Richard L. Daft - Management. 9th ed., 2010

Подождите немного. Документ загружается.

PART 2 THE ENVIRONMENT OF MANAGEMENT130

Germany for tax evasion, bribery, and other forms of corruption have destroyed the

high level of public trust business leaders there once enjoyed, with just 15 percent of

respondents now saying business leaders are trustworthy.

This chapter expands on the ideas about environment, corporate culture, and the

international environment discussed in Chapters 3 and 4. We  rst focus on the topic

of ethical values, which builds on the idea of corporate culture. We examine funda-

mental approaches that can help managers think through dif cult ethical issues, and

we look at factors that in uence how managers make ethical choices. Understanding

these ideas will help you build a solid foundation on which to base future decision

making. We also examine organizational relationships to the external environment as

re ected in corporate social responsibility. The  nal section of the chapter describes

how managers build an ethical organization using codes of ethics and other organi-

zational policies, structures, and systems.

WHAT IS MANAGERIAL ETHICS?

Ethics is dif cult to de ne in a precise way. In a general sense, ethics is the code of

moral principles and values that governs the behaviors of a person or group with

respect to what is right or wrong. Ethics sets standards as to what is good or bad in

conduct and decision making.

An ethical issue is present in a situation when the

actions of a person or organization may harm or bene t others.

Yet ethical issues can

sometimes be exceedingly complex. People in organizations may hold widely diver-

gent views about the most ethically appropriate or inappropriate actions related to

a situation.

Managers often face situations in which it is dif cult to determine what

is right. In addition, they might be torn between their misgivings and their sense

of duty to their bosses and the organization. Sometimes, managers want to take a

stand but don’t have the backbone to go against others, bring unfavorable attention

to themselves, or risk their jobs.

Ethics can be more clearly understood when compared with behaviors governed

by law and by free choice. Exhibit 5.1 illustrates that human behavior falls into three

categories. The  rst is codi ed law, in which values and standards are written into

the legal system and enforceable in the courts. In this area, lawmakers set rules that

people and corporations must follow in a certain way, such as obtaining licenses

for cars or paying corporate taxes. The courts alleged that executives at companies

such as WorldCom and Enron broke the law, for example, by manipulating  nancial

results, such as using off-balance-sheet partnerships to improperly create income and

hide debt.

The domain of free choice is at the opposite end of the scale and pertains

to behavior about which the law has no say and for which an individual or organiza-

tion enjoys complete freedom. A manager’s choice of where to eat lunch or a music

company’s choice of the number of CDs to release is an example of free choice.

Between these domains lies the area of ethics. This domain has no speci c laws,

yet it does have standards of conduct based on shared principles and values about

moral conduct that guide an individual or company. Executives at Enron, for exam-

ple, did not break any speci c laws by encouraging employees to buy more shares of

stock even when they believed the company was in  nancial trouble and the price of

EXHIBIT 5.1

Three Domains of Human

Action

eth

The

mor

pri

les

alu

tha

ove

rns

e behaviors of a

erson or

gro

up with respect to what is

rig

ht or wron

CHAPTER 5 MANAGING ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 131

Environment

the shares was likely to decline. However, this behavior was a clear violation of the

executives’ ethical responsibilities to employees.

These managers were acting based

on their own interests rather than their duties to employees and other stakeholders.

Many companies and individuals get into trouble with the simpli ed view that

choices are governed by either law or free choice. This view leads people to mis-

takenly assume that if it’s not illegal, it must be ethical, as if there were no third

domain.

A better option is to recognize the domain of ethics and accept moral values

as a powerful force for good that can regulate behaviors both inside and outside

organizations.

ETHICAL DILEMMAS: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Ethics is always about making decisions, and some issues are dif cult to resolve.

Because ethical standards are not codi ed, disagreements and dilemmas about proper

behavior often occur. An ethical dilemma arises in a situation concerning right or

wrong when values are in con ict.

Right and wrong cannot be clearly identi ed.

