Case Study
MBA 6301, Business Ethics 1
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VI Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
4. Explain the significance of ethics-based decision making in the business environment.
5. Analyze the influence of corporate culture, including leadership, power, and motivation, on business ethics in the workplace.
6. Explain the pressures that influence ethical decision making in the organization.
Reading Assignment In order to access the following resource(s), click the link(s) below: Aminu, A. A., & Oladipo, O. A. (2015, September). Application of financial ethics in annual financial reporting
of banks. Economic and Social Development: Book of Proceedings, 226-235. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libraryresources.c olumbiasouthern.edu/docview/1722806340?accountid=33337
Cook, R. (2012, February). Mortgage crisis, ethics central in panel event. McClatchy. Tribune Business News.
Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libraryresources.c olumbiasouthern.edu/docview/921614281?accountid=33337
Duggan, W. (2015, November). Valeant investors: These 5 companies survived major accounting scandals.
Benzinga Newswires. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libraryresources.c olumbiasouthern.edu/docview/1732855731?accountid=33337
Giannarakis, G. (2014). Corporate governance and financial characteristic effects on the extent of corporate
social responsibility disclosure. Social Responsibility Journal, 10(4), 569-590. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libraryresources.c olumbiasouthern.edu/docview/1655514366?accountid=33337
Jamnik, A. (2011). Business ethics in financial sector. Ekonomska Istrazivanja, 24(4), 153-163. Retrieved
from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libraryresources.c olumbiasouthern.edu/docview/1316066461?accountid=33337
Unit Lesson The Godfather, originally released in 1972, is one of the most highly regarded films of all time. The producer based the story on the very powerful Italian-American crime family of Don Vito Corleone. As each generation grew up within this high-ranking crime mob family, there followed a series of infidelities, domestic violence, and blatant executions of anyone who did not line up with the philosophies of the family and “the business.” Through these unscrupulous dealings, power, money, and influence played a significant role in the decision making. Don’s youngest son, Michael, attempted to remove himself from what Michael considered the family’s unethical behaviors. Michael married a woman outside of the mob world who eventually the mob gunned down. Through a series of family power struggles and influences, Michael eventually, and reluctantly, moved back into the family business, demonstrating equally unethical behaviors.
UNIT VI STUDY GUIDE
The Godfather- Ethics in Financial Matters
MBA 6301, Business Ethics 2
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
The Godfather continues with a series of brutal scenes of execution and one unethical decision after another, all driven by power and money. Although the plot line seems incredulous to the average movie viewer, one has to remember the culture within the family business grew so strong that it did not consider these behaviors unethical, but instead, the behaviors were considered as a part of everyday business dealings. The Enron story represents a real-life example of how a culture within an organization can grow so powerful. This story is about a group of executives who continuously made unethical decisions related to extortion, bribery, and financial irregularities. Business people considered the executive team at Enron to have some of the most intelligent minds in the world. The question contemplated is how so many brilliant minds get influenced to act in such an unethical manner. The answer lies in the example of The Godfather film, with the establishment of a strong unethical culture within the entire organization. Incredible pressures supported this culture. In Enron’s case, the government prosecuted many people from the executive team who later served jail time. Greed is another component of unethical financial dealings. The race to achieve wealth, prosperity, and physical goods pushes some people toward unethical behaviors. In many circles, people consider maintaining a certain standard of living important. Family responsibilities and obligations are yet another pressure faced by individuals. The Godfather drama demonstrates a significant amount of greed throughout the entire film. Beyond greed, the health of an organization revolves around shareholder interests. By virtue of the definition of a shareholder, earning profits and receiving a favorable return on investment are the basis for shareholder interests. This group represents a significant pressure to leaders within a results-driven organization to perform to the standards of stockholders. In spite of these pressures, organizations have taken significant strides toward maintaining an ethically sound financial decision-making environment. Although satisfying the interests of stockholders and all stakeholders is important, sound ethical practices is the protocol at this time in history. Consumers look to conduct business with organizations not practicing unscrupulous financial dealings. Click here to view an interactive presentation that covers the key concepts covered in Unit VI. Click here to access the Unit VI Presentation transcript.
Suggested Reading Please view the videos below to hear what Donald Trump has to say about ethics and to learn more about Ponzi Schemes. Copy and paste the web addresses below into your browser to access the videos: Forbes. (2011, March 9). The Donald Trump ethic [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFw--KOUtCE What is a Ponzi scheme? [Video file] (2015). Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/video/play/what-is-
a-ponzi-scheme/ Click here for a PDF transcript of the above video. This article details how India uses CSR in its tourism industry. To access the article, you must first log into the myCSU Student Portal and access the ABI/Inform Complete database found in the CSU Online Library. Ferus-Comelo, A. (2014). CSR as corporate self-reporting in India’s tourism industry. Social Responsibility
Journal, 10(1), 53-67. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libraryresources.c olumbiasouthern.edu/docview/1510645768?accountid=33337