Verified Document

Ethical Leadership In The Organization Term Paper

Ethical Leadership in an Organization: Donald Trump -- the man, the mogul, the reality TV series ... The fragrance? How can an organization behave as an ethical entity when is headed by an individual whom is not only an organizational leader but is himself a prominent figurehead? Can Donald Trump give opinions on ethical behavior to numerous eager apprentices and millions of television viewers, and still be an ethical and profitable leader of his own organization? The issues raised by Donald Trump's prominence from the popular reality TV hit series the "Apprentice" are not only specific to his organization but to the business world at large. When a brand name such as Martha Stewart, Rosie O'Donnell, or Oprah is synonymous with the President and CEO of the company, when that individual acts in a certain fashion, ethically or otherwise, it impacts the entire organization and thus the fate of all of the organization's shareholders, employees, and investors.

"The Apprentice" and the example of Donald Trump is particularly interesting, though, because it not only highlights the unique importance of personal ethics in any organization with a prominent CEO such as Trump's, but the fact that Trump so often makes ethics a feature of the show. He stresses ethical behavior amongst his potential employees, although he also encourages aggressive behavior as well, rebuking one 'project leader' when he agreed to 'take a fall' for his team's failure. Constantly, he stresses in the television show's boardroom, who he would like to have working for his organization, and who he would not, and ethical considerations are one, if not the only one of many considerations brought to bear upon a potential candidates' survivability.

Donald Trump thus has made himself a figurehead for business ethics and success. But perhaps this is...

Real estate is a profession where personality and ability are not easily separated, as even a part-time real estate broker knows -- one's personality, personal scheme of ethics, and the relationship one generates of trust is essentially one's bond. Thus, unlike Oprah or Martha, Trump might argue that his social and personal prominence is a necessary part of his profession, of selling highly coveted and luxury priced homes and commercial properties.
But is Trump as successful as he has been 'selling' himself to the public, and is this ethical? One recent positing on the Motley Fool's website notes, "Trump claims his Atlantic City casinos are the elite casinos in the city. The reality is they have been in decline for years and have been usurped by newer, better-managed properties. Oh, and by the way, they're also almost $2 billion in debt." (Paradiso, 2004)

In other words, it is alleged that Trump, through the use of his celebrity, creates the appearance of being a good businessman, rather than being a truly successful real estate broker. "Among numerous annoying traits Trump simply isn't that good a businessman. Unless being a world-class snake oil salesman qualifies one to be considered as an elite business executive." (Paradiso, 2004) How different is this inflating corporate profits through accounting fraud, as did Enron, one might ask? Trump sells himself and his organizational leadership, but without producing results on the balance sheets, the allegations run.) It has become a common joke among some real estate industry insiders that Trump would be fired from his own show.

Selling one's personality in real estate, however, is nothing new. A Trump loyalist could counter that if Trump keeps promoting his own success, even in the face of…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Paradiso, T. (April 19, 2004) The Battle for Business Ethics: Sadly "The Apprentice" Mimics Reality. Retrieved on October 11, 2004 at http://www.fool.com/Server/FoolPrint.asp?File=/community/pod/2004/040419.htm

Neuman, William. (October 10, 2004) "BIG DEAL: A 'Sweet Slice of Heaven' for a Lofty Price." The New York Times. Retrieved on October 11, 2004 at http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/10/realestate/10DEAL.html?pagewanted=print&; position=

"You're Hired! Donald J. Trump Signs Multi-Year Deal with Aramis and Designer Fragrances; Donald Trump, The Fragrance, Available Nationwide in Mid-November." (September 9, 2004) Forbes.com. Business Wire Retrieved on October 11, 2004 at http://www.forbes.com/businesswire/feeds/businesswire/2004/09/23/businesswire20040923005282r1.html
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Ethical Leadership Describe Each Study
Words: 3087 Length: 10 Document Type: Article Critique

E. To find the relationship between employee's performance and corporate ethical values and ethical leadership values. However, I would have also studied what if the successor leadership fails to demonstrate same ethical leadership values. Type of design and elements of the design: I believe that the questionnaires are normally designed well yet they need to be customized according to the environment of country and the organizations. Thus, I would have first

Leadership Ethical Leadership in the Nursing Profession
Words: 1362 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Leadership Ethical Leadership in the Nursing Profession Nursing leadership is uniquely challenging because of the practical, physical and philosophical demands placed on nursing professionals. When one considers the ethical implications that must also apply to this role, it becomes clear that the occupation requires a uniquely qualified individual. Indeed, as this discussion will show, in light of current challenges in the field, the achievement of ethical leadership in nursing is quite a

Ethical Leadership Is Required to Stop the
Words: 2900 Length: 10 Document Type: Literature Review

Ethical leadership is required to stop the 'Planned Obsolescence' principle in Consumer Product Design and Development This paper attempts to identify and explain the issue of 'Planned Obsolescence' and whether the ethical leadership can help eradicate it from consumer perspective. Ethical decision making model developed by Winter (1992b) and Corporate Social Responsibility model developed by Carroll (1991) will be used as the theoretical foundation for this paper. Survey method will be

Ethical Leadership Given the Recent Crash on
Words: 4439 Length: 15 Document Type: Research Paper

Ethical Leadership Given the recent crash on Wall Street and the housing market symbolized by corrupt financiers like Bernard Madoff, ethical and moral leadership of corporations has become a major issue for those who study the American capitalist system. In reality, such concerns about the lack of morality in business, government and society as a while has increased significantly in the last thirty years, which undoubtedly has been an era that

Ethical Leadership in Business the
Words: 569 Length: 2 Document Type: Admission Essay

This is done so that the foundational elements of an ethical organizational culture are well-defined and have exceptional levels of resiliency and strength to withstand resistance to these changes over time (Mayer, Kuenzi, Greenbaum, Bardes, Salvador, 108). An ethical leader is also one that concentrates on how best to align their organizations; strengths and insights to the needs of the market, and do it with open, honest processes that mitigate

Ethical Leadership: Yahoo Inc. A Good Leader
Words: 628 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Ethical Leadership: Yahoo Inc. A good leader possesses a range of characteristics and skills that portray a positive outward image of his organization. Such a leader leads by example, and displays strong willpower in "making decisions, dealing with people, developing relationships, and enhancing careers" (Cantrell & Lucas, 2007). These characteristics are crucial to the growth, performance, and sustainability of any corporation. Recent years have seen numerous scandals, most involving Fortune 500

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now