Influence of Business Ethics Education

Question: Discuss about the Influence of Business Ethics Education. Answer: Introduction: An organization while running the entire process of business in the market should follow the ethical footsteps properly. A proper guiding principle followed by both the employers and employees help the organization for maintaining effective employee relation, good communication and strong business decision at the workplace. This particular study has provided an in-depth understanding on how the organizations have to face innumerable difficulties for maintaining their entire process of business after facing any ethical issue related to work at the workplace. The business experts have to struggle immensely for maintaining organizational image and reputation after facing any kind of ethical issues at the workplace. 7-eleven is one of the most recognizable international chains occupying a predominant place in Global market. After started their journey in the Australia market in 1977 with one store, the organization has expanded their wings widely having 630 stores all over Australia. The business experts have utilized most of the prestigious countries of Australia for expanding their business. Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, and Western Australia are possessed with the stores of 7-eleven with more than 190 million transactions every year. Recently the organization has faced innumerable challenges in order to run their business process successfully due to some major workplace ethical issues. As a result, the business experts failed to maintain their organizational image and reputation (7eleven.com.au, 2017). These particular ethical issues had drawn the customers attention as well. As a result, it affected the revenue growth of 7-eleven. This particular study has focused to highlight the identified ethical issues and its impact on employees as well as on organizat ional reputation. Discussion: This particular part has focused to highlight some of the major ethical issues identified at the workplace of 7-eleven. In the news article published in The Australian in the year 2015, it has been alleged that the franchisee stores of 7-eleven in Australia are not paying justified wages to the labor. The prominent honor rate is truly justified for the labors who are investing their flawless effort for rendering the success of business. Australia is possessed with the trademarks of multi-ethnic populace. At the same time, this particular country is out-an-out developed in terms of economy, technology and socio-cultural perspective. In such a developed country, 7-eleven is alleged highly for not paying the employee wages properly. As a result, the existing workers have lost the interest for providing good services to the customers (afr.com, 2015). At the same time, it has also been alleged that 7-eleven has misused the strengths of under graduate students who are have migrated for higher education from different nation. In order to maintain their educational expenses, those students had to be dependent on private firms for rendering money. The business experts of 7-eleven had targeted those students for involving within business process. On the other hand, those students were deprived of getting proper remuneration from the organization. After facing this serious issue, the management has decided to implement a business strategy at the workplace. The organization started to provide better remuneration to the existing workers. In return, they had started to impose over-burden to the employees such as overtime duty, minimize the break, the continuous flow of work without allowing normal interaction. These kinds of issues have become a major concern for both the employees and the media persons that ultimately comes out in front o f the public being a disastrous headline. After identifying the ethical dilemmas several news media has decided to raise this issue so that 7-eleven can take effective measures. Albert and Merunka (2013) stated in an occasion that this particular organization was suffering from leadership issues as well. As per the allegation of the workers, the business leaders of 7-eleven did not provide appropriate guideline to the employees for achieving business target. On the other hand, the leaders intended to impose decision on the employees with the help of which workers were bound to follow the instruction of leaders, be it logical or irrelevant. The organizational employees got limited scope to provide their personal opinion regarding the business goal. As a result, the employee relation at the workplace had been affected highly. In this kind of situation, the overall business growth of 7-eleven was highly affected. On the other hand, Alberts, Nakayama and Martin (2015) opposed the point of view of previous scholar. The author has stated that at the very of their journey 7-eleven was running their entire process of business successfully. The business managers used to follow democratic form of leadership style at the workplace. With the help of democratic leadership style, the managers gave immense opportunity to the employees for sharing their own opinion regarding the goal. As a result, employees got enough opportunities for exposing their own opinion. After expanding their business in Australian market in the year 1977 the organization has faced these kinds of issues. Under graduate students should not be involved with firm. Ardichvili et al. (2012) opined that the business experts should never involve any under graduate student within their process of businesses in minimum labor cost. This particular strategy is against the business ethics. On the other hand, the employees are getting deprived of receiving justified remuneration at the workplace. 7-eleven is currently facing immense challenges regarding their ethical issue due to which the organization has become a matter of discussion to most of news channels. In spite of being a multinational organization existing in several countries, the business experts have faced ethical issues that hamper highly in customer satisfaction rate (Audi, 2012). In order to render the success of business organization employees have to play a major role. After facing this kind of ethical issues, 7-eleven had faced innumerable employee turnover in the couple of years. As a result, the revenue growth of this organization has faced a drastic consequence. 