Ethics

Question 0

How can a firm manage diversity?

Answer 0

Must be overall strategy - continuous process not one off

Clear that it’s everyone’s responsibility

Communicate and train

Measure, review and reinforce

Question 1

What are the benefits of managing diversity?

Answer 1

People want to work for a company with good values

Market competitiveness

Corporate reputation

Question 2

What are the benefits of a code of conduct?

Answer 2

Foote - provides guidance when difficult to know which action will benefit all stakeholders

Question 3

What problems are associated with a code of conduct?

Answer 3

Can’t cover every situation

Wiley - role modelling and clear commitment from top essential

Question 4

What is diversity management?

Answer 4

Hays & Thomas

Use of processes and strategies to make differences among people an asset

Question 5

What are the problems of positive discrimination?

Answer 5

Those seen to be filling quotas will face assumptions about their ability

Patronising to whole group

Question 6

What are some reasons for positive discrimination?

Answer 6

Boatwright

Compensation to make up for long term discrimination

Equality and closing gap

Means of addressing urgent social problems

Question 7

What is positive discrimination?

Example?

Answer 7

Groups given preferential treatment to address previously unfair distribution

Norwegian government - at least 40% of board seats in public companies held by women

Question 8

What does Noon say?

What does Von Bergen say about equal opportunities?

Answer 8

Noon - people should be recruited on their ability to do the job and nothing else

Von Bergen - by ruling out a group, deprive of pool of talent which leads to non engagement and non optimal performance

Question 9

What role can HR play in ethics?

Answer 9

Ensure statutory obligations are met
Integrate values into culture
Influence management
Use it to attract, recruit and retain

Question 10

What does CSR involve?

Answer 10

Reporting on triple bottom line
Economic results
Effect on environment
Effect on social well being

Question 11

What is the stakeholder view of the firm?

Answer 11

Employees one of many groups who’s interests are part of organisations agenda and must be balanced

Question 12

What is the shareholder view of the firm?

Answer 12

Employees seen as a resource to maximise shareholder wealth

Question 13

What is a normative view?

Answer 13

Acknowledges that not all activities will be seen to maximise shareholder wealth

Question 14

How does Sternberg say an action can be ethical?

Answer 14

Must ensure it is

Consistent with business purpose
Consistent with requirement of decency
Consistent with requirement for distributive justice

Question 15

What did Friedman say?

What implication does this have for CSR?

Answer 15

An organisations purpose is to make as much money as possible within the law and rules of competition

Leads to ethical objections to CSR

Question 16

What did a CIPD report find about the purpose of an organisation?

Answer 16

49% of participants saw it as maximising shareholder wealth

Question 17

What did Ellesworth say?

Answer 17

Important to consider purpose when thinking about ethics of HRM

Question 18

How do the 3 main approaches to ethics have relevance in the workplace?

Answer 18

Some ways of treating people are just inherently wrong

Can’t ignore consequences

Yukl - discussions of leadership include virtues

Question 19

Describe the ethics as virtues approach

What are the problems?

Answer 19

Desirable qualities possessed by good people - how we should live life in order to realise highest potential

Takes time and experience
Cultural differences
Subjective

Question 20

What is professionalism?

Answer 20

The principles behind what you do

Wiley - in an organisation people detect what is acceptable from their line manager and their basic upbringing

Question 21

What are the 3 main approaches to ethics?

Answer 21

Ethics as duties
Ethics as consequences
Ethics as virtues

Question 22

Describe the ethics as duties approach

What are the problems?

Answer 22

Things that should be done/refrained from because they are good/bad in their own right

Deontological

Focus on acts not consequences

Problems - excessive rigidity, complexity, priority

Question 23

Describe the ethics as consequences approach

What are the problems

Answer 23

Good acts lead to good results and vice versa

Utilitarianism - greatest good for greatest number

Problems - how do you measure happiness

Mackie - allows undeserved bad consequences for one group to be offset by good for another