The individual who must make an ethical choice in an organization is the moral

agent.

Here are some dilemmas that a manager in an organization might face. Think

about how you would handle them:

1. Your company requires a terrorist watch list screen-

ing for all new customers, which takes approximately

24 hours from the time an order is placed. You can

close a lucrative deal with a potential long-term cus-

tomer if you agree to ship the products overnight,

even though that means the required watch list

screening will have to be done after the fact.

2. As a sales manager for a major pharmaceuticals

company, you’ve been asked to promote a new drug

that costs $2,500 per dose. You’ve read the reports

saying the drug is only one percent more effective

than an alternate drug that costs less than $625 per

dose. The VP of sales wants you to aggressively pro-

mote the $2,500-per-dose drug. He reminds you that,

if you don’t, lives could be lost that might have been

saved with that one percent increase in the drug’s

effectiveness.

3. Your company is hoping to build a new overseas

manufacturing plant. You could save about $5 mil-

lion by not installing standard pollution control

equipment that is required in the United States. The

plant will employ many local workers in a poor

country where jobs are scarce. Your research shows

that pollutants from the factory could potentially

damage the local  shing industry. Yet building the

factory with the pollution control equipment will

likely make the plant too expensive to build.

4. You have been collaborating with a fellow manager on an important project. One

afternoon, you walk into his of ce a bit earlier than scheduled and see sexually

explicit images on his computer monitor. The company has a zero-tolerance sexual

harassment policy, as well as strict guidelines regarding personal use of the Internet.

However, your colleague was in his own of ce and not bothering anyone else.

These kinds of dilemmas and issues fall squarely in the domain of ethics. How

would you handle each of the above situations? Now consider the following hypo-

thetical dilemma, which scientists are using to study human morality.

Protective Life Corporation shows its

commitment to ethics through its corporate strategy: “Offer great

products at highly competitive prices and provide the kind of attentive

service we’d hope to get from others.” Treating others the way you

want to be treated is one approach to making ethically-responsible

decisions and handling ethical dilemmas. However, insurance com-

panies often have to rely on a utilitarian approach to ethical decision

making that considers how to provide the greatest good to the great-

est number of policyholders.

eth

ica

emma A situati

t arises w

en a

terna

ve choices or behaviors are

ecause

entiall

ative conse

nces

makin

it difﬁ cult to

dis

tin

gui

rig

fro

ron

PART 2 THE ENVIRONMENT OF MANAGEMENT132

▪ A runaway trolley is heading down the tracks toward  ve unsuspecting people.

You’re standing near a switch that will divert the trolley onto a siding, but there is

a single workman on the siding who cannot be warned in time to escape and will

almost certainly be killed. Would you throw the switch?

▪ Now, what if the workman is standing on a bridge over the tracks and you have to

push him off the bridge to stop the trolley with his body in order to save the  ve

unsuspecting people? (Assume his body is large enough to stop the trolley and

yours is not.) Would you push the man, even though he will almost certainly be

killed?

These dilemmas show how complex questions of ethics and morality can some-

times be. In Time magazine’s readers’ poll, 97 percent of respondents said they could

throw the switch (which would almost certainly lead to the death of the workman),

but only 42 percent said they could actually push the man to his death.

CRITERIA FOR ETHICAL DECISION MAKING

Most ethical dilemmas involve a con ict between the needs of the part and the

whole—the individual versus the organization or the organization versus society

as a whole. For example, should a company perform surveillance on managers’

nonworkplace conduct, which might bene t the organization as a whole but reduce

the individual freedom of employees? Or should products that fail to meet tough

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards be exported to other countries

where government standards are lower, bene ting the company but potentially

harming world citizens? Sometimes ethical decisions entail a con ict between two

groups. For example, should the potential for local health problems resulting from

a company’s ef uents take precedence over the jobs it creates as the town’s leading

employer?

