Contemporary Management Issues - Essay Example

Part Man is a social animal and his responses to other people and circumstances differ widely as per the values and the principles that he follows in his life. Each person develops certain characteristics or attitude based on certain criteria or values which is unique to him and which are vital elements of his or her relationship with others. These values or ethics determine the standards of the good and bad things which are generally accepted by the people at large. The general ethics that form the basis of mutual interaction define the personality of the man. Though some of these values evolve to embrace the changing times and others may interpret it differently under different situation but the universal acceptance of what is right and what is wrong has given them a strong foothold to withstand the adversities of the time. Moral and ethical dilemmas are becoming frequent in one’s professional life. The cut throat competition coupled with diverse and multicultural fabric of the society, makes it difficult for a person to maintain a high level of personal integrity. Nonetheless, barring serious acts of omission and commission, the activities or behaviour that is not illegal has literally become a fact of life with the people making it very difficult to distinguish between the behaviour that persons think ethical or unethical. The main reason being that very often the personal values clash with the organization’s objectives and organization’s target based results. According to Joseph Badaracco, "We have all experienced situations in which our professional responsibilities unexpectedly come into conflict with our deepest values...we are caught in a conflict between right and right. And no matter which option we choose, we feel like weve come up short" (internet). The resolution of ethical dilemma therefore requires a very careful consideration so that both the parties become gainers. Consequentialist ethics is defined as the acts or behaviour that is determined by the consequences of that act or behaviour which generally must be beneficial in content. Retailers take refuge in the consequentialist ethical code of conduct, in their support of the supply chain that provides flowers that are out of season at their point of sale in the United Kingdom. It is therefore important that to identify really unethical behaviour, one must be able to know whether that particular act or behaviour of the retailer is constitutionally unlawful or whether it is against the general code of values. Another most pertinent question is whether the act is liable to harm the sentiments of the others, client or the organization itself. Popularised as act utilitarian theory, the actions, that are designed to benefit or have beneficial cascading effects on others, are morally and ethically right. Accordingly, in this particular case, the retailers of the flowers that are out of season in UK, are ethically right to sell from their outlet as to benefits the society in various ways. Firstly selling flowers gives them a means to support their family without harming others. The flowers also give pleasure to those who buy them and also to those who take delight in looking at the flowers, admiring the God’s creation in all its form and even in places where it is not produced. Hume has been very vocal about moral values and morality. According to Hauser ‘Hume’s theory looks at moral judgement through the lens of three party interaction: agent, receiver and spectator… an agent’s action directly influence the receiver’s feelings and how a spectator feels towards the agent and receiver upon observing their interaction’ (Hauser p.24). Hume says ‘we do not have moral knowledge in any strict sense and that morality is more properly felt than judged off’ (Schneewind, p.546). A cold blooded killing would make one hate the killer where as the killer who has killed in self defence would earn our sympathy. On the other hand, the consumer groups vehemently oppose the supply chain of the flowers that are out of season in UK by justifying their actions through consequentialist’s theory of ethical rightness. The difference in perspectives, provide them with plausible reasons for their opposition. Various philosophers like Aristotle, Pluto, Hume etc. have espoused philosophies regarding different aspect of our life’s ideologies and concept of living a moral and ethical life. The philosophy is part and parcel of every human being and he or she exhibit it through the wisdom and individual perspectives towards the various aspect of their daily life. It tries to interpret everything and anything in the wider empirical consideration of our experiences of conscious and unconscious manifestations of our being, taking into account the wider implications on our environment that have catastrophic repercussions of tampering with the law of nature. When out of season flowers are sold, it promotes a deliberate will to destroy our environment. Since the action of the retailers in selling the flowers, indirectly disturbs the law of nature which may have long term harmful implications for the mankind, one can say that the actions of the retailers are ethically wrong and therefore, it should be opposed. It therefore, can be said that each of us, follow a definite philosophy which guides our actions and our efforts to gain