7-eleven is the globally recognized organization that operates a large number of franchises and licenses. After facing these kinds of ethical issues in the Australian market, the business managers can implement some ethical theories and practices within the business organization for taking an effective managerial decision regarding achieving the business goal. Deontology theory has been considered as one of the most recognizable ethical theories followed by a large number of business organizations at the workplace. As per the concept of Ross, duty can never be self-centric. An individual should make a multi-centered approach while working together at the workplace (Avey, Wernsing and Palanski, 2012). The principle of this particular theory is fulfilling duties towards self or other person. In order to run a business organization successfully the employers have to maintain an effective employee relation in order to encourage the workers towards business goal. As opined by Barry (2016), the primary responsibility of business managers are to maintain a strong communication with every individual employee in order to know their challenges that they are facing at the workplace. Managers before taking a business decision can follow participative leadership style at the workplace. With the help of this particular leadership style, the employees would get opportunity for sharing their own opinion for rendering the success of business. On one hand, the business managers would get the opportunity to take collective decision for taking business strategy (Beadle, 2013). On the other hand, employees would like to show their interest for providing their best endeavor for reaching the business target. 7-eleven can follow deontology theory based on which the business authority tends to show their attention towards the employees. The authority should follow business ethics based on which the human resource managers should avoid recruiting under graduate s tudents and exploit their labor as well as mind. As per this particular theory and concept, the business employers can make an effective interpersonal communication at least once in a weak in order to know their issues facing at the workplace (Chun et al., 2013). It is the responsibility of the business manager to resolve the employee issues. Therefore, face-to-face communication is one of the most effective ways to expose the organizational issues. This particular theory has also pointed out that employees should maintain unity within the team. One senior employee should stretch the hand towards the juniors in order to resolve their organizational issues. People from different cultures and backgrounds are intimately associated within the business organization. Therefore, the authority should treat every individual member with equal respect and dignity. Collis and Hussey (2013) opined that a business organization is the amalgamation of people from different religions and cultural backgrounds. In most of the cases, it has been observed that senior employees tend to dominate the juniors while dealing with the same project. The under graduate students of 7-eleven have faced the similar issues. While involving within a new project the business managers of this organization tend to involve both fresher and the experienced employees (Cooper, 2012). It has been noticed that most of the senior employees intend to dominate the juniors by imposing their own decision, by pressurizing them towards additional works. In addition, they do not wish to co-operate with their junior for accomplishing a new project properly. Automatically, it became a burden for the fresher to provide good service to the customers. In order to overcome this kind of situation, the business experts of 7-eleven can use Care Ethics theory at the workplace. This particular theory implies that every individual should stand beside other at the workplace to those people who vulnerable and need support. The primary principle of this particular theory is action which is caring towards those who are vulnerable or need support. As per the recruitment process of 7-eleven, the human resource managers have recruited a large number of people belonging to indigenous group. At the same time, people from different cultural backgrounds are also entertained within this organization due to their diversity management system (Crane Matten, 2016). Senior employees inhumanly dominate these kinds of indigenous group of people while working at the workplace. As a result, it becomes crucial for those employees to survive at the workplace. In order to overcome this kind of situation, care ethics theory can be implemented at the workplace. Florea, Cheung and Herndon (2013) opined that the business managers can make an effective training and development session to the senior employees in order to make them understand about the value of maintaining organizational unity at the workplace. Training and development session would be helpful for evaluating the mind of employees. While involving within the business process, the new comers generally face immense difficulties at the workplace. If they do not get a co-operation from their seniors, the fresher lose their interest for performing well at the workplace. Floyd et al. (2013) has differed the concept of Ethical Care theory. As per the point of view of this scholar, it has been observed that senior employees should never show their sympathetic attitude towards the new comer at workplace. In order to survive within a business organization, the employees may have to face immense challenges at the workplace. The individual should have the capability to overcome the barrier b eing strategic and systematic with the proper guidance of senior employees. Support to the vulnerable should not signify mental consolation. Any kind of sympathy or polite approach may hamper the level of confidence of juniors (Goetsch and Davis, 2014). This particular concept has been highly accepted by a large number of contemporary scholars prevailing a predominant place at this century. In this particular part, a critical evaluation has been conducted on the relationship among ethics, leadership and decision-making. As opined by Hibbert and Cunliffe (2015), ethics can be defined as the value or belief based on which a particular organization intends to run their business in market. For an example, maintaining effective customer relation is one of the most concerned ethical beliefs that 7-eleven intend to follow at their workplace. At the same time, it is undeniable that maintaining customer