Managers faced with these kinds of tough ethical choices often bene t from a

normative strategy—one based on norms and values—to guide their decision making.

Normative ethics uses several approaches to describe values for guiding ethical deci-

sion making. Four of these approaches that are relevant to managers are the utilitarian

approach, individualism approach, moral-rights approach, and justice approach.

Utilitarian Approach

The utilitarian approach, espoused by the nineteenth-century philosophers Jeremy

Bentham and John Stuart Mill, holds that moral behavior produces the greatest good

for the greatest number. Under this approach, a decision maker is expected to con-

sider the effect of each decision alternative on all parties and select the one that opti-

mizes the bene ts for the greatest number of people. In the trolley dilemma above, for

instance, the utilitarian approach would hold that it would be moral to push one per-

son to his death in order to save  ve. In organizations, because actual computations

can be complex, simplifying them is considered appropriate. For example, a simple

economic frame of reference could be used by calculating dollar costs and dollar ben-

e ts. The utilitarian ethic is cited as the basis for the recent trend among companies to

monitor employee use of the Internet and police personal habits such as alcohol and

tobacco consumption, because such behavior affects the entire workplace.

Individualism Approach

The individualism approach contends that acts are moral when they promote the

individual’s best long-term interests. Individual self-direction is paramount, and

external forces that restrict self-direction should be severely limited

Individuals

calculate the best long-term advantage to themselves as a measure of a decision’s

uti

litarian a

roach

ical conce

t that moral

avi

ors

odu

the

eat

est

d for the

reatest number.

ndividualism a

roach

he ethical conce

t that acts

e moral when the

promote

e individual’s best lon

-term

ests

CHAPTER 5 MANAGING ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 133

Environment

goodness. The action that is intended to produce a greater ratio of good to bad

for the individual compared with other alternatives is the right one to perform. In

theory, with everyone pursuing self-direction, the greater good is ultimately served

because people learn to accommodate each other in their own long-term interest.

Individualism is believed to lead to honesty and integrity because that works best

in the long run. Lying and cheating for immediate self-interest just causes business

associates to lie and cheat in return. Thus, individualism ultimately leads to behav-

ior toward others that  ts standards of behavior people want toward themselves.

One value of understanding this approach is to recognize short-term variations

if they are proposed. People might argue for short-term self-interest based on indi-

vidualism, but that misses the point. Because individualism is easily misinterpreted

to support immediate self-gain, it is not popular in the highly organized and group-

oriented society of today. This approach is closest to the domain of free choice

described in Exhibit 5.1.

Moral-Rights Approach

The moral-rights approach asserts that human beings have fundamental rights and

liberties that cannot be taken away by an individual’s decision. Thus, an ethically cor-

rect decision is one that best maintains the rights of those affected by it.

Six moral rights should be considered during decision making:

1. The right of free consent. Individuals are to be treated only as they knowingly and

freely consent to be treated.

2. The right to privacy. Individuals can choose to do as they please away from work

and have control of information about their private life.

3. The right of freedom of conscience. Individuals may refrain from carrying out any

order that violates their moral or religious norms.

4. The right of free speech. Individuals may criticize truthfully the ethics or legality

of actions of others.

5. The right to due process. Individuals have a right to an impartial hearing and fair

treatment.

6. The right to life and safety. Individuals have a right to live without endanger-

ment or violation of their health and safety.

To make ethical decisions, managers need to avoid interfering with the funda-

mental rights of others. Performing experimental treatments on unconscious trauma

patients, for example, might be construed to violate the right to free consent. A deci-

sion to monitor employees’ nonwork activities violates the right to privacy. Sexual

harassment is unethical because it violates the right to freedom of conscience. The

right of free speech would support whistle-blowers who call attention to illegal or

inappropriate actions within a company.

Go back to the section on ethical dilemmas on page 131 and select two. First apply

the utilitarian approach to reach a decision in each situation, and then apply the

moral-rights approach. Did you reach the same or different conclusions? As a new

manager, do you think one approach is generally better for managers to use?

