Post #1
The military does a pretty good job adhering to the CERES principle. Out of the 9 items, there is only one area that comes to mind that I would give them a low mark on and that is Informing the public. Informing the public states that a company will timely inform everyone who may be affected by a condition caused by our company that endanger health, safety, or the environment (Johnson, 2016). Recently during my military retirement process, I found out that being exposed to bird droppings may cause mesothelioma.
For years I worked in an airplane hangar where I had to clean up the bird dropping that collected from the birds that made homes at the top of the hanger. We did this daily as part of our house keeping routine. I was never made aware of the potential hazards to my health while performing theses duties. According to the informing the public principle of CERES, I was supposed to have been notified in a timely matter.
I believe that it is possible to meet all of the stakeholders needs, just probably not all at the same time. I think there will times periods of times that some stakeholders' needs may not be met. The trick is in managing those periods to as brief a period as possible. The goal is to have more ups than downs. For example, employees may not be happy during a period of extended hour, due the demand for a product, but at the same time the customer will be happy. According to the text, customers and employees are primary stakeholders (Johnson, 2016).
One of the benefits that I enjoy about living in a global economy is the ability to shop on line or the internet. You are no longer limited to only the products that are available in your city. This makes it relay nice when purchasing gifts for the holidays. If the item is sold out locally you can purchase it on line from the same retailer, but from a store 4 states over without leaving your living room. A cost associated with the internet is the birth of hackers, but the benefit out weighs the cost.
Due to our human nature to natural bond together in groups (Johnson, 2016), I don't thing it possible to be a world citizen. To be a world citizen you would need to be able to overcome this social obstacle. I just don't think it would be possible considering our current state as a country.
When it comes to human rights, I believe that ethical ground can be found. Human rights are granted to individuals based solely on their status as a person (Johnson, 2016). No matter what culture you are from, we all share the fact the we are human beings. Thing such as the right to not be enslaved, I don't think there are many cultures that would agree to becoming slaves.
Reference:
Johnson, C.E. (2016). Organizational Ethics A Practical Approach. Thousand Oaks, California. Sage publications.
POST #2
• How well does your (current or most recent) organization measure up against the CERES Principles?
Currently my organization is is small with only fourteen employees. We provide a service to Boards of Directors to help them manage their business items on a monthly and sometimes weekly basis. Our services are mostly Financial bookkeeping services but we also offer certified managers to help boards stay on top of the triple bottom line. We have two office locations, and try to maintain a local employee base that uses minimal fuel to travel to and from work.
Our vehicles are low emission and help us reduce the amount of burnt fuels entering our atmosphere and due to the amount we drive, we are considering electric vehicles for 2018. Our office uses all recycled materials, when possible, like copier paper, folders and we ensure recycling bins and trash cans are located conveniently around the offices. We give to two charities and provide volunteer services in the community. We force our clients to audit our books each year to keep us accountable. "We will not take any action against employees for reporting dangerous incidents or conditions to management or to appropriate authorities" (Johnson, 2016).
• Is it possible for an organization to meet the needs of all stakeholders?
Honestly, it is almost impossible to meet everyonesneeds, however, it is possible to treat all stakeholders with respect, honesty and integrity creating an environment that honors commitment and the sense that everyone is doing a good job (Johnson, pg. 300, 2016).
• What do you see as the greatest benefit of living in a global economy? The greatest cost?
The greatest benefit that I see is all the different ideas and the fact that those ideas come from so many different walk of life. I recently worked with a Middle Eastern man who was on a board of directors that Managed. He isn't used to an overly friendly attitude and frankly told me that happiness and smiles cover up lies.
I was surprised, but I knew deep down that if i kept treating like a king, that I would eventually break him. That was not the case as I noticed very little change in how he treated me over that period of time. When our contract was up with him, I overheard him saying to my boss that he was pleased with all the hard work and respect that I showed him during our contract. So for me personally, I needed to see that I could not only work with a Middle Eastern man, but that I could be a benefit to his life.
