Three different ideologies, follow different beliefs and practices: Karl Marx’s liberalism or communism, John Locke’s natural rights and Adam Smith’s free market. Each has its own benefit and good in what they believe in. However, considering our time now, our business activities and ethical practices, no one ideology will be appropriate. We must follow and adapt to mixed market ideology which is a mixture of these beliefs. Adapting what is moral and good with the three will mostly benefit us and our analysis and decisions.
Our group was the assigned interrogator for the reporting group. We had similar analysis and decided on the same ACA, where Brian should use his knowledge and expertise in marijuana for medical purposes. However, in the course of the group’s presentation, I was geared more on one of their ACA’s, where Brian should use his knowledge and expertise and divert it to planting other crops. Upon listening to them and looking into their analysis, I became more drawn to this ACA, mainly because it is beneficial to all stakeholders, to all concern and even to Brian himself. Utilitarian - Definitely, this course of action is for the good of all Rights and duties - It is Brian’s right to engage in business and earn. With his business, it his duty to produce goods that are beneficial and at its best quality. Justice and fairness - It is just and fair for Brian to continue developing his expertise and knowledge and at the same time earn for himself. Ethics of care - Brian’s skills and expertise will help him produce good quality crops that will be helpful and beneficial to others. He may produce crops with great amount of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. He may also produce crops which a highly clean and healthy and without any trace of GMO. Ethics of virtue - Diverting Brian’s business to such is definitely beneficial to all. In this course of action, we may follow the following implementation:
Our decisions are not only affected by how we analyze situations; moreover, it is affected by actual experiences, news, laws, and usually what is being followed/done by others. This should not be the case. before we act or decide on anything, we must weigh the pros and cons, the effects and consequences of our actions, not just to ourselves but also to others.
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Business equates profit, while Ethics equates something moral or good. When combined, Business Ethics, produce a very controversial, debatable and overlapping set of ideas, principles and beliefs. Business Ethics does not only look at the effect on the company; more so, it perceives the ripple effect even outside of the organization. Effects on the society, institution, government and the people around us, even the future generation. The basic question is, "How do you remain in business and still be ethical?" The answer is simple, these two should never be treated as to conflict each other. As Ms. Pia stated, "if you choose ethics, money will follow". It is but similar to "doing good to others and others will do good to you." Thus, we should do no harm. Consider that every decision we make, greatly affect ourselves and others. Yes, it is true that Law and Ethics overlap. One should follow and abide by the law; however, not all lawful things are ethical, because, sometimes we tend to twist and bend the law in order to do what we want. The law serves as a guide for us to follow, ethics on the other hand is an act of deciding to do what is good and moral, what is beneficial to the common good. Not just people currently involved in the situation but consider also possible effects to future generations. We must always consider and ask, "is it beneficial to all?" There is also a fine line between culture, business and ethics. Then again, mutual respect should be followed and considered when dealing with cultural differences in business. Nowadays, it is more common to belong to a company with mixed culture. Furthermore, globalization allows us to deal with different people and different culture. We must take time to study and understand what others practice. It is only through this that we can better see where they are and respect what they do. Looking at the CSR Pyramid, we would all want to aim to be at the top of the pyramid and be able to do philanthropic deeds. In the introduction of Business Ethics to this course, I will be considering the different ethical framework to help me weigh my decisions. From Utilitarian to Rights and Duties to Justice and Fairness to Ethics of Care and Ethics of Virtue, these 5 items will help me think about the cause and effect of my decisions and actions. I want to incorporate my learning in the decision I make and in teaching my daughter. Applying and sharing with others what you have learn is a good way to fully understand and get use to with what you are suppose to do. I would like to share a quote I found on business ethics. As leaders, we should set good examples to others, our colleagues and our subordinates. Just like a transformational leader where you influence others to do good and do what is ethical. Three big questions that make us stop and think about our lives and what we intend to be and what we intend to do:
