Sociology

In any conventional business environment, the fundamental concepts of corporate social responsibility and general principles of business ethics have been incorporated at various business levels. The incorporation of such elements into the organizations is aimed at establishing the corporate image and the general reputation of the firms in question (Lallatin, 2004).  Business ethics is generally described as the process of differentiating the badwrong behaviors from the goodright practices within the context of a business.

Business ethics in essence advocates for the morally acceptable processes and business procedures, depending on the cultural backgrounds of the business location According to Godiwalla  Damanpour ( as cited in the Journal of Diversity Management, 2006), various aspects of social responsibility are intertwined with the guiding principles of business ethics which generally imply that business organizations ought to take full responsibility of their actions, extending beyond the economic or pure profit motive of the business. In addition to the stakeholder approach, business ethics and corporate social responsibility programs in most cases revolve around the general community and ecology (Godiwalla and Damanpour, 2006).

Most public companies and business organizations develop corporate social responsibility and responsiveness programs that enable them to establish societal relationships. Such programs and policies may include, but are not limited to protection of human rights, environmental management, financial responsibility, cultural diversity, ethics etc (Lallatin, 2004). These activities are not necessarily obligatory by the law and may not directly improve the overall profitability of the firm.
The main objective of this research paper is to discuss in broad detail the role of moral and ethical values in corporations and business organizations. Further discussions will revolve around various aspects of social responsibility programs, the need for appropriate actions and a brief discussion of factors influencing the decision-making process within an organization.

The Practical Obligations
The general objectives of any business organization are profit maximization, customer satisfaction and improve its market share and overall competitiveness. With this in mind, every business enterprise formulates strategies that may play a key role in achieving organizational goals. In addition all organizations are expected to devise strategies that help them in the retention of best talents andor recruitment exercises, risk management, brand differentiation and general uniqueness of their products and services.

It is also a requirement that employers and or public corporations put in place adequate precautionary measures that guarantee the safety of the workers by providing a healthy working environment. Employers also need to treat their personnel with respect and dignity in order to boost their performance. Such practical obligations of business entities constitute a major moral value of the business, and if adopted, may lead to improved competitiveness of such firms.

In order to ensure quality in their service delivery, corporations have to incorporate suggestions and recommendations of the major stakeholders, customers, regulatory bodies etc, in their production processes, pricing strategies, packaging, etc so as to ensure compliance to required standards and also enhance customer satisfaction and retention. Corporate social responsibility programs enable a given organization to understand the cultural diversities of the surrounding community. Proper understanding of such diversities enables the organization to effectively address various challenges such as diversity management within an organization, change management, and proper use of resources within and outside the organization.

According to Cohen and Grace (2005), the widespread adoption of corporate social responsibility strategies by many global organizations is said to have resulted in the recognition of various aspects of ethical consumerism. With the ever increasing growth in global population, the competition for scarce natural resources is also on the rise. With this in mind, it is the practical obligation for organizations and industries to develop strategies that make them accountable for their actions on the environment and other social implications.

Such organizational strategies may be through the introduction of corporate social responsibility programs where matters concerning environmental management and conservation of natural resources are given the first priority by the organizations. Consumers also make purchasing decisions pegged on ethical and environmental concerns. This may negatively affect the performance of the business organization in situations where environmental and other social responsibility programs are not effectively observed by the businesses.

Ethical  Social Obligations
The benefits brought about by corporate social responsibility initiatives to organizations vary depending on the type of business and nature of social responsibility program adopted. Quantifying such benefits is quite difficult, and in most cases, the associated financial returns from such strategies are long term. The social obligations of any corporation may include voluntary and charitable activities. In an organization, corporate social responsibility programs may be initiated by any department e.g. the human resources, marketing, public relations, business development, etc.

A defined code of ethics for a given organization governs the nature of relationship between employers and employees. If proper ethical standards are followed, employees may be encouraged to develop a sense of pride to be associated with the organization, making them to protect their firms assets and developing respect one another. This has the effect of maintaining a given firms corporate image. This also promotes the culture of team work, transparency and accountability. As a form of applied ethics, business ethics examines moral principles and ethical problems common within the business environment.

With the existing levels of competition, every corporation puts in place adequate measures to enable them expand their market share and improve on their profitability. In order to achieve this, organizations ensure high standards of social responsibility and ethics in their line of business in order to retain existing clients and attract more prospects. Before commencing business operations, corporations put in place measures that ensure total compliance to existing laws and regulations. This may be done by developing optimal strategies that enable them fit into the nature of business. Other measures may include appropriate disciplinary actions andor penalties issued to their employees in case of non-compliance to the ethical rules and social responsibility programs (Ralston  Maignan, 2002).

