International Islamic University Malaysia MGT 3020 Business Ethics Semester 3, 2010/2011

NUR SHAKILA BINTI ARIS PADILAH (0929684) HP: 013-2683103 E-mail: [email protected] Submission date:

Essay 1: Reflections on Ethics, Business and Ethical Decision Making

What I expected and what I have learnt from the class? I expected this class to provide more rooms for discussions. However, due to large class, not everyone has the opportunities to do so. I just do not know why the facilitator of the course did not provide the full version of the power point slides. He just used posed some questions on the power point slides. I think this is new approach in teaching. Nevertheless, I did learn something from the class. Earlier on, I thought business ethics is something has to do with some statistics, mathematics, or econometrics. Based on the briefing, I realized that this course is going to be very boring because a lot of readings, essays and assignments. My understanding of ethics is that someone has to be responsible, accountable and answerable to any actions that he or she has committed because such actions have implications for other people. When ethics is applied on business, I think those in the business circle have to be responsible, accountable, and answerable to their actions and decisions that have to do with the people affected by those decisions. Since people have to be accountable to what they are planning to do, doing or did, they need to have a certain principle to help them derive to decisions that are ethical.

Suggest three ways I can apply what I have learnt into my life. I think as a student, I can apply business ethics in three ways, namely (a) as student of business ethics, (b) as consumer, and (c) as member of society. As student, I must be committed in my business ethics course because if I were not serious in this course, I am not going to get a good grade. Immediately, my parents, my study loan provider, my friends are going to get the
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consequences. My parents will be upset with me because they have high expectation when they send me to university, hoping that I will get good grade, of course good learning experience. However, in todays world, people count my learning experience based on my CGPA. If my CGPA is below 3.0, definitely, I will be considered as an average student.

Why do I think I can apply what I have learnt into my life? In this chapter, it tells about the importance of ethics in general as well as in business. Whether I am directly or indirectly related to business, I have to be ethical. The history of business has shown many companies that did not ethical in conducting their business, they could not stay longer. For example, Enron company in the US, it was a large company, but because they did not ethical, the company collapsed and many people affected such as lost job, lost business, suffered from bad reputation and so forth. For example, as consumer, I have to make sure I buy good products for my consumption. If I saw something fishy on the product, yet I just kept quiet, I just encouraged the producer or the shopkeeper to do evil. I will get sick for consuming bad product, other people also will get sick.

How would I comment on the lessons that I learnt from an Islamic perspective? As a Muslim, my conscience must be on Tawhidic paradigm at all times. In other words, I must not disconnect with Allah. Why? Allah created me for one purpose, which is to worship Him. In this chapter, it tells about the importance of ethics in business and the consequences for not being ethical. The idea is correct, but from Tawhidic paradigm, one does not have to be told the consequences for not being ethical, because to be ethical is actually a command from Allah. Allah created us to worship Him and to obey to all His commandment. For me, non Muslim, has to reason out first, then only he/she will decide whether to obey or not.

How would I share the lessons learnt from the class to (a) my friends, (b) my family, (c) other people? As a Muslim, once I learnt something, it becomes a duty for me to disseminate or share with other people. Naturally, with my Tawhidic paradigm, I will find ways to share with others. I will explain as: (a) with my friends, I am not going to lecture to them just like what my lecturer did in
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the class. I will simplify the lesson into an advice, good role model, and more importantly my action. Most of the time, people always value actions than words. (b) With my family members, I will also use my role model to influence them. With other people, I have to work with people to influence them. I could use society, club or association as a platform to influence school children, petty traders, hawkers, and so forth by organising seminar, charity work, spring work, down to earth, and reach out programmes.

Additional part: I would like to propose to the lecturer to provide us some materials, if possible, real cases, so that we can work on that, rather than the hypothetical cases. In addition, please help us to apply the Islamic teachings, kalimah shahadah, into the cases.