Justice Approach

The justice approach holds that moral decisions must be based on standards of

equity, fairness, and impartiality. Three types of justice are of concern to managers.

Distributive justice requires that different treatment of people not be based on

arbitrary characteristics. Individuals who are similar in ways relevant to a decision

should be treated similarly. Thus, men and women should not receive different

TakeaMoment

mor

-ri

ts approac

The

ica

concept t

at mora

isions are t

ose t

est

aintain t

e rig

ts o

ose

eop

e a

ecte

y t

ustice approac

cep

hat

ral

cis

ion

ase

on stan

equity,

airness, an

partia

ity.

istri

utive justice Th

ncept t

erent treatment

peop

e s

not

ase

itrary c

aracteristics. In t

se o

stantive

erence

le should be treated dif-

rently in proportion to the

dif

ferences amon

them.

PART 2 THE ENVIRONMENT OF MANAGEMENT134

salaries if they are performing the same job. However, people who differ in a sub-

stantive way, such as job skills or job responsibility, can be treated differently in

proportion to the differences in skills or responsibility among them. This difference

should have a clear relationship to organizational goals and tasks.

Procedural justice requires that rules be administered fairly. Rules should be

clearly stated and consistently and impartially enforced.

Compensatory justice argues that individuals should be compensated for the

cost of their injuries by the party responsible. Moreover, individuals should not be

held responsible for matters over which they have no control.

The justice approach is closest to the thinking underlying the domain of law in

Exhibit 5.1 because it assumes that justice is applied through rules and regulations. This

theory does not require complex calculations such as those demanded by a utilitarian

approach, nor does it justify self-interest as the individualism approach does. Managers

are expected to de ne attributes on which different treatment of employees is accept-

able. Questions such as how minority workers should be compensated for past discrimi-

nation are extremely dif cult. However, this approach justi es the ethical behavior of

efforts to correct past wrongs, play fair under the rules, and insist on job-relevant differ-

ences as the basis for different levels of pay or promotion opportunities. Most of the laws

guiding human resource management (Chapter 11) are based on the justice approach.

Understanding these various approaches is only a  rst step. Managers still have

to consider how to apply them. The approaches offer general principles that manag-

ers can recognize as useful in making ethical decisions.

MANAGER ETHICAL CHOICES

A number of factors in uence a manager’s ability to make ethical decisions. Individ-

uals bring speci c personality and behavioral traits to the job. Personal needs, family

in uence, and religious background all shape a manager’s value system. Speci c per-

sonality characteristics, such as ego strength, self-con dence, and a strong sense of

independence, may enable managers to make ethical choices despite personal risks.

One important personal trait is the stage of moral development.

A simpli-

 ed version of one model of personal moral development is shown in Exhibit 5.2.

EXHIBIT 5.2 Three Levels of Personal Moral Development

SOURCE: Based on L. Kohlberg, “Moral Stages and Moralization: The Cognitive-Developmental Approach,” in Moral Development and Behavior: Theory, Research, and Social

Issues, ed. T. Lickona (New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1976), pp. 31–53; and Jill W. Graham, “Leadership, Moral Development and Citizenship Behavior,” Business

Ethics Quarterly 5, no. 1 (January 1995): 43–54.

pro

ura

ustice Th

nce

t t

at ru

es s

arl

tat

and

nsi

ste

ntl

lly

ompensatory justice

ncept that individuals shoul

e compensate

or t

e cost

eir injuries

y t

e party

onsi

e an

so t

ivi

s s

not

onsible for matters over

whi

ch the

ave no control

CHAPTER 5 MANAGING ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 135

Environment

At the preconventional level, individuals are

concerned with external rewards and punish-

ments and obey authority to avoid detrimental

personal consequences. In an organizational

context, this level may be associated with

managers who use an autocratic or coercive

leadership style, with employees oriented

toward dependable accomplishment of spe-

ci c tasks.