What am I working for? What am I resting for? What am I living for? In my life, I see my work as a Career. I have been through the stage of discovering what field I wanted to pursue and focus on. I guess I am also through in looking just at the financial compensation. I am more focus on learning, the sense of fulfilment and achievement in what I do. With this being said, I see Leisure as both Amusement and Utility. Leisure as amusement because, I still need my “me time” to rest and relax. This may mean, a time in the gym, a time to color or even watch a short TV series. I just need a time to be alone. Furthermore, I also set aside time with my daughter, husband and my family. Leisure as a utility, because I want to engage in further learning and self-development; I consider further studies or engaging myself in different courses/classes as a time for me to de-stress and grow as a person. Learning is fun! Learning and discovering makes me achieve more and makes me a better person. For the integration part, I consider myself in the achievements area because there is a need for me to have a sense of fulfilment and see the purpose in what I do. There should be self-satisfaction in order for me to have motivation. I need to achieve my goals in order for me to pursue with my direction in life. Mr. Gelsinger emphasize in his talk that we should personally be clear with 6 important objectives in our life. These things should be considered in order for us to be guided accordingly: 1. Mission Statement. 2. Personal Time. 3. Prioritize personal time and family time. 4. Work hard, be a great employee. 5. Have mentors. 6. Be a clear witness. Amongst the 6 points mentioned, given all is important and beneficial, I want to stress on having mentors. I firmly believe that having a mentor is very crucial. A mentor does not only serve as a teacher or as a counselor but also a person whom we look up to; a person who sees our strengths and weaknesses, a person who is not hesitant to correct our faults. He should respect us as we respect him. A mentor teaches us the lessons in life and helps us see how we can improve our lives. Looking at his points, he made me realize that in considering and planning my 25-year life plan. I should carefully consider these things. They are not only objectives and goals but they are also guiding principle on how we should look at our day-to-day lives --- a centered family, work, leisure and properly integrated life in order to have a more fruitful and meaningful life. In my 25-year life plan, I do not only consider my life but also my daughter and my husband’s life. I want to be a positive influence to them. I want to give them my utmost love, support and understanding. I believe that in by doing this, I also achieve my goal of becoming a better wife and mother. As I develop and improve my life through the 25-year life plan. I am thinking and drafting my answer to Pat Gelsinger’s message and set of questions in one of his books, The Juggling Act: Bringing Balance to Your Faith, Family, and Work: “I recommend you do a detailed time study for yourself to see where you spend your time. Make an estimate of how many hours each week you take for the major activities of your life: work, school, rest, entertainment, hobbies, spouse, children, commuting, church, God, friends, and so on. Then, over a typical period of your life, take two weeks and do a detailed time study. Keep track of how you spend your time, using fifteen- to thirty-minute increments. After you have gathered the raw data, categorize them carefully into the major groups: rest, work/school, church/God, family, and recreation. Create subcategories as appropriate for anything that might consume multiple hours per week, like listing commuting under work or TV under recreation. Finally, with the summary in hand, make the difficult assessments about how you are using your time. Ask yourself: • Any surprises? Areas where I just couldn’t imagine I was wasting—er, uh, um, spending—so much of my time? • Is this where I want my time to go? • Am I putting as much time as I’d like into the areas I want as the priorities in my life? • How much time am I really spending with my spouse? Children? Friends? • Did I realize how much time I was spending at work? • If I wanted to spend more time on XYZ or ABC, in what areas would I consciously choose to spend less time?” This excerpt serves as a very good reflection on our day-to-day lives and how to improve balance in our lives. Having a centered family, work-life harmony makes us more healthy and produces more happy hormones. It lessens stress triggers, making us healthy, physical, mentally and emotionally. Today was a chance for me to spend more time with my family. Wednesday’s and Sunday’s are my rest days. Given this, all our activities for the day are planned. My husband and I want to maximize our quality time together with our daughter.