relation is highly dependent on the employee performance. If the employees tend to provide their best effort towards the service process, the customers would be satisfied (Jennings, 2014). Therefore, providing quality service to the customers is not the only ethical consideration of the business managers. In order to maintain organizational ethics the business organization has to provide necessary facilities, benefits and facilities to the employees. The organization like 7-eleve n can follow some of the relevant acts and regulations such as data protection act, health and safety act, right to information act, anti-discrimination action, gender equity act and so on. Based on that relevant acts and regulations, the business managers can treat every single employee with equal respect and dignity. On the other hand, employees after receiving a positive treatment on behalf of organization like to deliver their good services towards customers for satisfying their needs and demands. Lindgreen et al. (2012) stated that leadership is the quality of guiding every single employee towards the business goal. The performance of an individual employee is highly dependent on the leaders. Leaders while directing a team tend to follow several kinds of leadership style at the workplace. Lindgreen et al. (2012) opined that democratic form of leadership style is highly important for encouraging the employees towards work. This particular form of leadership style provides many opportunities to the employees to express their own point of view. Leaders do not like to impose their own decision on the workers. 7-eleven had faced a major issue at the workplace as the business leaders intended to use autocratic form of leadership style at the workplace (May, Luth Schwoerer, 2014). This particular form of leadership style enables every individual employee to follow the instruction of leaders blindly. Employees do not get enough space to provide their own opinion for rendering the su ccess of business. As a result, a distance had been created in between the employers and employees. Michaelson et al. (2014) opined that before taking a decision on business strategy and policy the business, leaders did not make any collective decision by involving the employees opinion. As a result, the existing workers lost their interest for providing the effective service process. On the other hand, business decision is the something that depends on the business managers as well as employees. Patino, Pitta and Quinones (2012) opined that before taking a business decision managers tend to involve employees for making a collective decision. Collective decision is very much important for rendering the success of business. The overarching three concepts ethics, leadership and business decision are therefore interlinked with each other. Before taking any kind of business decision, leaders have to maintain ethics. For an example, in order to motivate the employees for overtime work, the organization should provide necessary facilities and benefits to the employees based on which they would like to show their interest for doing overtime work. At the same time, in order to lead the employees at the workplace, the business leaders should maintain effective communication with every individual worker for knowing their issues. Smith, Gonin and Besharov (2013) opined that employee should get a healthy workplace from the leaders so that they can provide their best effort for rendering the success of business. Therefore, the business decision is highly important on the values and beliefs of business managers and their leadership qualities. While raising the headline in The Australian regarding 7-eleven employee ethical issue at workplace, it has been observed that the business leaders were not maintaining organizational ethics at the time of making decision. Human resource managers wished to select most of the undergraduate employees who are not competent enough for providing complete labor and endeavor. In addition, the business experts of this particular organization were under paying those employees based on which they failed to maintain their livelihood properly. Therefore, while taking this kind of decision, the business managers were intending to avoid business ethics and values deliberately (Stanwick and Stanwick, 2013). Consequently, the employees intended to show their intense dissatisfaction for providing their best effort for the business organization. Goetsch and Davis (2014) opined that in order to be a good leader, the individual has to follow business ethics and principle. On the other hand, in order to take a proper business decision, the business leaders have to make a rapport with employees based on which the organization would be able to make collective decision for reaching the target market. Therefore, the consecutive terms ethics, leadership and business decision are inseparably related to each other. In order to take a good business decision, the importance of ethics and leaders are undeniable. Conclusion: The study has provided an in-depth understanding on how organizations should maintain ethical issues at the workplace. The contribution of every individual employee in a business organization is undeniable. 7-eleven is not exceptional to that. The managerial and leadership policy of 7-eleven Australia has become a serious issue based on which the employees have decided to lift their finger. A large number of foreign under graduate students are alleged to be exploited and humiliated at the workplace of 7eleven. They have not been paid their justified remuneration. As a result, the organization itself has become a hammer in the front page of The Australian. However, after facing the serious issue many eminent scholars have delivered different opinions. As per the point of view of several scholars, 7-eleven should change their leadership style in order to avoid these kinds of ethical issues. Business leaders should never treat with the junior under graduate employees harshly. In addition, before taking a business decision, the leaders should maintain organizational ethics and values. The business managers should implemented diversity management at the workplace with the help of which both the male and female employees would be treated with equal respect and dignity. Before implementing any business strategy and policy, the managers can use participative leadership style at the workplace of 7elevn. 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