At level two, called the conventional level,

people learn to conform to the expectations

of good behavior as de ned by colleagues,

family, friends, and society. Meeting social

and interpersonal obligations is important.

Work group collaboration is the preferred

manner for accomplishment of organiza-

tional goals, and managers use a leadership

style that encourages interpersonal rela-

tionships and cooperation.

At the postconventional, or principled

level, individuals are guided by an inter-

nal set of values based on universal prin-

ciples of justice and right and will even

disobey rules or laws that violate these

principles. Internal values become more

important than the expectations of sig-

nificant others. This chapter’s Manager’s

Shoptalk gives some tips for how post-

conventional managers can effectively

challenge their superiors concerning

questionable ethical matters. One exam-

ple of the postconventional or principled approach comes from World War II.

When the USS Indianapolis sank after being torpedoed, one Navy pilot disobeyed

orders and risked his life to save men who were being picked off by sharks. The

pilot was operating from the highest level of moral development in attempting

the rescue despite a direct order from superiors. When managers operate from

this highest level of development, they use transformative or servant leadership,

focusing on the needs of followers and encouraging others to think for them-

selves and to engage in higher levels of moral reasoning. Employees are empow-

ered and given opportunities for constructive participation in governance of the

organization.

The great majority of managers operate at level two, meaning their ethi-

cal thought and behavior is greatly influenced by their superiors, colleagues,

and other significant people in the organization or industry. A few have not

advanced beyond level one. Only about 20 percent of American adults reach the

level-three postconventional stage of moral development. People at level three

are able to act in an independent, ethical manner regardless of expectations from

others inside or outside the organization. Managers at level three of moral devel-

opment will make ethical decisions whatever the organizational consequences

for them.

Review your responses to the questions at the beginning of this chapter, which will give

you some insight into your own level of manager courage, which is related to moral

development. As a new manager, strive for a high level of personal moral development.

You can test yours by completing the New Manager Self-Test on page 137.

TakeaMoment

Oprah Winfrey is an Emmy-winning television talk show

host, heads multimedia empire Harpo Productions, and is personally worth an

estimated $1.5 billion. Yet Winfrey is motivated not by a desire for inﬂ uence, power,

or money, but by her “calling,” a mission to serve others by uplifting, enlightening,

encouraging, and transforming how people see themselves. Winfrey demonstrates a

postconventional level of moral development. Rather than listening to “the voice of

the world,” she says she listens to “the still small voice” inside that tells her what to

do based on her deep moral values and standards of integrity. Winfrey evaluates every

staff idea in terms of how it connects to service to others.

PART 2 THE ENVIRONMENT OF MANAGEMENT136

Globalization makes ethical issues even more complicated for today’s manag-

ers.

For example, although tolerance for bribery is waning, bribes are still con-

sidered a normal part of doing business in many foreign countries. Transparency

International, an international organization that monitors corruption, publishes an

annual report ranking 30 leading exporting countries based on the propensity of

Many of today’s top executives put a renewed empha-

sis on ethics in light of serious ethical lapses that tar-

nished the reputations and hurt the performance of

previously respected and successful companies. Yet

keeping an organization in ethical line is an ongoing

challenge, and it requires that people at all levels be

willing to stand up for what they think is right. Chal-

lenging the boss or other senior leaders on poten-

tially unethical behaviors is particularly unnerving

for most people. Here are some tips for talking to

the boss about an ethically questionable decision or

action. Following these guidelines can increase the

odds that you’ll be heard and your opinions will be

seriously considered.

▪ Do your research. Marshall any facts and  gures

that support your position on the issue at hand,

and develop an alternative policy or course of

action that you can suggest at the appropriate

time. Prepare succinct answers to any questions

you anticipate being asked about your plan.

▪ Begin the meeting by giving your boss the  oor.

Make sure you really do understand what the

decision or policy is and the reasons behind it.

