AN ETHICAL APPRAISAL OF THE PLACE OF MAN IN BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS

1. Abstract/Introduction

To really have clear understanding of the place of man in the society and in the organizations, it is pertinent to conceptualize and formulate a method of investigation which utilizes the concept of value as it’s terminus a quo (Starting point). It is the concept of value that distinguishes and sets man apart from other creatures and lower animals. Man has rationality and a dignity which no other created being has.

This proper understanding of the human person in his essential and relational constituents makes man the focal point of all action and development. As such, to understand the real value and dignity of man is essential to business relations in the organizations. There are different businesses that man engages in, but the real value of man ensures that business does not debase annihilate man altogether.

The primary purpose of this paper is to give an ethical appraisal of the place of man (understood as a human person) in various business organizations. This paper will unearth three important elements that gives man his identity of uniqueness:- Respect, Solidarity and Liberty (Freedom). These are the fundamental principles that make us most human.

2. The Threefold Values of The Human Person

• Respect in the workplace

This is the fundamental attitude of giving value to somebody or something. This value demands that we do not destroy the being or the essence of another person who has the right to be and operate the way he is convinced of. However, this value of respect should be in consonance with rule of law and healthy customs. Man has the fundamental right to enjoy respect either as an employer or employee in the workplace. Any effort to deprive him of this fundamental value reduces man to a mere object that has lost its value.

Respectful behavior in the organization most times is as a result of organizational culture. Respect is fostered when employees/employers are valued, when people treat others the way they would love to be treated, when conflicts are resolved swiftly and successfully, when there is courtesy in communication, and when disrespectful behavior is suitably addressed. In the organization, respectful conduct lays the foundation for a constructive/positive work atmosphere.

• Solidarity (Communion of persons over alienation)

The concept of solidarity is not just the idea of projecting unity of message and vision in the workplace among workers; it is most importantly the art of valuing our fellow human beings and respecting the uniqueness of the individual person.

The world is a one human family; solidarity among workers in the workplace enables the organization to build a community of people that empowers everyone to attain their full potential by respecting the dignity of each other, the rights and responsibilities of each other. Solidarity is the idea that together we can make a difference.

Solidarity demands a sharing of the different qualities, characteristics and talents that we have in the production process. The value of solidarity in the work place is manifest in the formation of trade unions to improve the collective behaviors of the seller of the power of labor and the employers with the intention of protecting their standards structurally.

Some researchers have criticized the idea of socialism on the basis that it is against human nature. For them, it is contra naturam. This is the basic idea of Alex Callinicos when he writes; “you can’t change human nature. Any attempt to create a society free of poverty, exploitation and violence is bound to run up against the fact that human beings are naturally selfish, greedy and aggressive”. (2004; P. 65).

For Karl Marx, the whole idea of an unchanging human nature was a mere abstraction. The essence of man for him is not an abstraction inherent in a single individual; rather it is an amalgamation of social relations. Be that as it may, there is nothing like human nature in the abstract. Human beliefs, the desires of women and men change as the society changes.

It is the need to ensure that human solidarity is not threatened that enables employees to form labor unions. According to Karl Marx, (1967; P. 54), “employees may seek collective actions to relieve their feelings of alienation about work conditions. The employees at this point become aware of the common plight (solidarity) and that their resulting class consciousness would push them to overthrow the capitalist system”. Solidarity indeed is the basis of unionism.

This Marx’s theory should be understood from the perspective of the adversity and poverty suffered by workers in France, Germany and England around 19th-century. The Industrial Revolution within this period was an eye opener and created a seemingly set of workers, most of whom were living in abject poverty, under terrible working conditions without any political representation

In the context of this article, solidarity has to do with the relationship between business organizations and those groups, which while they have strong economic interest are not exclusively economic societies. The union of goals and interest, as the case may be, could not be described in strict economic terms and be considered as a firm, social, ethical and political dimensions. It is not only concerned with wages, but also with working conditions and with the distribution of power in the economy.

• Freedom rooted in conscience

Freedom is one if not the most fundamental value of the human person. Freedom gives the human person his dignity.. His freedom goes beyond the self-development and expression, it cuts across real liberty; access to income and wealth. This liberty enables man to have access to the resources of the society ranging from money, other material goods, offices, jobs and titles. No value on earth makes one happier than the sense and taste of freedom. When this sense permeates in the workplace, you will experience a team of happier colleagues around in the workplace. Different companies have different ways of seeking and achieving freedom. According to the Economic Times, (6^th August, 2010), there are different ways of going about the idea of freedom in the workplace. There is “freedom to flex your work hours to accommodate family life while still meeting organizational goals; freedom to air new ideas and opposing viewpoints with the management; freedom to do things differently, freedom to have a healthy work-life balance”.

Man is the maker of values. For Shappiro, S.L (1980; p. 80), Man is a dynamic being, and this dynamism enables him to transmit from values earlier made to some newly made values. Basically, these values of man especially about freedom are not based only on the world of commerce; rather they are humanistic so long as they are deeply rooted in the nature of man.

