Culture And Ethics
Introduction
Ethics can be defined as ‘the moral principles that should underpin decision making. A decision made on ethical grounds might reject the most profitable solution in favour of one of greater benefit to society as well as the firm’
(Business Studies- Ian Marcouse)
Business culture can be defined as ‘the culture of an organisation is the (perhaps unwritten) code that affects the attitudes, decision making and management style of its staff’. (Business Studies- Ian Marcouse)
In this essay I will attempt to analyse the links between culture and ethics. I will be referencing from several sources including websites, journals and also business related books.
To come out with a clear cut definition of culture is almost impossible whereas on the other hand ethics is quite simple to define. Although ethics as a whole contains several debatable areas such as ethical behaviour, ethical codes of practice, it is a wide ranging topic.
1. Culture
It took a long time for the importance of culture to be recognised as an important factor in business success (or lack of success).
Study of Japanese business methods from the 1970s onwards was part of the answer, and Japanese businesses take from Japanese society a strong emphasis on a strong and co-operative group culture in the face of adversity. Solving business problem, and advancing beyond them, is a group responsibility, not just ‘them lot upstairs’. Research into many businesses of all nationalities then showed a common pattern that successful businesses had developed a strong and positive group culture which is about management as leadership and not just administration.
(http://tutor2u.net/business/organisation/culture_more.htm)
The culture of an organisation is the typical way of doing things in the organisation. It particularly relates to behaviour patterns and relationships.
The culture of an organisation develops over time. It is created by the people that work for the organisation – its...
View Full Essay