Ask open-ended questions, and listen actively,

showing through both your responses and your

body language that you’re seriously listening

and trying to understand the other person’s

position. In particular, seek out information

about what the senior manager sees as the deci-

sion or policy’s bene ts as well as any potential

downsides. It’ll give you information you can

use later to highlight how your plan can produce

similar bene ts while avoiding the potential

disadvantages.

▪ Pay attention to your word choice and

demeanor. No matter how strongly you feel

about the matter, don’t rant and rave about it.

You’re more likely to be heard if you remain

calm, objective, and professional. Try to disagree

without making it personal. Avoid phrases such

as “you’re wrong,” “you can’t,” “you should,”

or “how could you?” to prevent triggering the

other person’s automatic defense mechanisms.

▪ Take care how you suggest your alternative

solution. You can introduce your plan with

phrases such as “here’s another way to look

at this” or “what would you think about . . . ?”

Check for your superior’s reactions both by

explicitly asking for feedback and being sensi-

tive to body language clues. Point out the poten-

tial negative consequences of implementing

decisions that might be construed as unethical

by customers, shareholders, suppliers, or the

public.

▪ Be patient. Don’t demand a resolution on the

spot. During your conversation, you may realize

that your plan needs some work, or your boss

might just need time to digest the information

and opinions you’ve presented. It’s often a good

idea to ask for a follow-up meeting.

If the decision or action being considered is clearly

unethical or potentially illegal, and this meeting

doesn’t provide a quick resolution, you might need

to take your concerns to higher levels, or even blow

the whistle to someone outside the organization who

can make sure the organization stays in line. How-

ever, most managers don’t want to take actions that

will harm the organization, its people, or the commu-

nity. In many cases, questionable ethical issues can be

resolved by open and honest communication. That,

however, requires that people have the courage—and

develop the skills—to confront their superiors in a

calm and rational way.

SOURCE: Kevin Daley, “How to Disagree: Go Up Against

Your Boss or a Senior Executive and Live to Tell the Tale,”

T&D (April 2004); Diane Moore, “How to Disagree with Your

Boss—and Keep Your Job,” Toronto Star, November 12, 2003;

“How to Disagree with Your Boss,” WikiHow, http://wiki.ehow

.com/Disagree-With-Your-Boss; and “How to Confront Your

Boss Constructively,” The Buzz (October 23–29, 1996), www

.hardatwork.com/Buzz/ten.html.

How to Challenge the Boss on Ethical Issues

Manager’sShoptalk

CHAPTER 5 MANAGING ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 137

Environment

Self and Others

Leaders differ in how they view human nature and

the tactics they use to get things done through

others. Answer the questions below based on

how you view yourself and others. Think carefully

about each question and be honest about what

you feel inside. Please answer whether each item

below is Mostly True or Mostly False for you.

Mostly

True

Mostly

False

1. I prefer not to depend

on anyone else to get

things done.

2. I appreciate that I am a

special person.

3. I help orient new people

even though it is not

required.

4. I like to be the center of

attention.

5. I am always ready to

lend a helping hand to

those around me.

6. I tend to see my co-

workers as competitors.

7. I am quick to see

and point out others’

mistakes.

8. I frequently interrupt

someone to make my

point.

9. I often have to admit

that people around me

are not very competent.

SCORING AND INTERPRETATION: This scale

is about orientation toward self versus others. A

high score suggests you could be ego-centered,

and may come across to others as something

of a jerk. To compute your score, give yourself

one point for each Mostly False answer to items

3 and 5, and one point for each Mostly True

answer to items 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9. A score

of 7 to 9 points suggests a self-oriented person

who might take the individualism approach to the

extreme or function at the pre-conventional level 1

of moral development (Exhibit 5.2). A score from

4 to 6 points suggests a balance between self and

others. A score from 0 to 3 points would indicate

an “other” orientation associated with a utilitarian

or moral-rights approach and level 2 or level 3 moral

development, suggesting little likelihood of coming

across as a jerk.

