a guarantee about a business that it follows the ethical rules, it incorporates more trust and confidence in the customers about such businesses. Apart from the barricade of business malpractices and the confidence of the customers, the survival of the business is another factor for which the business ethics becomes mandatory (Ferrell, 2012). Business ethics gives a business success as well as survival in the long term as well as short term. Most importantly, the protection of the rights of the consumers is the driving factor for the business ethics, so that it bounds the operations of the business to the rights and the interest of the consumers which have to be safeguarded and protected. Not only consumers, but other stakeholders such as the employees and the shareholders have rights and interest as well which have to be protected and respected by the businesses and the operations which are carried out by these businesses. Hence, ethics is required so that the rights and the interests of the stakeholders such as competitors, dealers, and suppliers can all be protected, and they can be given protection against the exploitation as a result of the unfair trade practices. In order to maintain a healthy and friendly relation with the rest of the society, it is important that the business ethics be developed. In order to ensure the regular supply of the goods and services to the society at cost effective prices, it is vital that the code of conduct be followed. In order to maintain a better image of the business in front of the business stakeholders, business ethics is designed so that these ethical rules are accepted and followed, which is followed by minimum or no criticism by the society. Business ethics ensures that the stakeholders are satisfied with the operations of the business and the way the business is carried out and, hence, this makes them more eager to provide full cooperation to the business as well. With the implementation and design of the business ethics, the business operations can be carried out very smoothly. The importance of the business ethics over the past years has also grown due to the increase in the consumers who are very well aware of the rights and have the awareness that they should not be exploited or cheated by the various business entities. Hence, they organize themselves in ways so that the quality, price and the originality of the products are not compromised upon. Therefore, honesty and fair dealings are essential for the survival of the businesses. Sometimes, there are businesses which carry out their operations at an international level due to which they are exposed to issues such as cultural and communication barriers which put up problems like ethnocentrism, stereotyping, xenophobia, etc. Therefore, in such scenarios, it becomes even more important for the entities to lay out the business ethics plan so that it outlines that what are the codes of conduct which have to be followed by the entities so that the cultural diversity problems can be overcome. Consumers are the reason behind the existence and the survival of many businesses out there in the market and, hence, ensure the business that the customer satisfaction should be their core objective. Without customers’ satisfaction, the survival of the business is questioned and this becomes another driving factor of the business ethics (Ferell, 2012). Contribution of the Business towards the Environmental Issues There are some important environmental issues which are faced by the business of today and the key issues include the industrial waste, the air emissions, water pollutions and the sustainable development of the raw materials as well. These factors affect how the businesses carry out their operations because there are several laws which have been introduced in order to regulate the businesses to meet the required standards. In order to minimize the effects of the environmental issues, the businesses need to make an attempt to pay for the protective environmental measures so that the consumer good will can be gained. Waste disposal is an important issue which is faced by the businesses of today, and, hence, our business will ensure that some recycling programs are implemented so that the effects of the waste disposal can be minimized. The environmental laws which have been passed by the local government will be followed so that the by-products dumping can be discriminated and the best ways to dispense the waste can also be introduced. There will be measures introduced to ensure the sustainable development of the raw materials as well, so that any natural raw material which is used by the business for the production purposes will be replaced (for example, trees and plants). The emission as a result of the production is another sensitive issue which should be looked in to and particle or chemical filled smoke and particles should be released in a more dispensable manner. Our business will introduce the remedial processes which will ensure that the screens are placed so that the waste water can be filtered and released in an environmental friendly manner. There will be implementation of the new regulations which have been introduced such as those which require the retrofitting of manufacturing facilities with increased protections (Ferell, 2012). Corporate Social Responsibility Once a business expands, or increases its operations, the question is posed over how socially responsible it is and how the expansion of its operations is affecting the society as a whole. Although there are four main dimensions under which the corporate social responsibility operates, such as economic responsibility, legal responsibility, ethical responsibility and the philanthropic responsibility (Crane & Matten, 2007). However, our company will specifically cater towards the philanthropic responsibility and the ethical responsibility. We believe that carbon emissions are one of the grave issues which have to be addressed because they have become a direct threat to the survival of our planet. If the businesses do not take significant actions to reduce the carbon emissions then the environmental issues such as global warming and sustainable resources pollution will be given birth. Therefore, our business’ corporate social responsibility will primarily focus on the reduction of the carbon footprints which will be done through the introduction of the sustainable resources raw materials, the strict adherence of the rules passed by the government entities and following the environmental friendly production processes as well. Human Rights Responsibility is another important aspect of the corporate social responsibility and is specifically important for those companies which are trading internationally. This will also be incorporated in the CSR of our business that the human rights are respected at all tiers of the supply chain and that the workers working under our operations are provided with the proper working conditions and are given wages which meet the requirements of the minimum wage conditions. Our business will push towards the adherence of the strict labor standards, respecting the rights of the trade unions and that these workers are not exploited through unfair treatment. Tapping this particular aspect of the corporate social responsibility will ensure that the demand for the fair trade products will be increased and that the production and operations are carried out with proper labor standards. Ethics in the UAE are affected by international differences and