Verified Document

Self-Assessment Assessment Of Writing Paul Essay

The Wall Street gurus who had trumpeted deregulation were now seen demanding a bail-out from the federal government. For business enterprises to thrive today demands an astute understanding of philosophy and ethics, which is why professors are weaving Rousseau and systems theory into enterprise courses. To understand the nature of business ethics, it is also critical to understand systems thinking. A business does not operate in isolation from the environment in which it operates. The University of Denver publication "The Essence of Enterprise" points out that "Every system has a purpose within a larger system." The business is therefore a system within a larger community. Ethics begins with an awareness of how businesses impact more than just their shareholders. Businesses impact the environment, the social and political climate, and the economic stability of whole regions.

The managing of risk is a constant ethical dilemma in business. How much risk is acceptable to make a profit? Since many business decisions are made through proxy on behalf of employees, shareholders, or lenders, the decision maker's fate alone is rarely at stake. The gap between the decision maker and the decision's consequences enables poor ethical choices. As the financial crisis has taught, poor ethical choices are bad for business.

Weighing the investment of various stakeholders in the decision is also essential. Often the stakeholders are not solely confined to members of the enterprise. It is here that reflecting upon the ideas of Jean Jacques Rousseau is so useful: a businessperson must not lose his or her sense of the 'human' obligation he or she has to greater society, and the impact his or her decisions may have upon others. Rousseau stated that some personal liberties must be sacrificed for the individual to live in harmony with the rest of the world.

Although social sacrifice might be thought to be the antithesis of good business practices, businesses today ignore social obligations at their peril. A company that pollutes the environment or exploits its workers will invariably draw negative publicity and cause profit loss, such as...

Hence, a company must have an ethical profile -- and have the emotional intelligence to understand consumer's emotional needs and wants.
Social ethics can also be important marketing tools. The websites of almost every major corporation, from Google to Microsoft, boasts of how the organization engages in charitable service to the community and treats its workers well. As Louis Brandeis said: "The recognized professions, however, definitely reject the size of the financial return as the measure of success. They select as their test, excellence of performance in the broadest sense -- and include, among other things, advance in the particular occupation and service to the community." The pleasures of excellence in service to the community rather than the pursuit of profits alone should guide the professions of law, medicine, and also business.

Medicine and law both have national organizations (in the form of the AMA and ABA) that define ethics for its members. A doctor or a lawyer who behaves unethically can lose his or her license. However, business does not have an official screening test, organization, or regulatory agency defining community and professional standards. Instead, businesspeople have the obligation of policing themselves, as well as the worry of falling afoul of the law. An institutional ethical police like the AMA would ultimately benefit business. However, such an institution does not yet exist. For this reason it is essential that businesspeople study ethical leadership and emotional intelligence. Businesspeople must build their communications skills so they are able to internalize a sense of personal morality that can be reflected on their followers and colleagues. Only with an ethical stance can enterprises ensure that they will be able to retain the public trust, live according to existing laws and regulations, and enjoy profitability as well.

Works Cited

Brandeis, Louis. "Business: A profession." Brown Commencement Address. 1912.

"The Essence of Enterprise." University of Denver: Daniels College.

Rousseau, Jean Jacques. "The Social Contract." 1762.

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Brandeis, Louis. "Business: A profession." Brown Commencement Address. 1912.

"The Essence of Enterprise." University of Denver: Daniels College.

Rousseau, Jean Jacques. "The Social Contract." 1762.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Self-Reflection the Field of Social Work Is
Words: 1574 Length: 6 Document Type: Creative Writing

Self-Reflection The field of social work is complicated and requires a great deal of human empathy and understanding. It is also important to have the ability to analyze things from an intellectual perspective using critical thinking and reasonable understanding. When both of these forces are combined in harmony, problems become much more solvable and knowledge flows much freer and is much more effective. The purpose of this essay is t combine these

Paul's Early Life Birth, Upbringing, and Early
Words: 1854 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Paul's Early Life (birth, Upbringing, And Early Education) Paul's early life can be dated back from 1-33 A.D. His upbringing comprised of being born in Tarsus of Cilicia, where he was raised under another name, Saul. He was raised in a Jewish, strict household. Because Paul was Jewish, he received Rabbinic training in Jerusalem from Rabbi Gamaliel. As he received his training, he also learned the traditions of the Pharisees. Later

Self-Disclosure Women's Use Self-Disclosure in Interpersonal Intimate...
Words: 1830 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

Self-Disclosure Women's Use Self-Disclosure in Interpersonal Intimate Relationships Compared with Number and Length of Relationships They Maintain Kalbfleisch (1993) points out that interpersonal relationships are the "cherished ingredients of our everyday social milieu." There are no substitutes according to Kalbfleisch, for the people that "we turn to in times of need, look to for comfort and companionship, laugh, cry and share our lives with throughout the cycle of our existence" (p.3). Many researchers have

Epistle of Paul to Philemon
Words: 20604 Length: 60 Document Type: Dissertation

The divisions were as such: 1. The highest class amongst the slave was of the slave minister; he was responsible for most of the slave transactions or trades and was also allowed to have posts on the government offices locally and on the provincial level. 2. This was followed by the class of temple slaves; this class of slaves was normally employed in the religious organizations usually as janitors and caretakers

Advancing Formative Assessment Using Instructional Adjustments to...
Words: 646 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Formative Assessments Popham -1 - Implementing one of Popham's four "steps" should be regular and a part of the everyday classroom management edict. For instance, as instructor's collect evidence, they must decide whether to proceed, review, or change instruction; students use evidence of understanding to help them reroute thinking processes ro adjust learning procedures; and, depending on the climate of the classroom, both teachers and students should adjust assessment by using

Psychometric Assessment of Autism
Words: 3635 Length: 13 Document Type: Essay

Psychometric Assessment Autism Background of Autism What is autism? Autism is a disease, which poses tons of questions, while providing least of answers. This being said, autism is one of the five diseases coming under Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). It shows in early years of a human and effects the brain's functioning. An autism website states that, 'it's a result of a neurological disorder, which hampers the proper operations of a brain,

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