Eth/316 Week 3
How Ethical Principles Can Address Organizational Issues:
An Examination of U.S. Government Acquisitions
ETH 316
October 15, 2014
In discussing the relationship between ethical principles and organizations, we will first examine the influence the external environment can have on organizational ethics. The relevance of these social pressures and the issues they can cause will also be explored. This will be followed by an analysis of the relationship between ethical issues and legal standards. To illustrate these ethical principles in context, the organization highlighted in this paper is the U.S. Government Services Administration (GSA).
External social pressure has become a chief driver in business ethics. The old saying that perception is reality resonates loudly when influencing organizational ethics. The GSA is a purchasing agent for the federal government. In an information age where social medial can significantly impact a company’s reputation, it is not hard for a company to make a mistake and then have that mistake spread throughout social media. News can spread rapidly when companies fail to observe social standards, For example, the GSA drew sharp criticism …show more content…
As mentioned above, it may not have been unethical as far as the industry standard is concerned, but it was unethical socially because it used society’s taxes to pay for it. What would have happened had this decision for a lavish conference been made? Would the administrator and her two deputies have been fired? It is a good possibility that they would still retain the positions they once held and there would have been no negative backlash. At the end of the day, it is up to each and every company to determine what is ethical, what is legal, how to deal with day to day operations while complying to both their ethical and legal
An Examination of U.S. Government Acquisitions
ETH 316
October 15, 2014
In discussing the relationship between ethical principles and organizations, we will first examine the influence the external environment can have on organizational ethics. The relevance of these social pressures and the issues they can cause will also be explored. This will be followed by an analysis of the relationship between ethical issues and legal standards. To illustrate these ethical principles in context, the organization highlighted in this paper is the U.S. Government Services Administration (GSA).
External social pressure has become a chief driver in business ethics. The old saying that perception is reality resonates loudly when influencing organizational ethics. The GSA is a purchasing agent for the federal government. In an information age where social medial can significantly impact a company’s reputation, it is not hard for a company to make a mistake and then have that mistake spread throughout social media. News can spread rapidly when companies fail to observe social standards, For example, the GSA drew sharp criticism …show more content…
As mentioned above, it may not have been unethical as far as the industry standard is concerned, but it was unethical socially because it used society’s taxes to pay for it. What would have happened had this decision for a lavish conference been made? Would the administrator and her two deputies have been fired? It is a good possibility that they would still retain the positions they once held and there would have been no negative backlash. At the end of the day, it is up to each and every company to determine what is ethical, what is legal, how to deal with day to day operations while complying to both their ethical and legal