how these differences are evident daily in the UAE workplace UAE, which is known as the culturally pluralist country, is the promising, budding market which is subject to the socio economic changes. Diversification and the outward orientation are the two most important characteristics for the economy of the UAE where over the past few years, the promising economic growth has molded the lifestyle and improved the living standards of the individuals. Moreover, it is the hub of many international corporations where many foreign operations have been extended to as well (Obay, 2009). UAE is known as one of the countries where racial discrimination is very common because the rate of immigrants is very high due to which workers are employed at cheap and discriminatory rates. UAE offers some very competitive jobs which are mostly positions taken by the international or the overseas residents. However, as stated above, discrimination on the basis of the race, color, nationality or the gender is very common and there is some little form of misrepresentation which exists in the country. The culture of bribes in the regular day to day operations is also very common where the bribes are given in the form of the elicit payments or any other form such as a gift so that the contracts can be assured and saved, and that the penalties and the fines can be avoided, especially from the government officials. An important aspect of the corporate culture in UAE is that the confidential information is sold off very easily and this is again to the reason that it is a hub of many international residents who are not very loyal to the Gulf region and are there in the country for the purpose of earning. According to a report given by the IMF, the country has a much deregulated environment where taxes are very low or minimum; moreover, the infrastructure of the country is so strong that it has opened door to an open trade regime and the capital outflows and inflows without any or much restrictions. The labor market is also open due to which the economic growth of the country is going sky high (Ferell, 2012). What was learned The business ethics has overall evolved the way businesses operate in the cut throat competition. This evolution becomes more complex and complicated in the international arena where there is a large number of businesses involved. Most importantly, what has been learned through this project is business ethics define how the operations are carried out. The work load which is allocated to the workers should not be more than the working hours and should fall within their range. The work load has to be allocated in a way that the employee is overburdened with the work and can finish the job without getting overworked. The competition does not mean that you get a differentiation advantage over the competitors through wrong means, but healthy competition means that the entities should compete on the basis of the points of differentiation, adopting legal and ethical manners. Suggestions and Recommendations The way French conduct their businesses is a very emphasizing method which asks for a high degree of formality. There is no vital difference between the French company and any other international company’s way of conducting business. The trustful business relations are stressed upon in the country and the emphasis is on the creation of the business web which is interconnected by a group of business men who are close to each other. The business processes are carried out in a slow and traditional manner, therefore, international companies who enter the reign of France need to exhibit more patience so that they are in line with the French business etiquette. French do not tolerate the confrontations of the tactics which are devised on the high pressurizing and since they take their business very seriously, therefore even the minute details of the business agreements are well studied and thoroughly gone through. The business style is more hierarchical and centralized, where the top management of the company decides for the matters revolving business. Thus, the companies need to recognize the small differences which exist in the business world of France and, therefore, conduct their business accordingly (Ferell, 2012). Conclusion Those companies which have operations extended towards the international border need to keep in mind the business ethics which has become the defining point for many entities. The code of conduct and social responsibilities reflects how ethical or unethical a business is towards the internal and the external elements which or who affect the business largely. The modernization today has turned our world into a global village and, therefore, it is very important to realize that the entities which intend to extend their operations internationally are exposed to the issues such as ethical, moral and communication ones. Then, there are environmental issues which have to be taken into account by the businesses as well since there has been a strong relationship established between the business and natural environment. With the expansion of the businesses worldwide, there has been rise in the environmental issues as well which is causing detrimental effects on the overall environment of the globe. To recognize the complexity of the business ethics has become a need for today’s business world, and the increased numbers of fraud cases and deception have demanded for a more stringent outline of the business ethics. Due in the twenty first centuries, the issues such as cyber crime, intellectual property theft, financial misconduct and sustainability have also given rise to the need of the business ethics. Hence, this is where the importance of the business ethics is derived so that the investor’s loyalty and trust can be maintained, employee commitment can be kept and customer loyalty can be intact. Self Reflection Sheet Ethics forms an important part of the business and is necessary to tackle the problems that are taking place in the company. By going through the ethics I have learned that they can be applied in real life and the business ethics of France do help in developing a successful business. One can use the skills and apply them in real life after going through the ethics of France. Multiculturalism is an important factor that can help in understanding the values of different people and, hence establish a better business. 2nd person After going through the ethics of France, one can understand the establishing a business is a complex process which can be done only after reviewing the necessary codes. Corporate Social Responsibility plays an important role in maintaining and establishing businesses. I have learned how to apply these codes when it comes to establishing a business. The codes can help one get successful and can help establish the business accordingly. References Crane, A., & Matten, D. (2007). Business Ethics: Managing Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability in the Age Globalization. (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press, USA. Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J., & Ferrell, L. (2012). Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making & Cases. (9th ed.). England: South-Western, Cengage Learning. Obay, L. A. (July, 2009). Corporate governance & business ethics: a Dubai-based. Journal of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1TOS/is_2_12/ai_n39353171/ Shaw, W. H. (1990). Business ethics. Belmont, Calif: Wadsworth Pub. Co. Read More