Importance of Ethical Behavior Among Employees. Why Do Good People Do Research Paper

Importance of Ethical Behavior Among Employees. Why Do Good People Do Bad Things at Work - Research Paper Example It is the responsibility of the decision makers to take proper moral perspective of the ethical manner in which they should be behaving that will be favorable for the company at large. To choose the right kind of ethical approach in conducting business activities, it may sometimes be necessary to shift from the path of short term profits. The idea is to maintain balance between what is right and what is profitable which may apparently seem difficult. In order to ensure a sustainable business in the long run, the need is to integrate the ethical principles with the company’s strategy. Lack of ethical behavior and social responsibilities can reduce motivation among employees resulting in poor performance and lower profit. Business ethics and social responsibility can have significant positive impacts on the company. A business conducted in an ethical manner can gain the trust of customers which can result in increased sales and profit. Employees will enjoy favorable working cond itions thus encouraging them to remain an integral part of the company which will reduce employee turnover. Aspiring employees will want to work with the company and this can reduce recruitment cost, and also the company will be able to attract the most talented people to join the company. More investors will want to buy shares of the company leading to increase in the price of shares, and this can protect the company from takeover. This paper explores the importance of ethics in employees’ behavior and what motivates them to behave in an ethical manner. Over the last few decades, the growing importance of ethical behavior in business organizations is becoming evident with more and more companies implementing ethics systems in their management. The subject is increasingly being emphasized in course studies of business management. However, there are still organizations that do not recognize the need of ethical behavior, and are still treading the traditional belief that busine ss activities should be focused only on profit maximization. However, general analysis on this subject has concluded that a business organization shoulders the responsibility of ethical behavior, and it does not only entail satisfying the shareholders, but also others who are associated with the business like employees and customers. Implementation of proper ethical management system can lead to an ethical culture among employees thereby improving the overall moral quality of the company. Nevertheless, many organizations still do not consider ethics as important enough to be considered in management systems. These organizations regard ethics as an external factor that has nothing to do with the activities of a business. The fact that business is conducted by human beings and so ethics need to be considered in decision making processes is largely ignored by many organizations (Palomino et al., 2010, pp.16-17). Since business is essentially conducted for making profits, therefore its activities will most naturally focus on profit maximization. Moreover, since business is conducted by human beings, and they are a part of larger society, it is necessary that behaviors of employees have both social and ethical values. In modern times, business is not solely considered as exclusive property of shareholders, but is also considered as a part of society at large. Therefore, the need to project an organization as having ethical values has become very important (Palomino et al., 2010, pp.19). Arguments concerned with business ethics should not be concentrated only on its requirement for competitive advantages, but also should be based on the fact that business is conducted by human beings. If ethics is ignored, then that will inevitably create a de-motivating ambiance