Optimal Decision Making  Need for Appropriate Actions
An organization or a business enterprise may take actions deemed appropriate depending on the general interest or intentions for the actions. Some of the actions may be aimed at building company reputation andor corporate image, improving the firms competitiveness and overall profitability, conflict management, fairness in the recruitment and deployment processes, etc.

Organizations also need to take appropriate actions that promote or facilitate business ethics and social responsibility. Based on the assumption that business ethics revolves around the general behavior and actions of employers and their employees, workplace moral issues enable the personnel of any given corporation or business entity to make ethically correct and informed decisions, acceptable by all company staff and associated parties such as customers, suppliers and other stakeholders (Pfeffer, 2003). From this general perception, it is ethically appropriate for all organizations in the profit  non-profit industry to promote ethical workplace cultures by exploring all available channels such as weighing the possible effects that could be brought about by certain decisions made or certain actions taken within the organization.

Ethical measures guide optimal decision making and appropriate actions against unethical practices at the workplace such as impunity, financial embezzlement, nepotism, theft of company assets, character assassination, workplace violence, etc. Ethical measures define appropriate disciplinary actions that may be taken against officers convicted of such malpractices (Connolly, 2008). Every organization has to strategize by appreciating the various roles played by individual employees. This can be achieved by making the employees, regardless of their cadre to play apart in the decision making process and in corporate social responsibility programs.

According to Godiwalla  Damanpour (2006), social responsibility and ethical issues should be allowed to occupy an integral part in either the national or global business organizations strategicoperational management process. This strategy influences the decision making process in that the corporation has to prioritize on its core social responsibility and ethical values to fit or respond to the changing needs of the business environment.

The need for appropriate actions and the ability of any organization to make optimal decisions can be arrived at through existing laws and regulations established by the government and regulatory bodies such as the environmental management authorities. Such laws and regulations have got established precautionary measures that ensure corporations and industries respect the social good of the society, including the environment (Cohen and Grace, 2005). These regulatory bodies, especially those concerned with environmental management and conservation, conduct environmental impact assessments before new industries are allowed to commence business operations and thus ensure that such businesses take the full responsibility of their actions.

Regulatory bodies, including the government do define all the appropriate legal and disciplinary actions that can be allocated or dispensed in addressing non-compliance issues. These factors have made most organizations to adopt corporate social responsibility programs in order to address such issues.

Positive Engagement with Stakeholders
Business ethics and corporate social responsibility strategies play a key role that may lead to positive engagement between organizations and their associated stakeholders. These programs ensure that organizations establish mutually beneficial relations between their staff, customers, suppliers, distributors and the surrounding community.

This strategy may be achieved through the development of employee life and work experiences and nurturing of individual skills and talents of the firms personnel by providing favorable opportunities for career growth and possibilities for further training for its deserving employees. Through such programs, organizations boost the socio-economic development of the surrounding communities (Bamossy  Bouthers, 1997).

To deliver sustainability, organizations may design corporate management strategies that meet and balance stakeholder expectations through the firms integrated management programs and policies. By delivering sustainability, organizations can put in place social responsibility measures aimed at minimizing risks associated with water and air pollution, reducing incidences that may amount to public nuisance e.g. use of machines and working implements that produce minimal noise, etc.

In order to maintain continuous progress, it is necessary for corporations and large business organizations to provide adequate communication and feedback channels. Such information management systems may enable firms to effectively issue public reports and seek responses and reactions from stakeholders concerning moral and ethical values of the organization in question. The communication channels may also be used in evaluating the overall performance of the organization. Through this, stakeholders and the community may suggest appropriate actions to be undertaken by the firms. This may play a role in the prioritization of corporate social responsibility programs and amendment of existing business ethics policies in order to match the international standards and the general expectations of the society.

Conclusion
Moral and ethical values play an essential role in the strategic and operational management of corporations and business organizations. In order to maintain the corporate image andor company reputation of any firm, business ethics and corporate social responsibility strategies and programs have been adopted by several global organizations. With corporate social responsibility, the welfare of the society, conservation of natural resources and general environmental management is enhanced by the organizations.

Incorporation of corporate social responsibility programs and business ethics may bring along business benefits, depending on the form of business enterprise involved. In most cases, the associated benefits are long-run, and play the role of maintaining the firms reputation and corporate image. Active involvement in society based activities also enable the organizations in question to have a thorough understanding of the surrounding society, the existing cultural diversities and thus making them better placed to effectively manage mixed diversities within their organizations and also aid in the decision making process whereby appropriate decisions acceptable to the firms workers and the society at large are easily arrived at.