Business Gone Green Ethical Reasoning Assignment Essay

AB0603 Business departed park Ethical Reasoning identification Summary Page Your name Chia XinyingYour Instructor Dr. Josephine LangSeminar Group 01 Word depend 1095 Briefly lay out, in bulleted-form in the space provided within this summon (i.e., do non elaborate), the content of your write-up in addressing the various criteria in the estimable reasoning rubric. Criteria Your points1. Specify the honorable electrical outlet identified * Edited women from their Saudi-Arabian-Arabian Arabias catalogue * Goes against Ikea Group and Swedens value * Reflects the pervasive estimable line of merchandise contest faced * Further ethical implications such as cultural imperialism 2. trend construction Theoretical linear perspectives used to elaborate on the protrude * Consequentialism Ethical self-centeredness Self bear on to garner business support justified * Consequentialism Utilitarianism Went against view of majority unjustified * Deontology Kantianism In concord to m oral rules of Saudi Arabia, against principle moral of chastises * The Conventional Approach Follows accomplished Saudi Arabias advertising justified3. trend construction Uncertainties natural in the issue * Business morals and corporate social responsibility- appear for universal value for planetary commercial message behaviour * Cultural Imperialism ravishment of Islam values- Westerners criticize what they do not conceive, it might not be right to criticize Ikeas behaviour * Intent of altering Saudis Catalogue intent remains unknown 4. Explanation & plea effectuate on key s mobholders * Ikea as a corporation & its employees- negative repercussions on its reputation and credibility thus imperative for the go with to simulate an international guideline * Ikeas local and global customers- near(prenominal) Swedes were pained by Ikeas decision * Swedish government have represent Sweden as being gender unequal 5. outcome set, synthesis, and trade offs * Important t hat Ikea stands by its values in all circumstances * In order to sling the invent message to its consumers target* Corporatered loose to Ikea to take cultural trade issues more seriously * Act in the interest of its stakeholders as it serves an indirect representation. * How to reconcile localization with a universal ethics code, however, leave alone remain a challenge for Ikea as well as other corporations. Checklist 1. Summary page ____ 2. 900 to 1100 Words Essay ___ 3. List of References ____ 4. sign-language(a) annunciation of schoolman Integrity _____ 5. Self-assessed Ethical Reasoning Rubric ______NANYANG business sector SCHOOLAB0603 Business Gone GreenEthical Reasoning concession1095 words (excluding headers, sub-headers and citations)Name Chia XinyingStudent Matriculation No. U1110173AInstructor Dr Josephine Lang translation of the Ethical issueIkea, the international furniture comp whatever, edited women from their Saudi Arabias catalogue. This action is deemed ethically inappropriate, as it seems to support gender in e choice, which goes against Ikea Group and Swedens values. (Quinn, 2012) Some may argue that Ikea was submitting to pressure from the conservative Islamic stir while others say that Ikea was just respecting and being arrest towards Saudi Arabias cultural standards. This media coverage aptly reflects the pervasive ethical business challenge faced by globalized companies, where it is difficult to find a balance amongst international commercial behaviour and localization of marketing communications. Moreover, this issue could trey to further ethical implications such as cultural imperialism, which leave behind be discussed further.Theoretical Perspectives to Elaborate on the Issue 1) Principles approach(a) Consequentialism Ethical EgoismUnder the egoism approach, Ikeas decision is justifiable as the resettlement to satisfy Saudi monarchys gender segregation rules (Kayyem, 2012) could be seen as an act of self-interest t o garner business support in a male-dominated society. On the other hand, Ikea may have also thought that it is an ethical action to be sensitive to womens rights in Saudi Arabia and adapt to them.(b) Consequentialism UtilitarianismOn the basis that following the view of the majority will set about the best consequence, Ikeas action is unjustifiable as its action is against the values of Ikea, Sweden and even United Nations (United Nations Millennium Goals). Ikeas act has thus garnered m either bad press and negative reaction from the general public. It has also change state its own brand image and reputation in the globalized economy.(c) Deontology -KantianismIkeas actions argon in accordance to moral rules dictated by the Sharia council as womens rights in Saudi Arabia is largely influenced and defined by Islam and tribal customs. However, this conflicts with the moral principle of rights stating that, All clement beings are born still and equal in dignity and rights. (Arti cle 1 of the Universal Declaration of piece Rights)2) The Conventional ApproachIn this final approach, the justification of an act depends on the prevailing norms of the society. In Saudis advertisements, women only appear infrequently. (Quinn, 2012) It is not unusual to see censors blacking out many parts of a womens body in imported magazines. thusly Ikeas actions will be deemed acceptable to the conventional approach of advertisements in Saudi Arabia.From the antithetic theoretical perspectives above, it clear that the moral rules and principles that Saudi Arabia follows is different from the rest of the world. Thus it really boils gloomy to which values do Ikea chooses to uphold.Uncertainties Inherent in the Issue(a) Business ethics and corporate social responsibilityBeing a globalized business, Ikea will be constantly dealing with business ethics issue such as the search for universal values for international commercial behaviour. For example, when you adapt your business p ractices to the countrys customs, cultural values and levelheaded requirements, it might be seen as unacceptable in your home markets. (Baker, 2012) crime versa, if Ikea were to release an unaltered version of the catalogues in Saudi Arabia, would there be a backlash in the Muslim community? This business precariousness remains a challenge to international companies.