knowledge. According to Act Utilitarian of Jeremy Bentham, an action that results in the happiness of one and all is a good act. He said “when choosing a course of action, one should always pick the one that will maximize happiness and minimize unhappiness for the greatest number of people” (Bentham from Rosenstand p.176). Wallace, an eminent social scientist had also propagated that there are no fixed rules and ethical boundaries for the actions of the people. It is the wisdom that is gained through the practical experiences that decides the right course of action that must be followed in different circumstances, adapting to the changing socio-ethical parameters. Also known as Wallace’s theory of ‘ethical contextualization’, Rosen in his book says that Wallace was of the view that ‘intelligent moral behaviour is always based on the understanding of how ethical principles have been applied in the past and the ends that have been served by those applications’ (Wallace, 1988). He further argues that ‘marvelous plasticity of response of which human beings are capable, involves the ability to adapt old routines to new circumstances. Intelligence and understanding are exhibited in such adaptation’(p58). It is equally true that ‘human experience has always involved such dilemmas and that the practical reasoning capability of people has generally proven adequate to address these situations reasonably and effectively’ (Wallace). One can therefore, reiterate that the consumer groups are right in their opposition as their actions are designed to promote long term welfare of the human race which depend on the preservation and conservation of the natural resources. (words 1123) Part 2 Gillie Bolton has described the reflective activity as something beyond the physical superficiality of the issues and encompasses the situation and its affects on the wider perspective. According to her ‘reflective practice is a process of learning and developing through examining our own practice, opening our practice to scrutiny by others, and studying texts from the wider sphere’ (Bolton, 2001, p.4). Different people may have different aspect of the same issue and according to their own belief, would prefer to act. This contradiction of perspectives is the most important aspect of ethics and philosophers through the ages have been trying to find the common ground of acceptance for the morally right factors. The authors of ‘Puzzle of ethics’ have treated this very complex subject with novelty. While discussing the theories put forward by various philosophers like Kant, Aristotle, Hume, Plato, Aquinas etc. they have also tried to apply the theoretical approaches of the philosophers in the final decision making. Tus they have involved the readers and prompted them to come to their own decisions by weighing the pros and cons of the issues or situations. The authors have quoted Macintyre by saying that ‘man (sic) is a teller of stories that aspire to truth’ (Vardy & Grosch) and have indirectly inferred that there is always something more in the story or the issues which need to be looked into. Through the use of reflective activities, retailers are able to learn more deeply about the environmental problems faced by everyone who are affected and thereby help evolve new strategy and action plan to overcome the consequentialist’s ethical drawbacks. As Donald Schon says in his book The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action (1983), ‘a kind of reflection on their patterns of action, on the situations in which they are performing and on the know-how implicit in their performance. They are reflecting on action and in some cases, reflecting in action’ (1983, p.55). The retailers’ dilemma is much more complex and involves a multifaceted approach to look at the issue of ethical misdemeanor. As mere human beings, it would conform with Wallace’s ethical contextualization and Banthams’ Act Utilitarian theory when they must evaluate their (means of livelihood) physical and emotional well being for their own welfare. But it is not that simple mainly because their profession and their employment in the retail industry has given them certain roles which have their own set of ethical values and duties. Many people can argue that as retailers, they have the duty to follow the dictums of the trade. It is equally true that as retailer of the flowers, it would be morally and ethically right to comply with the professional compulsions of selling the flowers of all types. Apart from this, ethical principles that are changed, as per the demands of the situation so as to provide general welfare to the people, must be applied as and when required. Therefore, as workers, the retailers would be strictly adhering to the rules and broadly following the ethical principles while heeding to the instructions of the practicing trade to assess the socio-economic well being of the people in the trade. Another very important aspect of the case is the multiple ethical considerations faced by the retailers while dealing with consumer groups and also adhering to the professional demands. The conflicting ethical principles of the parties in questions pose a serious ethical dilemma for the retailers. Each has his own set of ethical principles involved in the given situation, which seem to be important to them. But as Wallace has said ‘the reason that people hold