The ethical imperative – contrarieties

The Ethical Imperative – Contrarieties ” A global ethic is only practicable as a personal commitment,” says the author, Dalla Costa. He explains that for businesspeople, this does not mean valuing profit less, but instead valuing people more. Throughout the article, the author shows that business reflects who we are as a society and the beliefs that we live by as individuals. He uses several examples of organizations that have been hurt by unethical behavior to support his statement.

Business leaders must assess their values and make appropriate changes since they operate in a global economy where market forces have left the human aspect weaker and the profit element skyrocketed. Dalla Costa attempts to convince businesses to pursue moral and ethical policies. He addresses the principle of right and wrong but emphasizes the importance of ethical behavior to long-term survival and profit. The article dissects the different characteristics attributed to those optimistic and pessimistic.

It describes the institutional pessimism of business, and explains how it is a product of fear – the fear of making mistake and of trying something new. The author argues that today’s universal interdependence requires a global ethic – concern for the consumers, workers, and theenvironmentof the overall community. He also discusses the pressures that lead to unethical behavior by individuals and organizations. He develops on five core fallacies that ground the pessimists’ antipathy and prevent correction.

In the article, Dalla Costa outlines the process for incorporating ethical principles to the direct benefit of customers, shareholders, employees and profits. The author makes clear why corporate ethics must be a fundamental component of any firm. As managers and consumers, many people are concerned about issues likediscriminationin the workplace, and are struggling to integrate their beliefs into their jobs. The Ethical Imperative links these personal values to business performance. ’Costly though they may be, ethics are not an expenditure but an investment’’ (Dalla Costa, 1998). This article can be related to any business. [From Tesco’s point of view] as trust is essential among network actors, we believe to be optimistic is the best way to achieve ethical practices and reach trust between the firm and the market. Since industry, employer, andpeer pressureare important factors influencing employees’ decisions, and since they do what they think is expected from them, we will work on modifying our businesscultureto build ethic and trust.

Teams will be built to assess unethical issues, gather feedbacks and comments. This will in turn create a positive feedback loop. Also, Tesco will co-create supply chain transparency by 1. Demanding full transparency from its suppliers, 2. Working together with Tesco-Motorola-Foodsuppliers-Customers, and 3. Allowing customers to be true to their respective code of ethics.