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UNIT: Business Ethics

UNIT: Business Ethics. LESSON: Ethical Business Practices. AGENDA. Label Investigation Activity 10 min Ethics Defined 5 min CASE - Where do you stand? 15 min Who is Responsible? 5 min Creating Change 20 min So - what is Being Done? 15 min Journal Reflection 5 min.

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UNIT: Business Ethics

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  1. UNIT:Business Ethics

  2. LESSON:Ethical Business Practices

  3. AGENDA • Label Investigation Activity 10 min • Ethics Defined 5 min • CASE - Where do you stand? 15 min • Who is Responsible? 5 min • Creating Change 20 min • So - what is Being Done? 15 min • Journal Reflection 5 min

  4. Maximizing Profit

  5. What does the term ethics really mean? Ethics Defined: Ethics refers to standards of conduct, standards that indicate how one should behave based on moral duties and virtues, which themselves are derived from principles of right and wrong. Or in other words Ethics refers to the way we treat others, and the way they treat us, based on morals or on what is defined as right or wrong. “Ethics is not about being better than someone else; it’s about being the best we can be.” 2

  6. Business Ethics • Business Ethics are concerned with the behaviour of businesses in the treatment of employees, society, stockholders and consumers. • Businesses have values (either written or unwritten) that represent principles for the appropriate actions of their members (employees). • Organizations may choose to express these principles in a formal code of ethics.

  7. Code of Ethics • The Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses gives guidance for decision-making concerning ethical matters, serves as a means for self-evaluation and reflection regarding ethical nursing practice and provides a basis for peer-review initiatives.

  8. A Typical Running Shoe

  9. Ethical Business Practices • Workers wages in developing countries often equate to only 4% of the price paid for a pair of sneakers. For clothing it could be even less – as low as 0.5%. • The thing is that workers being paid more doesn’t mean that you as a consumer would have to pay more. Workers in Thailand calculated that to double their pay, it would cost (per pair of sneakers) the equivalent of a pair of laces.

  10. Ethical Business Practices • SWEATSHOP: Place of employment having unacceptable working conditions. Sweatshops are commonly characterized by low pay, poor working conditions, safety violations, and generally inhumane treatment of employees.

  11. Ethical Business Practices • YouTube - Something to Hide Behind the Labels : Garment Workers on U.S. Saipan - Google Video

  12. Ethical Business Practices

  13. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE? • Factory owners • Government – both of the developing country and of the home country (i.e. Canada or US) • Factory Workers • The Multi-National Company itself (i.e. Nike, GAP) • YOU AND ME – THE CONSUMERS!!

  14. What Can Be Done? • Your group represents the “stakeholder” you have selected (i.e. factory worker, Multi-National Company). In that role – answer the following 3 questions: • Do you have any responsibility to change things? • What could you actually do? • If you feel there is little you can do, who do you believe has the power to bring about change? You will present your ideas to the class as a group.

  15. What is Being Done? • In Canada - Government laws, regulations and organizations (Ontario Ministry of Labour, Occupational Health and Safety Act, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board) • International Labour Organization (part of The United Nations) • Creation of Union, Trade and Other Organizations (Conference Board of Canada, Canadian Labour Congress, Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE), National Labour Committee) • Anti-Sweatshop movement and activist groups (Students Against Sweatshops, Labour Behind the Label) • Ethical Consumerism Behind the Label - You Can Make a Difference Gap Inc. - Social Responsibility

  16. What Can You Do? GET INVOLVED! Learn about the products you buy! Write a letter and ask specific questions that require specific answers, such as: • How do you investigate possible violations by your contractors or subcontractors? • What specific actions are you taking to improve the situation? • What is your company’s position on “full public disclosure” of factory locations? (Full public disclosure would require companies to disclose the name and address of all factories where their products are made.) And remember that companies don’t want to upset consumers!

  17. WEBSITES TO EXPLORE • http://sweatshop.clc-ctc.ca/en/campaigns.html\ • http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/DBLaws/Statutes/English/90o01_e.htm • http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/about/index.html • http://www.elaws.gov.on.ca/DBLaws/Statutes/English/00e41_e.htmhttp://www.ilo.org/ • http://www.labourbehindthelabel.org/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/ • http://sweatshop.clc-ctc.ca/en/index.html • http://www.nlcnet.org/aboutus.php • http://www.studentsagainstsweatshops.org/ • http://coopamerica.org/programs/rs/profile.cfm?id=271 • http://www.conferenceboard.ca/GCSR/ • http://www.sweatshopwatch.org

  18. Sweatshops a final look… • YouTube - Sweatshop Labour - Consumed

  19. Business Ethics • An Ethical Dilemma arises when two or more “right” courses of action conflict, or a choice between two or more options must be made (i.e. short term vs. long term benefits.

  20. Business Ethics in Foreign Countries • Ethical imperialism is the belief that certain absolute truths apply everywhere. A company may believe that their understanding of what is “good” should be recognized universally. • Cultural relativism is the belief that behaviour should be governed by what will bring about the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

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