Last September 9, Ms. Pia had to cancel our class because she needs to attend to a convention in Bangkok as one of the moderators. I was both happy and sad about it:
Here was our day looked like last Wednesday:
Our lifestyle made us a better person --- in terms of time management and prioritizing our responsibilities. I stopped my MBA studies for 5 terms in order to focus on taking care of my daughter. At first, I was very hesitant to stop for that long but seeing my relationship with my husband and my daughter, and how it has made me more mature and understanding, made me felt good about my decision then. When our daughter was 1 year and 5 months, I started working again and by the time she was 1 year and 7 months, I went back to MBA studies. These decisions felt good and all in God’s timing and perfect plan. My daughter was fine to be left with her dad. I explain to her every night that mommy needs to work and study for our future. She sits on my lap and listens closely every time I tell her this. In considering our decisions and actions, we should always think of other people who are important to us. It was never about the "me" nor the "I" but the "us" and the "we". Having the opportunity to take care and give importance to the people you love is very fulfilling. And in continuing my studies, I am determined to pursue it not just for myself but for my family as well. Although, I have to make sacrifices, I know that at the end of each day, I feel happy feeling and believing that I am a step closer in achieving one of my goals. In terms of my work, I will be open and willing to share my skills, learnings and knowledge that I will learn, gain and develop throughout my MBA program. Our HR Manager was always understanding, flexible and helpful in terms of adjusting my work hours in order for me to study and have the time to look after my daughter, yet cover the number of working hours I am supposed to. I am thankful for instances as today. Aside from having more time to rest and spend with my family, I had more time to stop, think and thank God for all His blessings. It is indeed good “to stop and smell the flowers”. In St. John Baptist De La Salle's life and vocation, he depicted 4 outstanding traits of being a risk taker, innovator, servant-leader and mentor. It was never easy for him and the brothers to pursue their goal of making education available to everyone; nonetheless, these traits helped them succeed.
I too would want to embark these 4 traits in my life. Not only that, but also integrate them with each other. I believe that in order to become a good mentor, one should become a servant-leader first. Also, in order to innovate, one should be a risk taker. These 4 work hand-in-hand and complement each other.
In our lives, our traits and values define who we are. It shows what we want in our lives and what gives meaning to our lives. It does change because we grow with it and learn from it. Our goals and priorities define our values. I recall when I was still young, I wanted to be free like my sisters and brothers who can go out at night and stay-up with their friends. (Note: This was when I was around 8-10 years old and my siblings were in their late teens and early twenties.) Then came my teenage years, I was more focused on excitement and have a fun and adventurous life, trying out different things. Then adolescence came; I remembered I was still focused on being adventurous with my life. Things slowed down a bit, I started to "think" about where my life was headed and what I really wanted to do. Although, I have no concrete answer yet, my values started to shift to having more wisdom and valuing true friendship. When I graduated and started looking for a job, I felt the need for equality, that fresh graduates should also be given the same opportunities compared to others. Although we lack the experience, we are vigorous, open and willing to learn. My first job was a call center agent. I felt the need for self-respect and social recognition. A lot of people would look down on call center agents but they do not realize how difficult and challenging the work was. It was very challenging with one's health and ego, I may say. During these times, I had very poor time management, that I overlooked the importance of health, family, friends and pleasure. I was too focused on having a decent sleep, which I never had in my 3 years in the call center industry. I resigned and shifted to the healthcare industry. My prioritized values also shifted to salvation, health, family security, comfortable life, pleasure, world of beauty and at peace, national security, a sense of accomplishment, mature love and inner harmony. Looking back at it, I am happy that I am developing and changing with my life. I never thought that my outlook differed then and now. With the exercises provided in class, this made me realize, that not knowingly, we change and we want to change for the better. We adapt to what's happening within us and around us to have better lives. As a mother, I want my daughter to have adapting traits and values not just concentrated on herself but the people around her. I want her to influence others to do well and achieve what's best for them. As we worked on the Rokeach Value Survey, the results with myself and with our group depict the Filipino traits that we have --- for God, family and countrymen. For me, these values are inter-related that gave me great difficulty on which one to prioritize.
I believe that family, teachers and friends mostly hone our traits and values. They are the ones we often interact with, they make us think, and they help us decide. They are a big factor that influence us as a person. And because of this, I firmly believe that we should surround ourselves with people who will bring out the best in us, serve as a good influence and are concern enough to correct us. Choosing between a transactional against a transformational leader, I aim to be a transformational leader with good and influencing values that help change others for the better. I hope to continuously improve on myself in the course of LBL and my MBA studies in DLSU. I believe that my experiences and learnings in taking-up this course will help me grow, mature and improve myself – how I look at things and how I value, understand, and accept what comes to me. |
AuthorRLM, daughter, wife, mother, employee and student will blog about her reflections on her BUS560M Class. She hopes to continue this blog after taking-up the course. Enjoy reading! =) Archives
January 2016
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