Managing Ethics

 Preface

This week, the topic focused on managing ethics. In the reading, I have learned what business ethics is, the benefits of managing ethics in the workplace, and codes of ethics and conduct in workplaces. They are important cornerstones of an organization and shape its ultimate contributions to corporate social responsibility. However, many business owners often make business decisions based on what they believe to be right and wrong to shape the moral standard of the organization through their actions. It is not that simple. Oftentimes, your decisions or what you think is right or wrong, are very different when you are in different positions. For example, if you are a knight on a chessboard, your consideration is limited by the rules you can move. If you are a player, your consideration is the overall progress and to win the game, eventually. Maybe, the rules of how we should move our pieces are the most obvious right thing here since you cannot move your pieces "illegally".

Trust and Values

Think of the Prisoner's Dilemma again. If these prisoners are trusting each other, their reactions will benefit both of them. However, don't misunderstand it. The concept does not mean we have to cooperate before doing anything bad. Without integrity, there can be no trust. If you are a lion, how can you convince others to believe that you are a vegan? Although how a lion does its all effort to persuade a buffalo and ensure they will be fine if lions open their mouths, it does not work anymore. I think sometimes, the values are like what we are trying to be. For businesses, the values are also what they trying to be. Set up ethic programs to be a socially responsible enterprise or to be a notorious company. 

Changes with Needs

While we are considering what is right or what is wrong, those things and facts will change over time. For example, AI, automatic production, and intelligent robots are replacing more and more jobs. Should we ban that development to protect those jobs? These technologies may benefit many businesses but they also put many people in danger while they lose their jobs. Some old school rules may not always fit as time passes. Even the most obvious thing, "doing good" can be doubtful. The definition of doing good is not always the same.

Good Person Is Always Good?

The answer is not. We can say that a good person who has always earned our trust is "highly unlikely" to do bad things. I think it depends on the situations the person confronts. During World War II, there was a group of prisoners in a camp built by Nazi Germany for the massacre of Jews. Many Jews were forced to send other Jews into toxic chambers. It seems like they are executioners. Actually, they are just victims and most of them are good people before. Even good people can take bad actions, especially stressed or confused. Have you ever watched the film "Joker"? Do you think the character "Joker" is a good guy or a bad guy? His background and his past can be sympathetic.

Case in Point

On April 15, 2018, two black men walked into a Starbucks in downtown Philadelphia in the afternoon and sat down. They asked to use the restroom but because they had not bought anything, an employee refused the request. They were eventually asked to leave, and when they declined, a Starbucks employee called the police after the men, who were waiting at a table, refused to leave. The men were arrested on suspicion of trespassing. But Starbucks did not want to press charges and the men were later released. The prosecutor’s office in Philadelphia also reviewed the case and declined to charge the men because of “a lack of evidence that a crime was committed,” Benjamin Waxman, a spokesman for the office, said. Then, Starbucks apologized on Twitter later on Saturday afternoon. 

Reference

Stevens, M. (2018, April 15). Starbucks C.E.O. apologizes after arrests of 2 black men. The New York Times. Retrieved October 25, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/15/us/starbucks-philadelphia-black-men-arrest.html.