(b) Cultural Imperialism Infringement of Islam valuesFurthermore, there are many misconceptions in the West about womens life in Saudi Arabia (NAFJAN, 2012). Western critics towards women rights in Saudi has failed to understand the uniqueness of Saudi Society(Zoepf, 2010) and thus should not inflict western sandwich values or lifestyles on the Saudi Arabians said journalist Maha Akeei, a frequent critic of Saudis patriarchal customs. (Hiel, 2007) Since Westerners criticize what they do not understand, it might not be right to criticize Ikeas behaviour when Ikea is being sensitive to their culture.(c) Intent of alter ing Saudis CatalogueWhile the reason why Ikea decided to steer outside from their progressive Swedish values at home is unclear, it is difficult to retrieve whether the issue was ethical as mentioned earlier.Effects on key stakeholders(a) Ikea as a corporation & its employeesIkea has always been a brand conscious company who has an imagethat cares about sustainability and its moral values. The company is named one of the orbs Most Ethical Companies for the fourth consecutive year in 2010. (PRNewswire, 2010) However, the circumstance that the company could betray the companys values at the put down of a hat, have disappointed many of its customers. Even though Ikea was fast to apologise, its actions already has negative repercussions on its reputation and credibility. (KnowledgeWharton, 2012) Therefore, it is imperative for the company to adopt an international guideline for its employees to follow to better deal with such dilemmas in the future. The company continued We are now reviewing our routines to safeguard a correct content presentation from a values point of view in the different versions of the IKEA Catalogue worldwide. (Quinn, 2012)(b) Ikeas local and global customersMoreover, many Swedes were offended by Ikeas decision, believing that the deletion of women from the Saudi catalogue portrayed their country as being gender unequal.(Vasic, 2012) Global customers who are supporters of womens rights will also think less of Ikea and be less faithful towards Ikea.(c) Swedish governmentEven though Ikea is a private company, it needfully projects an image of Sweden around the world. (Swedish equality minister Nyamko Sabuni, CBC News, 2012) An article of the Swedish Institute also further substantiates that Ikea is doing more for the image of Sweden than all political efforts (Wstberg, O., 2009). As mentioned, Ikeas decision might have portrayed Sweden as being gender unequal, thus it is beta for Ikea to uphold Swedens image, as it is a corporate repre sentation of the country.In all, Ikeas reputation has interpreted a toll and should operate with the right values expected from its customers.ConclusionBased on the ethical theories of egoism, conventional approach and moral rules in Saudi Arabia, Ikeas actions are deemed ethical while based on utilitarianism and principles of rights, their actions are deemedunethical. While one can never satisfy everyone, it is important that Ikea stands by its values in all circumstances, (i.e. sent the original Swedish version of the catalogue to Saudi Arabia) especially when it involves a violation of human rights, (KnowledgeWharton, 2012) to send the correct message to its consumers target. While there might be nuances of cultural imperialism when different stakeholders criticize Ikeas actions, it once again boils down to understanding both cultures fully before making a stand.To recapitulate, done globalization and communications revolution, it is inevitable for companies to face ethical and cultural conflicts. Ikea reflects the down-to-earth marketing choices confronting many globalized companies around the world, with the companies not hesitating to localize their marketing communications though it is against the companys code of conduct. While Ikeas motive remains unknown, it has apologised nonetheless. This lesson learnt serves as a corporate red light to Ikea to take cultural marketing issues more seriously and to act in the interest of its stakeholders as it serves an indirect representation. Also, exactly how to reconcile localization with a universal ethics code, however, will remain a challenge for Ikea as well as other corporations.ReferencesQuinn, B. (2012). Ikea apologises over removal of women from Saudi Arabia catalogue. The protector http//www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/02/ikea-apologises-removing-women-saudi-arabia-catalogueUnited Nation. (2010) United Nations Millennium Goals http//www.un.org/millenniumgoals/United Nations (2010) The Universal Decl aration of Human Rights, Article 1http//www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtmlBaker (2012) IKEAs Saudi catalogue apology right and wronghttp//www.mallenbaker.net/csr/post.php?id=453Zoepf, Katherine (2010). Talk of Womens Rights Divides Saudi Arabia. The New York Times.http//www.