New ManagerSelf-Test

international businesses to offer bribes. Exhibit 5.3 shows results of the organiza-

tion’s most recent available report. Emerging export powers rank the worst, with

India showing the greatest propensity for bribery and China, which has become the

world’s fourth largest exporter, almost as bad. However, multinational  rms in the

United States, Japan, France, and Spain also reveal a relatively high propensity to

pay bribes overseas.

These are dif cult issues for managers to resolve. Companies that don’t oil the

wheels of contract negotiations in foreign countries can put themselves at a com-

petitive disadvantage, yet managers walk a  ne line when doing deals overseas.

Although U.S. laws allow certain types of payments, tough federal antibribery laws

are also in place. Many companies, including Monsanto, ScheringPlough, and IBM,

have gotten into trouble with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

for using incentives to facilitate foreign deals.

PART 2 THE ENVIRONMENT OF MANAGEMENT138

WHAT IS CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY?

Now let’s turn to the issue of corporate social responsibility. In one sense, the concept

of social responsibility, like ethics, is easy to understand: It means distinguishing

right from wrong and doing right. It means being a good corporate citizen. The for-

mal de nition of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is management’s obligation

to make choices and take actions that will contribute to the welfare and interests of

society as well as the organization.

As straightforward as this de nition seems, CSR can

be a dif cult concept to grasp because different people

have different beliefs as to which actions improve soci-

ety’s welfare.

To make matters worse, social respon-

sibility covers a range of issues, many of which are

ambiguous with respect to right or wrong. If a bank

deposits the money from a trust fund into a low-interest

account for 90 days, from which it makes a substantial

pro t, is it being a responsible corporate citizen? How

about two companies engaging in intense competition?

Is it socially responsible for the stronger corporation to

drive the weaker one into bankruptcy or a forced merger?

Or consider companies such as Chiquita, Kmart, or Dana

Corporation, all of which declared bankruptcy—which is

perfectly legal—to avoid mounting  nancial obligations

to suppliers, labor unions, or competitors. These exam-

ples contain moral, legal, and economic considerations

that make socially responsible behavior hard to de ne.

Organizational Stakeholders

One reason for the dif culty understanding and apply-

ing CSR is that managers must confront the question,

“Responsibility to whom?” Recall from Chapter 3 that

the organization’s environment consists of several

EXHIBIT 5.3

The Transparency

International Bribe

Payers Index

A score of 10 represents zero propensity to pay bribes, while a score of

0 reﬂ ects very high levels of bribery.

Rank Score Rank Score

1 Switzerland 7.81

2 Sweden 7.62

3 Australia 7.59

4 Austria 7.50

5 Canada 7.46

6 United Kingdom 7.39

7 Germany 7.34

8 Netherlands 7.28

9 Belgium 7.22

9(tie) United States 7.22

11 Japan 7.10

12 Singapore 6.78

13 Spain 6.63

14 UAE 6.62

15 France 6.50

16 Portugal 6.47

17 Mexico 6.45

18 Hong Kong 6.01

18(tie) Israel 6.01

20 Italy 5.94

21 South Korea 5.83

22 Saudi Arabia 5.75

23 Brazil 5.65

24 South Africa 5.61

25 Malaysia 5.59

26 Taiwan 5.41

27 Turkey 5.23

28 Russia 5.16

29 China 4.94

30 India 4.62

SOURCE: Transparency International, www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/bpi/bpi_2006

(accessed February 18, 2008).

The International Olympic Committee

(IOC) must respond to numerous stakeholders, including the 205

National Olympic Committees that make up its membership, the

countries and cities at which various Olympic events will be held, the

business community that will cater to attendees, numerous sponsors,

media organizations, the participating athletes, and an international

public that has varying and conﬂ icting interests. The symbolic running

of the torch for the 2008 Olympics was plagued by protests over China’s

alleged human rights violations. In this photo, Ross Lahive protests

as the torch passes through San Francisco.

cor

porate socia

responsi

The

lig

ati

org

ani

zat

ion

anagement to ma

ecision

e actions t

at wi

anc

e we

are an

interests o

cie

as well as the organizat

ion

CHAPTER 5 MANAGING ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 139

Environment

sectors in both the task and general environment. From a social responsibility per-

spective, enlightened organizations view the internal and external environment as a

variety of stakeholders.