certain values dear is that those values promote human life and human activity in some important way. The key to resolving an apparent conflict between values is to understand the point of function of each value and determine how important that consideration is to the situation in hand, so the competing considerations can be prioritized reasonably’ (Wallace). Indeed, looking from this angle of prioritizing of the ethical considerations, it would undeniably be a right decision on the part of the retailers to assess the people’s perspectives regarding the environmental problems and the ecological disturbance that may crop up in the future and accordingly decide about any future course of action that promotes their welfare. Hence, the empowerment of the retailers through dissemination of information and understanding of the long term implications of their actions need to be addressed urgently because timely intervention can safeguard the future of our children. In yet another argument, one can state that even though the environmental ethic is requisite for any assessment but if the consumer groups’ concern is that the retailers’ professional compulsions may jeopardize the welfare of the retailers themselves and may endanger their life, the consumer groups can overrule their ethical considerations or at least device some strategy to meet the challenges faced by the retailers. As Wallace as asserted that such a dilemma is best addressed by trying to interpret, the meaning and purpose of the principles involved ‘in ways that are faithful to the rules themselves and to the activities the rules are designed to facilitate’ (Wallace, p.10). Broad application of Wallace’s theory of ethical considerations would resolve the retailers’ dilemma in this case. Consequentialist theory of ethical hedonism by Epicurus can also be applied for the retailers. Ancient philosopher, Epicurus (342-270 B.C.) had a very interesting perception towards ethics also known as hedonistic ethics. He proscribed to the view that anything that gives physical pleasure to a lot of people is ethically right and must be pursued. The concept of ‘physical pleasure’ is open to interpretation but if one goes through his philosophy of life, one can say that he believed that material goods do not guarantee happiness but actions that promote maximization of pleasure through tranquility of mind and body, thereby minimizing pain, are inherently good. According to him, everything that we do, we do so in order to gain pleasure out the act. Even infants like to do things that make them happy. By facilitating flowers that are out of season, at their point of sale in UK, the retailers were doing something that would not only give them their means of livelihood and thereby happiness but it would also be giving happiness to the people who are buying those flowers. ‘Epicurus says that not all pleasures are choice worthy or all pains to be avoided. Instead, one should calculate what is in ones long-term self-interest, and forgo what will bring pleasure in the short-term if doing so will ultimately lead to greater pleasure in the long-term’ (IEP). It would be appropriate if the consumer groups understand the inherent compulsions of the retailers and evolve ways that would help conserve the environment. While at the same time, letting the retailers improvise and strategize in their professional code of ethics so that they (retailers) are able to meet the challenges of the environmental ethics and at the same time, performing their professional duties of selling the flowers to the consumers. In the end, one can conclude that the decision of the retailers and consumer groups to proceed with their professional agenda was morally and ethically right. All the actions and events involving different people were based on the strong ethical considerations that promoted the welfare of the people. In the field of business, the controversies regarding the moral responsibilities and ethical considerations are the inherent challenges that must be understood in the wider perspectives. It is important that all issues have multifaceted solutions and efforts must be made to disseminate information that promotes better understanding of the issues so that appropriate steps could be taken. (words 1277) Reference Bolton, G. (2001). Reflective Practice: Writing and Professional Development. London. Paul Chapman. Epicurus. Ethical Hedonism. Available from: [16 April, 2008]. Leadership: Facing Moral and ethical Dilemmas. Center of Business and Ethics. Loyola Manymount University. Avaialble: [16 April, 2008]. Hume, David. (2006). A Treatise of Human Nature. ebooks@Adelaide. Avaiable: http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/h/hume/david/h92t/ [16 April, 2008]. Schneewind, J.B. (1990). Moral Philosophy from Montaigne to Kant: An Anthology. Volume II. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. Hauser, Marc D. (2006). Moral Minds: How Nature Designed Or Universal Sense of Right & Wrong. USA. Harper Collins. Rosenstand, Nina. (2002). The Moral Of the Story with Free Ethics PowerWeb. McGraw Hill. Rosen, Frederick (2003). Classical Utilitarianism from Hume to Mill. Routledge, pg. 28. Schon, D. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. New York. Basic Books. Vardy, Peter and Grosch, Paul. (1999). The Puzzle of Ethics. London. Fount Paperback. pp 20-22. Read More