Module 3 • Ethics and social responsibility


The third question is: Will it make me proud? Will I feel good if my decision is published in a newspaper or mentioned in the church? How will I feel if my family knows about this?


If the answer to only one of the three questions is negative, you should not proceed. No one will be able to question your decision along ethical lines. In fact, the person that is going to question you, acknowledges per implication that he is corrupt.


Is it Legal?


E T H I


C S


How will it make me feel about myself?


Is it Balanced?


Styles of ethical management:


• Immoral management These businesspeople are motivated by selfish reasons. These include both personal gains and those of their businesses. Their driving force is greed and it will be achieved at any cost.


PAUSE FOR THOUGHT There is no right way to do a wrong thing!


• Amoral management: The primary goal of these managers is still profit. Their actions however differ because they do not violate laws or ethical codes on purpose. But they don’t operate according to a code of ethics, nor do they think in terms of ethics.


• Moral management Moral managers also strive for success but only within the guidelines of the “ethical check.” They will not sacrifice ethical standards just to generate profits.


3. Establishing ethical standards


There is no single standard for ethical behaviour. It is therefore up to the individual businessperson to establish a code of ethics for his/her own business. Small businesspersons can do, amongst other things, the following to integrate ethical principles into their businesses:


Create a business credo and/or code of ethics Define the underlying values of the business. It should offer general guidelines to your employees when they have to take decisions. This is also a very important aspect in the whole delegation process. Delegation will be discussed in module five.


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