• What does it mean to you to be a "world citizen?"
For me being a World citizen is having the ability to put aside petty differences between one another and find a way to coexist. Now I am not saying we should go hug the North Korean leader, but I feel there maybe ways to overcome differences in opinion without blowing each other up. However, in this case that probably isn't true...
• Do you believe that there is enough evidence to conclude that members of different cultures can find ethical common ground?
According to Johnson the idea that ethical common ground can be found exists between different ethnicities (pg. 410, 2016). Now there are most likely differences between us that will cause more issues than they would if we worked among Americans only, but for me it goes back to diversity in thinking which is key for culturally diverse organizations.
Reference:
JOHNSON, C. E. (2016). ORGANIZATIONAL ETHICS: a practical approach. S.l.: SAGE PUBLICATIONS.
Post #3
• How well does your (current or most recent) organization measure up against the CERES Principles?
The organization I previously worked for created a sustainability score card that was first of its kind in the healthcare. They encouraged suppliers across the industry to provide greener products for the industry. The organizations focus on greener products followed other leading works such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing the use of harmful chemicals, and promoting sustainable food choices amongst others. The organization "recognized they are responsible for their impacts and are willing to be held accountable for them" (Johnson, 2016, p. 368).
• Is it possible for an organization to meet the needs of all stakeholders?
There are two different types of stakeholder, primary and secondary. The primary stakeholders consist of customers, investors, employees, and suppliers. According to Johnson 92016) these type of stakeholders have a direct stake in organization success or failure and exert the most significant influence. The secondary stake holders consist of social pressure groups, media, and trade bodies.
The accountability the organization has to this group of stakeholders is less than that of the primary (Johnson, 2016). Although there is an urge for organizations to focus on creating value for all stakeholders "it is not always possible to satisfy every critic" (Johnson, 2016, p. 372). Understanding the concern of both primary and secondary stakeholder, however, can create new opportunities to generate value and potentially satisfy most of their needs (Johnson, 2016).
• What do you see as the greatest benefit of living in a global economy? The greatest cost?
Some of the greatest benefits of living in a global economy are instant communication to anywhere on earth, increased information flow, and cross cultural contact (Johnson 2016). Some of the greatest cost are the ethical dangers that are presented by large organizations.
Take for example promotion of greed and corporate power at the expense of others. As the fast food industry grows with companies like McDonalds and Domino's Pizza, cultural traditions are being destroyed. Johnson (2016) explains that with the growth of fast food local fare is suffering and furthermore "people around the world can expect to suffer the same kinds of chronic health problems as U.S. residents do..." (p. 396).
• What does it mean to you to be a "world citizen?"
Johnson (2016) states that "we should consider ourselves citizens of the world rather one than particular nation-state" (p. 400), or cosmopolitans. Cosmopolitans believe in increasing interactions with those outside our culture group and that individual responsibilities should extend to strangers as well as acquaintances (Johnson , 2016).; furthermore that there is a "moral obligation or duty to act on that concern by providing assistance to others around the world" (p. 400).
While I do think that their beliefs hold value and should be followed to be considered a world citizen, I do not agree with some of their other values. Like for example, I do not agree with abandoning my patriotism or world government. Doing that would mean I would be abandoning some of my own beliefs and values such as loyalty to my own country.
• Do you believe that there is enough evidence to conclude that members of different cultures can find ethical common ground?
Power distance, Individualism vs collectivism, masculinity versus femininity, uncertainty avoidance, performance orientation, future orientation, assertiveness, and human orientation are all values Johnson (2016) identifies as values that different ethnic groups and nations hold in common. Having an understanding for these values can help find an ethical common ground amongst different cultures. Therefore, yes - I do believe that there is enough evidence to conclude that members of different cultures can find Ethical common ground.
References:
Johnson, C. E. (2016). Organizational ethics: A practical approach (3rded.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.