Sadly as it may seem, most of the values underlying the model of the economy and its typical implementation as found in most business organizations, have been very inconsistent with the nature of man. As such, this would at the extreme cause reduction in motivation and work morale. At this point, it is pertinent to highlight some of the basic values made by man in business organizations.

3. Business Codes of Ethics and values made by man in Business Organizations

Business codes of ethics or standard of conduct in any business setting highlights the values of the organization, its ethics, tasks and goals which include the need to respect and value the dignity of the human person (employees) in the organization. It also guides the employees on how to go about some ethical circumstances that may arise in the workplace

One might ask how it is possible for workplace code of ethics to bring about ethical behavior in business. Though it has been stressed a lot that the best way to sustain the standard of morality and ethics in the organization is by those in the leadership positions leading with examples, this is not always the case in large companies where there is growth in culture brought about by increase in the number of staff and employees. In this situation, business standard of ethics becomes one of the lasting resorts to maintain a standing rule of morality in the workplace. This can be done through the provision of employee handbooks, benchmarks, the code of ethics should also provide specific examples that would really illustrate to the employees what is actually being said. There should also be a training course to fully download the contents of this idea. And finally, the code of ethics should be properly implemented.

Every code of ethics must have a provision for respect for individuals. Every employee in an organization ought to have the right to work in an environment where he would be treated with respect and dignity. This brings out the best in us and unleashes our full potentials as human beings. A standard code should also explicitly declare its non- discriminatory policy of any sort, either discrimination in the form of abuse, harassment etc.

A critical look at some of the achievements of man in the society either in business organizations or elsewhere gives us the reassurance that everything in the world has its own worth. The worth of something determines the kind of value that would be attached to it. In the case of man in business organizations, S. Nicki (1982: P. 21) points out that the worth of man indicates that man both the employer and the employee should be see not as mere abstractions but should be seen as human beings with dignity and should be treated as such.

Another aspect of the value rendered to man in the organization is through proper involvement or engagement. The degree to which they are involved is yet another valuable thing the employees uphold tenaciously.

Another aspect of the value of man in the organization is expressed in the reward system in the organization. It is necessary that the workers in the organization get the reward for their work as and when due. This is the point highlighted by W,B Eddy, et al (1969:P.8) when they said that “a full day’s work, deserves a full day’s pay”.

Another point of emphasis is the need for incentives and reinforcement. It is part of the value of man to be motivated in doing his job and be assured of job security.

4. Man’s Place in Business Organization: An Appraisal

Considering the business codes of ethics and the entire structure of some organizations, it is pertinent to re-assert the value of man and his place in these values that they created. Man is the creator of these organizational values, and as well the destroyer of the values. Sometimes man in the organization is alienated from labor, product, nature, state, and often times from himself. There is a high tendency for man to be a wolf to man in the organization through unhealthy rivalry, struggling to succeed at the expense of the other at all costs. These situations have deprived man of his naturally deserved respect to the extent that man has been debased. This condition breeds envy, division in the organization. And in this kind of organization, it becomes difficult, if not impossible to run an ethically conscious business organization.

The primary essence of the business codes of ethics is to protect the fundamental rights of man (employees) in the organization. These fundamental rights should not be violated in any means whatsoever. Man needs to feel his contribution in the workplace valued, else he feels frustrated and alienated. There should be some elements of team work and cooperation in the workplace to carry everyone along as stipulated in the business codes of ethics.

Besides all these, the most valuable and guarded aspect of the human value in the organization is his dignity. Man is not a working machine, rather a being with worth and dignity as an individual. Be that as it may, it is obvious that whatever man does has some ethical implications. In the business organizations, man needs to be treated as an end and never as a means to an end.

5. Evaluation And Conclusion

This paper has strived to re-establish the fundamental value of man as a being with dignity even as he engages in business practices in the any organization. These fundamental human rights of man set him apart from other lower animals. In business organizations, employees are treated like working machines which can be put to work at will and dumped at will. Man as man has values and posses some inalienable rights that help boost his dignity in whatever he does and wherever he finds himself.

It is noteworthy in this paper that most of the unethical activities in business organizations, even in the society at large is rooted in a lack of respect for our own personal dignity. The primary function of ethics then demands that we appreciate what it means to be truly human. Until we have a proper ethical understanding that enables us understand what it means to be truly human, and puts business into a total framework of both individual and social life, we may end up as successful business me but also as mediocre and morally handicapped people.

To talk of business is to talk of man, the human beings who make it happen. Business does not exist in a vacuum. Man in the business organizations, as well as in any other place is the maker of values. His dignity should not for any reason whatsoever be tampered with or equated with material things. Man therefore is a dignified creature.

References

Marx, K (1967) The Communist Manifesto. Uk., Hazeil Watson and Viney Ltd.

Shappiro, S.L. (1980). An Introduction to Business Management. New York. Mcgraw Hill

The Economic Times (6^TH. August, 2010)

S. Nicki (1982). The Business of Communication. U.K: Richard Claypress Ltd. P. 21

W,B Eddy et al (1969)/ behavioral Sciences and Manager’s Role. California: NTL. P. 8

F. Risieri, (1963). What Value? U.S.A: Open Courts Pub.