Question

Can you bring a couple of examples of ethical issues that are intrinsic to usual business processes?

Answer 1

Some of the ethical issues which are intrinsic to business processes can be listed as below:

1. Discrimination at workplace – Businesses today have to employ and deal with the people of diversified cultures and traditions. People of all ages are involved in the business processes. Due to this diversity, discrimination issues could arise at the workplace. Also, discrimination on the basis of caste, color and gender is quite evident at the workplaces. Businesses should have proper policies in place to handle such issues and should have strong core values to promote indiscrimination and equal opportunities for all.

2. Health and Safety – Health and safety are one of the major ethical concerns of any business. The works or labor employed generally has to go through daily struggles and risks at the workplace while working on hazardous activities and processes during manufacturing of the company’s goods. Companies should provide proper protection and safety measures to avoid such hazards. Employees must be trained to handle such situations and should be provided with tools such as helmets, eye protection glares, safety suits, etc. to ensure their safety.

3. Law Compliances – A company has to comply with the laws and rules of the acts applicable to its industry to ensure good governance. Businesses have the responsibility to comply with and adhere to government guidelines to carry out their production activities ethically. Such issues could result in legal actions against the company or the loss of brand value in the market. Companies should direct its activities in a way that it remains ethical in its processes.

4. Accounting Issues – Companies might face unethical accounting issues if the books are cooked or manipulated to exhibit a different position of the business. Such manipulative and unfair reports can harm the interests of the stakeholders and could also attract legal consequences. Companies must strive to present the true and fair position of the business and should have internal and external control techniques in place to avoid such unethical issues.