The Ethics of Management

The Ethics of Management (Hosmer)
Manager's Decision Checklist
1. What are the best economic alternatives? 2. What are the legal alternatives? 3. Does a given decision result in greater benefits than damages for society as a whole, not just for our organization as part of that society? 4. Is the decision self-serving, or would we be willing to have everyone else take the same action when faced with the same circumstances? 5. We understand the need for social cooperation; will our decision increase or decrease the willingness of others to contribute? 6. We recognize the importance of personal freedom; will our decision increase or decrease the libery of others to act? 7. Lastly, we know that the universe is large and infinite, while we are small and our lives are short; is our personal improvement that important, measured against the immensity of that other scale?
The Nature of Ethics in Management
"Right" and "proper" and "fair" are ethical terms. They express a judgement about our behavior towards other people that is felt to be just. We believe that there are right and wrong ways to behave towards others, proper and improper actions, fair and unfair decisions. These beliefs are our moral standards of behavior. They reflect our sense of obligation to other people, our sense that it is better to help rather than to harm other people. Moral problems are truly managerial dilemmas. They represent a conflict between an organization's economic performance (measured by revenues, costs and profits) and its social performance (stated in terms of obligations to persons both within and outside the organization).
Characteristics of Moral Problems in Management
1. Most ethical decisions have extended consequences. 2. Most ethical decisions have multimple alternatives. 3. Most ethical decisions have mixed outcomes. 4. Most ethical decisions have uncertain concequences. 5. Most ethical decisions have personal implications.
Analysis of Ethical Problems in Management
Economic Analysis (Pareto Optimality)
Ethics are not relevant in business, beyond the normal standards not to lie, cheat, or steal. All that is necessary is to maintain price-competitive markets and recognize the full costs of production in those prices, and then the market system will ensure that scarce resources are used to optimally satisfy consumer needs. A firm that is optimally satisfying consumer needs, to the limit of the available resources, is operating most efficiently and most profitably. Consequently, business managers should act to maximize profits, while following legal requirements of nonconclusion and equal opportunity and adhering to personal standards of truthfulness and honesty. Profit Maximization leads automatically from the satisfaction of individual consumer wants to the generation of maximum social benefits. Profit maximization is the only moral standard needed for management. If we look at microeconomic theory as an ethical system of belief, explaining our responsibility to others within the company and within the society - to employees, customers, suppliers, distributors, and residents of the local area - then is simply falls apart because of the unlikely assumptions about human nature and human worth.
Legal Analysis
The law can be defined as a consistent set of universal rules that are widely published, generally accepted, and usually enforced. These rules describe the ways in which people are required to act in their relationships with others within a society. They are requirements to act in a given way, not just expectations or suggestions or petitions to act in that way. The law is a guide to managerial decisions and actions, but it is not enough. And certainly, the absence of a law is not enough to excuse some of those decisions and actions.
Ethical Analysis
Philosophic analysis, based on rational thought processes. The view is that a manager should always act in accordance with either a single principle of behavior or a single statement of belief that is "right" and "proper" and "just" in and by itself.This is "moral reasoning": logically working from a first principle through to a decision on the duties we owe to others. Philosophy is the study of thought and conduct. Normative philosophy is the study of proper thought and conduct; that is, how we should behave. Morality refers to the standards of behavior by which people are judged, and particularly to the standards of behavior by which people are judged in their relationships with others. Ethics, on the other hand, encompasses the system of beliefs that supports a particular view of morality. The difference beetween morality and ethics is easy to remember if one speaks of moral standards of behavior and ethical systems of belief. Ethical Relativism - Are there objective universal principles upon which one can construct an ethical system of belief that is applicable to all groups in all cultures at all times? Fortunately there is one principle that does seem to exist across all groups, cultures, and times and that does form part of every ethical system; that is the belief that members of a group do bear some form of responsibility for the well-being of other members of that group.
Five Major Systems with Relevance to Managerial Decisions
Managers should use ALL FIVE systems to think through the consequences of our actions on multiple dimensions. Eternal Law - Moral standards are given in an Eternal Law, which is revealed in Scripture or apparent in nature and then interpreted by religious leaders or humanist philosophers; the belief is that everyone should act in accordance with the interpretation. (Too many interpretations.) Utilitarianism: A Teleological Theory - Moral standards are applied to the outcome of an action or decision; the principle is that everyone should act to generate the greatest benefits for the largest number of people. Differs from the economic concept of cost/benefit analysis in that the distribution of the costs and benefits has to be included as well. (Utilitarianism fails because we can probably all agree that there are some actions that are simply wrong, despite great apparent net benefits for a huge majority.) Universalism: A Deontological Theory - The reverse of teleological theory. Moral standards are appliedto the intent of an action or decision; the principle is that everyone should act to ensure that similar decisions would be reached by others, given similar circumstances. (Immoral acts can be justified by persons who are prone to self-deception or self-importance, and there is no scale to judge between "wills". Distributive Justice - Moral standards are based upon the primacy of a single value, which is justice. Everyone should act to ensure a more equitable distribution of benefits, for this promotes individual self-respect, which is essential for social cooperation. (Dependent upon acceptance of the proposition that an equitable distribution of benefits ensures social cooperation.) Contributive Liberty - Moral standards are based upon the primacy of a single value, which is liberty. Everyone should act to ensure greater freedom of choice, for this promotes market exchange, which is essential for social productivity. (Dependent upon the acceptance of the proposition that a market system of exchange ensures social productivity.)

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The Ethics of Management (Hosmer)

Manager's Decision Checklist

Five Major Systems with Relevance to Managerial Decisions

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