Can ethical behavior really exist in business Research Paper

Can ethical behavior really exist in business - Research Paper Example This paper is an attempt to analyse the concept of ethical behaviour and focus on the possibilities for ethical behaviour to exist in a business. The meaning of business ethics An attempt to answer the following question could help us to understand the meaning of business ethics: What is the relationship between ethics and morality? According to Archie B. Carroll and Ann K. Buchholtz â€Å"ethics is the discipline that deals with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation. Ethics can also be regarded as a set of moral principles or values. Morality is a doctrine or system of moral conduct† (Carroll & Buchholtz 242). It is obvious from the definitions that ethics and morality are more or less similar concepts and both these terminologies can be used as substitutes for each other to analyse the right and wrong behaviour in business. Business ethics could thus be observed as linked with the right and wrong behaviour and practices which take place in a business setup. The existence of a business is dependant on the nature of relationship between customers, employees, investors, shareholders, managers and directors. It is the responsibility of director board of a company to ensure the functioning of the organisation in a legal and ethical manner. ... Recent interpretations of right and wrong comprise questions of equity and fairness. There are two important branches of ethics; descriptive ethics and normative ethics. These branches observe the concept of ethics from different angles. As Archie B. Carroll and Ann K. Buchholtz puts in â€Å"descriptive ethics is concerned with describing, characterizing and studying the morality the people, an organisation, a culture or a society. It also compares and contrasts different moral codes, systems, practices, beliefs and values† (Carroll & Buchholtz 242). The focus of descriptive business ethics is primarily on what is taking place in specific areas such as behaviour, action, decisions and practices of organisations. It considers the present happenings in a business establishment and therefore there are possibilities for the development of an attitude among some people to follow the activities of a majority even if the action is unfair. At this point one could recognise the import ance of normative business ethics as it focus on ‘what aught to be’ instead of ‘what is’ the ethical conditions of an organisation. According to Archie B. Carroll and Ann K. Buchholtz â€Å"normative ethics, by contrast, is concerned with supplying and justifying a coherent moral system of thinking and judging. It seeks to uncover, develop and justify basic moral principles that are indented to guide behaviour, actions and decisions† (Carroll & Buchholtz 242). Therefore normative ethics provides a clear cut idea regarding what is ethical and what is unethical in a business. It is more concerned with the do’s and don’ts and with setting up of standards for providing guidelines for a business establishment to ensure its ethical functioning which is

What shapes women's decisions to take part in prenatal testing and Essay

What shapes women's decisions to take part in prenatal testing and screening - Essay Example As pregnancy progresses the chances of changing the normal situation to abnormal one also increases. These complications could be primarily related to mother or developing foetus and both can affect the other partner. Continuous contact between a pregnant woman and a health are provider reduces the chances of turning the situation towards real emergency situation. This care provider – client relationship not only addresses the medical issues but it becomes an excellent opportunity to discuss other related and required issues, like: nutrition, rest, event around delivery, postpartum period, care of newborn and family planning. During pregnancy, there is an opportunity for pregnant woman to get herself tested or screened as advised by her care provider. Prenatal testing and screening is a preventive measure to exclude as many pathological situations as possible so that the outcome of a pregnancy is smooth in the shape of a normal newborn. During the prenatal period, pregnant women are advised some routine laboratory tests for all women. These laboratory tests require samples from blood, urine and cervix, as well as tests for sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) (Medial Library, ACOG). The purpose of this routine activity is that if some abnormality is detected then it can be treated early before complications start because of this abnormality. Moreover, treating these abnormalities is not a big task but the effects of treating these abnormalities are significantly high. Urine is tested for the presence of sugar and proteins in the urine. High levels or sugar are of some concern otherwise sugar is excreted in urine during pregnancy but the presence of proteins suggests further work on excluding urinary tract infection (UTI), other kidney diseases or blood pressure. To look for any change in the cervix, a Pap smear is taken and assessed for any change leading to cervical cancer if it has not been taken during