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/world/middleeast/01iht-saudi.html?pagewanted=1&src=me&_r=0Hiel, Betsy (2007). Dhahran women push the veil diversion. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 19 September 2010. http//triblive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/ word/middleeastreports/s_507462.htmlPRNewswire ( 2010) IKEA Named as One of the Worlds Most Ethical Companies for Fourth Consecutive Year in 2010 http//www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ikea-named-as-one-of-the-worlds-most-ethical-companies-for-fourth-consecutive-year-in-2010-89384407.htmlArabic KnowledgeWharton. (2012, October 16). Missing the Picture IKEAs Women-free Catalogue in Saudi Arabia Fails to Protect Company Values and Reputation. Retrieved from Arabic KnowledgeWhart on http//knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/Arabic/article.cfm?articleid=2880Vasic 2012 Ikea Erases Women From Saudi Arabian Catalogue http//blogs.ubc.ca/ninavasic/2012/10/02/15/Swedish equality minister Nyamko Sabuni, CBC News, 2012 Ikea regrets editing women out of Saudi cataloguehttp//www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/10/01/ikea-saudi-catalogue-controversy.htmlWstberg, O.(2009) Branding Sweden & Ikeahttp//www.placemarketing.nl/countrybranding/branding-sweden-ikea/Declaration of Academic IntegrityDeclaration of Academic IntegrityPlease sign (for tricky copy submissions) or put a tick in the cut (for onlinesubmissions) to indicate that you have read and accepted the following statements. Your assignment will not be accepted without this declaration --I confirm that-I have read and understood the Universitys Shared Values & honour Code, including the information on practices concerning the academic integrity (given in http//academicintegrity.ntu.edu.sg/a-guide-to-academic-integrity/) and that in the given up course bailiwick submission I have worked within its expectations. -I am cognizant that failure to act in accordance with the Universitys Shared Values & Honour Code may lead to the imposition of penalties which may embroil the requirement to revise and resubmit an assignment, receiving a lower grade, or receiving an F grade for the assignment suspension from the University or termination of my candidature. -I accord to the University copying and distributing any or all of my work in any form and using third parties to verify whether my work contains plagiarised material, and for quality assurance purposes. I have read and accept the above.If you require any further guidance about academic integrity, please talk to your squeal or refer to http//academicintegrity.ntu.edu.sgCourse title Business Gone GreenCourse Code AB0603Assignment Ethical ReasoningI, Chia Xinying, declare that the work which I am submitting is original and that I have made fit referencing and citations (where appropriate andrequired).Chia Xinying 10th March 2013NameDateSignatureAB 0603 Business Gone GreenEthical Reasoning RubricISSUE DEFINITION Describes the Issue of the SituationWeak Defines the issue either too narrowly or too broadly with embedded personal biases modal(a) Defines the explicit issue appropriately and impartially Professional Defines the issue holistically and impartially with logical elaborateness Weak Average Professional____________________________ 1 2 3 ISSUE mental synthesis Identifies Alternative Theoretical Perspectives Weak Identifies only one theoretical perspective with scant intricacy Average Identifies only two theoretical perspectives with some elaboration Professional Identifies numerous pertinent theoretical perspectives with good elaboration Weak Average Professional____________________________ 1 2 3 ISSUE locution Identifies and Elaborates on Uncertainties Weak Unable to identify uncertainties inherent in the ethical situati on Average Identifies only a few uncertainties inherent in the situation with inadequate elaboration Professional Incorporates a comprehensive understanding of uncertainties with logical arguments Weak Average Professional_____________________________ 1 2 3 bill ANDJUSTIFICATION Discusses Effects on Key Stakeholders Weak Does not at once describe effects of issue on key stakeholders Average Provides footling or only superficial discussion of effects of issue on key stakeholders Professional Identifies the key stakeholders and addresses their interests and concerns holistically with evidentiary support Weak Average Professional_____________________________ 1 2 3 CONCLUSION Clarifies Values, Synthesis and Trade-offsWeak Does not discuss the issue holistically and does not explain how various factors were weighed in arriving at a conclusion Average Discuss the issue within a narrow context and provides inadequate evaluation of alternatives and weighing of factors Professional Pro vides a holistic discussion of the issue, reconciles conflicting values/interests, and justifies trade-offs made in compass a conclusion Weak Average Professional_____________________________ 1 2 3 Sources (a) Wolcott, Susan k., (2005). Colloquium on Change in Accounting Education, October 28, 2005. (b) Sonenshein, Scott. (2007) The role of construction, intuition and justification in responding to ethical issues at work the sensemaking-intuition model. Academy of Management Review, Vol. 32, No.4, pp. 1022-1040.