Consider how leaders contribute to the ethical profile of an organization and how organizational structures can either support or create vulnerabilities for operating in an ethically sound manner. Where do you see gaps that may be mitigating against an atmosphere that encourages self-regulating ethical behavior? Once you find these gaps, your challenge is to examine strategies that can both remedy and even create model practices for maintaining an ethical base of operating.
Employees are a special group of stakeholders that deserve our attention. As at-will employment and outsourcing become more common, many employees who trusted their employers and expected a lifetime relationship have been shocked by the lack of relationship between themselves and their employer. At the same time, employers say that they have never paid more for benefits or been more accountable for their behavior toward employees. These are just some of the difficult issues within the changing twenty-first-century workplace-all of which speak to our personal and professional ethical boundaries.
Overview
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is defined in several ways. From an ethical perspective, CSR may be used to “cultivate a broad view of their own self-interest while searching for ways to align that self-interest with the larger public good.” There are many ethical dilemmas today that impact companies, such as:
Harassment.
Discrimination.
Nepotism.
Unequal pay.
In this assessment, we will look at CSR, what it involves, and how to create a corporate policy for a selected ethical dilemma. For example, if the chosen ethical dilemma is discrimination in the workplace, your paper should discuss how a policy could be created, communicated, and implemented to reduce or eliminate instances of discrimination as well as the consequences if discrimination were to occur after the policy was implemented. This exercise will help you to understand how CSR can be a force for good, not just in the company, but in the larger arena of the public good, and how you can have a positive impact via the policy you create.
