What is Business Ethics? Definition, Components, Types and its Importance

Business Ethics Definition:

The ethics are a set of moral rules that have the function of regulating the relations or the conduct of men in a given context or scope. Note that ethics is precisely that part of philosophy that just deals with the morality of the acts of human beings and therefore according to a moral standard established and agreed enables us to determine the actions as good or as bad. Meanwhile, business ethics is a branch within the ethics that special care and exclusive manner of moral questions that arise or are raised at the request of the business world towards companies. Business ethics are also known as corporate ethics.

They are so many and varied issues regarding discipline of business ethics, among which are the following: the inherent business moral principles, the predominant values ​​in the environment in general and then in each case, in particular, development of policy guidelines that are based on moral precepts to help guide and govern both the company’s business and that of its members, by promoting and establishing the values ​​to be adopted among others.

It should be noted that the behaviour they see the directors or individuals who display a leadership role or command in the organizations is vital as it will have a lot to do in building business ethics. Because when company directors observe attitudes and behaviours that are ethically consistent infect and motivate its employees to act in the same way. You putting it in simpler terms, when practiced from above business ethics example, they absorb the lower strata that ideal and respond in the same direction.

Then, as in any endeavour raw respect for ethical values ​​it is almost, a sine quean anyone proceed in order to corrupt, meantime those organizations in which the economic benefits are the only ones in charge, there they will tend to forget the respect for moral principles. However, when the economic issue is dominating an additional problem that is the staff suffers a kind of contradiction between the moral principle that follows and pressure to achieve the economic goals that are sent from the address adds.

If the aim is to have a lasting, solid company that arouses confidence is essential to assign him time and space to the cultivation of moral values.

Key Components of a Business Ethics Management:

While they may be countless, But following below key components would result in the strong foundation of an organizational ethics:

• Living by the five core values of ethics. i.e.. Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness and Caring.

• An executive culture with common importance ​​for its members.

• Fight for achieving the satisfaction of all parties included in the company: shareholders, directors, employees, suppliers, and customers.

• Taking social responsibility for their actions.

• Outweighs the moral contract between the company and its members and partners rather than a legal contract.

When you manage to incorporate these building blocks you get to generate greater economic value, since relationships, not only labour, but between supplier and company, customer and company, etc., improve and the time and resources invested in improving inefficiencies that appeared in these relations, may be invested in those areas that demand it. Business ethics usually improves the performance of the company through various routes:

• Reduce conflicts of the members that comprise it.

• Improving the external image of company or an organization.

• It is an essential component of the concept of total quality, for a company.

Common Types of Business Ethics and Values:

Below listed are some of the common important types of ethics in business.  It is clear that ethical business behaviour is not the panacea for all problems, and leads one hundred percent to the growth and prosperity, but when following unethical behaviour it can cause problems to a company, both internally and externally. Impact of ethics on business directly reflects into earnings and profits of the company or an organization.

• Equality.

• Respect.

• Freedom.

• Dialogue.

• Solidarity.

Importance of Ethics in Business:

Here, I am explaining the important reasons why an organizational ethic becomes necessary to have been highlighted by studies of corporate improvement in the time of multitude. Business ethics is that pressure on companies and circumstances which lead them to adopt global and proactive responses. Large organizations today are subject to traditional demands that we call ‘internal agents’ as workers and shareholders are transformed. Applying business ethics is pressed to the organizations from internal and external forces because they have great influence on the lives of many people and a great capacity for effective power in a globalized world. Multinational organizations often have more influence, capacity, and power to the States.

That they are the object of the pressures and demands of those who feel in some way affected or erected in spokespersons for those affected by their activities or the consequences thereof. Responsible for consequences because they often can prevent certain results or, if it has already happened, repair them. And for profit making companies the consequences of primary benefit could result in others growth.

That an organization must take responsibility for their actions is not new. In developed countries, there is legislation detailed in civil, criminal, labour, administrative, commercial, which specifies responsibilities of individuals and corporations. In developed countries, there are also sufficiently reliable court systems seeking to impose legal responsibilities when necessary. What is new is the social conscience of corporate responsibilities that should be effective even when the law fails to impose it. For example, when concerning acts performed outside the borders of the country of nationality of the corporation, when no law protects the affected property or when the procedure of judicial service is so slow it is useless. In these cases, and many bulls, external and internal agents pressure directly to the organization, to extend their responsive actions, to the margin of whether they have or not a legal obligation to do so. These pressures, which in anyway imply recognition of the powerless state against the organizations, can lead, when they accumulate, which we can call moral bankruptcy of these same organizations. At one point, an organization that has neglected their responsibilities can be found before a bankruptcy of this kind, which leads to an accounting bankruptcy and ending by eroding the confidence of consumers, governments, and financial markets. Organizations with a strong ethical culture are characterized by anticipating these demands assuming their responsibilities until they are raised as complaints, or before the damage is done. This is what we can call a proactive attitude, to distinguish it.