Paper Topic:

organizational behavior and trends

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

The Influence of Ethics on Decision Making

The Impact of Technology on Work-Related Stress

The Influence of Ethics on Decision-Making

Decision-making is a major responsibility in most organizations . The process of making decisions is greatly influenced by ethics . Ethics has been defined as rules of conduct for members within an organization These rules are based on which behaviors are considered right and wrong in certain situations (Leclair , Ferrell , and Fraedrich , 1998 Generally , when an ethical situation is serious , people take more time and use more effort to contemplate

the most appropriate and morally acceptable decision . The leaders of each business consider the options based on what is best for the company , co-workers , society , and themselves . They usually attempt to be as fair and ethical as possible in dealing with each issue . Those in leadership positions have to make difficult decisions on a daily basis . Sometimes they have to choose between making an ethical decision and making a profitable decision For example , if the leader of a pharmaceutical company becomes aware that a drug on the market is harmful , but the profit from this drug exceeds millions , what should he do ? Of course we will naturally say issue a recall . But , what if recalling the drug means the company will go bankrupt leaving thousands of workers unemployed ? What if the harmful effects of the drug are not life threatening ? Now the decision becomes more difficult . Does the leader harm the customers by not recalling the drug or harm the workers by causing them to lose their jobs ? Making decisions based on ethics is not always an easy process Personal values , religion and cultural backgrounds may influence our beliefs and judgments about which decisions are ethical in various situations . On what should we base our ethical standards ? Some ethicists believe that the ethical action is the one that provides the most good and does the least harm . The ethical corporate action , then is the one that produces the greatest good and does the least harm for all who are affected-customers , employees , shareholders , the community and the environment (Markkula Center for Applied Ethics , 1996 Still , it is often unclear which action is most ethical

The ability to make ethical decisions is a skill that requires training and it is important that companies have a method in place for ethical issues that arise . Ethics will continue to influence decision-making in the work place

The Impact of Technology on Work-Related Stress

The increase of the use of technology in the work place has contributed to the stress levels of workers . The business world is currently in a state of technological overload . Besides being a stressor by increasing job demands , information technology can also change organization structures to be less supportive to employees . Moreover it puts hard pressures on individual resources by demanding constant refreshing of skills (Raitoharju , 2005 ,

.1 . Some workers develop computer phobia as they struggle to keep up with inescapable technological advances . Thus , their work environments become a major source...

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