assesment task 9

In day to day encounters that people engage in, decision making plays an important role that cannot be undervalued. The decisions, however, are in most cases not made instantly. Usually, a thought process characterized by discussions is involved before finally deciding upon something. In businesses, a chain of command is usually followed, and almost all decisions are made by say the top management with input from the others. Ethical decision making entails analyzing, evaluating and choosing among alternatives the best choice while being guided by certain moral principles. (Ferrell, 2015) A discussion of the steps involved in making an ethical decision follows below.

Realize that a decision ought to be made- just like in solving any general problem, the awareness that the problem exists is important so that developing an appropriate solution becomes relatively easy. For example, in a business entity, there may be an issue of employees arriving late at work. In that particular case, all the stakeholders must be alive to the existing predicament and devise a workable solution.

The second step involves the gathering of the facts around the specific issue that is being addressed. Information about a problem or a situation being addressed is vital. Fact-finding enables one to settle at the best available approach having the interest of all parties involved in mind. This way a decision made is likely to be final and is also likely to be popular. Taking the same example of arriving late at work, decision-makers should try and establish why the situation is so. Depending on the information they will have gathered, their chances of making a prudent decision are high.( Ferrell,2015).

Thirdly alternatives are considered –in this step the aim should be clear whereby he opportunity cost should be considered. All foreseeable options should be analyzed and their feasibility considered with the goal of settling for the best choice. The merits and demerits of the available options are analyzed in details under special insightful advisement. In the case of late arrival, for example, introducing incentives, working at home should be considered by cost-benefit analysis.

It is now after weighing the possible alternates that the best decision is settled for. In the example above, a decision is arrived at and where if the procedure is strictly followed. Usually, the selected choice is rolled out at inception and gradual increase or application over time. For example in the example above, let’s say the company introduces working from home. A representative sample of employees should be subjected to the approach before using it on a large scale basis.

The sixth and last step of ethical decision making is taking action and reviewing the decision made and its consequences. Simply this step involves comparing the reality to the expected. The magnitude of the deviation will determine whether the decision was ethical or not.

As an example of a company or business which operates ethically, Microsoft fits that profile. Microsoft is said to be among firms with the most successful corporate social responsibility programs globally. As a matter of fact, Microsft remains peerless as far as CSR program is concerned. Rep Trak among other ranking companies has ranked Microsoft highly. It commands a great deal of social acceptance globally. Concerning workplace culture, governance and community influence Microsoft has not found a match up to date to the exemplary strides it has made in those areas. Microsoft's corporate social responsibility is centered on its core values that provide the daily motivation to achieve their goals. As part of their ethical framework, they have realized that trust is paramount in realizing their mission which is to empower people and each organization that they work with to always do better. Making ethical choices is, therefore, a must to sustain such kind of reputation. Integrity is always at the heart of any dealings that Microsoft engages with its stakeholders. (Ametrano, I. M. 2014)

In last year (2017) for instance, Microsoft teamed up with some NFL players to do charity. The players each created foundations with Microsoft to support charitable causes. The areas chosen by the players were aligned with the company's core values. This move was aimed at increasing impact on the lives of those in need. Some of the causes included providing corrective eye care to children living in poverty. Also through the Microsoft's employee giving program, many hospital bills for low-income earners have been paid. Microsoft was created on the idea of creating positive change in the world, and through their charitable events, this has been made evident. Their donations to non-profit making organizations have risen gradually over the years. Each employee at Microsoft is challenged to help transform communities and also the environment in which they live in.

Part 2

For the restaurant, a CSR would blend in very well and would greatly increase the clientele. Through programs that are public oriented, both the company and the public benefit. Social responsibility is an important aspect in the development of a firm or company. How a company relates to the society matter a lot as far as its success is concerned. It can be defined as the efforts or strategies that enable companies to take responsibility for their operations' effects on the environment and the overall wellbeing of a society. It, therefore, goes without saying that a restaurant should always endeavor to develop and update policies to measure their social performance. Corporate social responsibility calls for firms to stipulate their roles in the community and adhere to the set ethics, social and legal threshold. (Ametrano, I. M. 2014)Firms have the capacity for building or improving society as they have the necessary drivers. In other words, firms, for instance, create employment and infrastructure development which combined is a recipe for a better society. Usually, companies with the best corporate social responsibility reputations are good performers regarding business. So there is that important link between social responsibility and being profitable. A balance between the two leads to the overall growth of a firm(in this case a restaurant) and a better society.

References.

Ferrell, O. C., & Fraedrich, J. (2015). Business ethics: Ethical decision making & cases. Nelson Education.

Ametrano, I. M. (2014). Teaching ethical decision making: Helping students reconcile personal and professional values. Journal of Counseling & Development, 92(2), 154-161.