Business Ethics Learning Activities
Name
Institution
Business ethics refers to the moral guidelines and that guide daily activities in an organization. Unlike social ethics, business ethics has a wide scope as they aim at creating conducive working conditions for workers and as well promoting cooperation and satisfaction of employees while undertaking their tasks. Business ethics is vital in an organization as they are indicators of the overall success of an organization. Additionally, they are significant influence factors that enhance security of employee rights while in an organization. The paper is an analysis of ethical issues and concepts of employee rights and employer’s interests of controlling employee’s duties and behaviors.
Learning activity 1
Often, employers have high interests of controlling their employees’ activities. According to business ethics laws, employers have the rights of understanding employee’s thoughts while undertaking their tasks. As an employer, controlling and monitoring employees is important, as it is an active supervisory approach that enhances increased commitment to tasks among employees. Additionally, they enhance a close interrelation with the managers and team members. Similarly, it enhances cooperation between employers and employees (Snow, May 2013).
However, as in the case of Ford, the John Lee, the acting human resource manager exploited his business ethics rights through his dealings while relating with his employees. As in the case, before employees bought an automobile, he had to inform Lee. Apparently, Lee would engage the employee in a series of questions reflecting back to his family. In an ethics context, it is an act of exploiting the business ethics securing employee’s rights in the Ford organization (Snow, May 2013).
On the other hand, Ford Company enhanced employee’s security and rights through its clauses focusing on improved working conditions for the employees. As seen in the case of Joe, he highlights that Andrew, who was his manager while joining the company, ordered the office to grant him daily wages rather than making payment in a fortnight. As a result, Joe had the ability to meet the debt demands placed by the property owner, butcher and grocer (Snow, May 2013).
Learning activity 2
Unlike in the highlighted case focusing on improved working conditions of employees in the Ford Company, as well other managers and employers solely focus on taking full control of their employees while working in their organizations. It is an act against the business ethics protecting the rights of employees in an organization. In these cases, employees often find themselves unable of making their choices due to the fear of losing their positions in the organization (Whaley, May 2005).
As with the case of Miller and Ross Hopkins, working in different beer companies, their managers take full control of their beer choices. However, as highlighted in the case of Ross, while signing the contract for the company, he did not sign any clause prohibiting him from drinking competitor’s beer. The two victims lose their jobs due to their decision of drinking beer from competitor companies. Despite business ethics offering security to such cases, their managers do not consider such aspects. The case indicates the controlling nature of some managers that is against business ethics (Whaley, May 2005).
Conclusion
As seen in the analysis of learning activities, it is vividly clear that despite business ethics offering security to employee rights, some managers end up having great interests of controlling their employees. As a result, they end up exploiting these ethics.
References
Snow, R. (May 2013). Henry Ford's Experiment to Build a Better Worker. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL .
Whaley, M. (May 2005). Pick of beer not taken lightly by boss. The Denver Post: Denver and the West.