A stakeholder is any group within or outside the organization that has a stake

in the organization’s performance. Each stakeholder has a different criterion of

responsiveness because it has a different interest in the organization.

For exam-

ple, Wal-Mart uses aggressive bargaining tactics with suppliers so that it is able

to provide low prices for customers. Some stakeholders see this type of corporate

behavior as responsible because it bene ts customers and forces suppliers to be

more ef cient. Others, however, argue that the aggressive tactics are unethical

and socially irresponsible because they force U.S. manufacturers to lay off work-

ers, close factories, and outsource from low-wage countries. One supplier said

clothing is being sold so cheaply at Wal-Mart that many U.S. companies could not

compete even if they paid their employees nothing.

The organization’s performance affects stakeholders, but stakeholders can also

have a tremendous effect on the organization’s performance and success. Consider

the case of Monsanto, a leading competitor in the life sciences industry.

Over the past decade or so, Monsanto has been transformed from a chemicals ﬁ rm into

a biotechnology company. The organization’s vast array of stakeholders around the world

includes customers, investors, suppliers, partners, health and agricultural organizations,

regulatory agencies, research institutes, and governments.

Monsanto experienced some big problems in recent years because of its failure to satisfy

various stakeholder groups. For example, the company’s genetic seed business has been the

target of controversy and protest. Small farmers were concerned about new dependencies

that might arise for them with using the new seeds. European consumers rebelled against

a perceived imposition of unlabeled, genetically modiﬁ ed food ingredients. Research insti-

tutes and other organizations took offense at what they perceived as Monsanto’s arrogant

approach to the new business. Activist groups accused the company of creating “Franken-

stein foods.” To make matters even worse, in seeking to sell genetically modiﬁ ed seeds in

Indonesia, managers allegedly bribed government ofﬁ cials, which got Monsanto into hot

water with the SEC.

In light of these stakeholder issues, CEO Hendrik Verfaillie offered an apology to some

stakeholders at a Farm Journal Conference in Washington, D.C., saying that Monsanto “was

so blinded by its enthusiasm for this great new technology that it missed the concerns the

technology raised for many people.” Verfaillie also announced a ﬁ ve-part pledge that aims to

restore positive stakeholder relationships. Each of the ﬁ ve commitments requires an ongoing

dialogue between Monsanto managers and various stakeholder constituencies. The company

paid $1.5 million to settle the SEC charges and is voluntarily cooperating with regulatory

investigators. Monsanto managers understand the importance of effectively managing criti-

cal stakeholder relationships.

Exhibit 5.4 illustrates important stakeholders for Monsanto. Most organizations

are similarly in uenced by a variety of stakeholder groups. Investors and share-

holders, employees, customers, and suppliers are considered primary stakehold-

ers, without whom the organization cannot survive. Investors, shareholders, and

suppliers’ interests are served by managerial ef ciency—that is, use of resources

to achieve pro ts. Employees expect work satisfaction, pay, and good supervision.

Customers are concerned with decisions about the quality, safety, and availability

of goods and services. When any primary stakeholder group becomes seriously

dissatis ed, the organization’s viability is threatened.

Other important stakeholders are the government and the community, which

have become increasingly important in recent years. Most corporations exist only

under the proper charter and licenses and operate within the limits of safety laws,

environmental protection requirements, antitrust regulations, antibribery legislation,

and other laws and regulations in the government sector. The community includes

local government, the natural and physical environments, and the quality of life

Monsanto

Innovative Way

sta

roup

in or outsi

e t

e organi

ion

has

sta

the

ani

zat

ion

’

per

for

man