Applying Ethics in an Ethical Dilemma Essay

I would never have thought that the hardest part of this assignment was to find a good example of a business organization behaving ethically in an ethical dilemma. There ar numerous cases of businesses behaving unethically. The list of businesses behaving illicitly is similar to a whos who of top companies. However, I did find one federation that appears to have base their business on morality. The 3M Corporation continually tries to infuse their moral philosophy into their organization, level when they expand into other countries.Applying morals in an good DilemmaIn March 2011, industrial conglomerate 3M, formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, started to build manufacturing facilities in Russias Tyumen and Samara regions. The total investment was approximately fifteen million US dollars. The reinvigorated facility will produce an insulation material Thinsulate, a real thin, synthetic petroleum based insulation, used in clothing. All branches of the United States military use Gore-Tex bleak weather gear and Thinsulate is one of the key materials used in the clothing (Romanova, 2011).Building the plant was the on the loose(p) part the difficulty was getting into Russia. According to the Berlin-based Transp arncy Internationals 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index, Russia is ranked 154th among 178 alter countries for its corrupt practices (Barr & Serra, 2010). One of the problems 3M faced was the managerial mindset in Russia. They do not recognize or reward their subordinates for exceptional performance. They only c are about current profits and they do not plan. Because of the countries risque levels of corruption and political instability, they try to get everything they outhouse right now, because they are in fear of what can potentially happen tomorrow. Due to all these factors, most multinationalcompanies have avoided investing in Russia (Shama, 1997).The purlieu for business in Russian is full of obstacles. Corruptio n, bribery and paying of protection money are interchangeable in business culture. 3M is antithetic from the few other international companies that operate in Russia, that try to outmatch themselves from such practices by simply banning them. 3M Russia actively promotes not only ethical behavior simply also the in the flesh(predicate) security of its employees. 3M Russia also strives to differentiate itself from competitors by being an ethical leader. For example, it holds training courses in business ethics for its customers and employees. (Langlois & Schlegelmilch, 1990). Ethical Framework Applied by the OrganizationIn order to visualise the ethical frameworks that drive this corporation, I feel it is imperative to read their principle statement. 3M employees and third parties to which this principle applies mustiness make good, ethical decisions based on 3Ms fundamental values of honesty, integrity, promise-keeping, fairness, respect, concern for others, and personal accou ntability. When the faithfulness and 3Ms Code of Conduct are silent on the issue, employees must nevertheless(prenominal) make decisions that are legal, ethical, and consistent with the Code of Conduct (Thulin, 2012). Initially, the ethical framework the 3M Corporation used appears to be the Utilitarian approach. delineate as, create the greatest good for the greatest number sometimes referred to as maximizing the good in the world (Dahl, Mandell, & Barton, 1988). In this theory, we weigh the positives against the negatives and against the cost versus risks. This theory emphasizes that all people should reap the benefits in a society, a community or a family. I believe 3M felt that since they were expanding globally into a new continent or country, they were trying to bring their solid ethics with them. 3M faced a difficult labour of bringing ethics into a country that unfortunately, ranks low for their ethics (Barr & Serra, 2010).Another ethical framework I believe the 3M Corpor ation used in establishing their new factories in Russian is the deontological approach. This states that actions judged as ethical or unethical based on the inherent rights ofan individual and the intentions of the actor (Dahl, Mandell, & Barton, 1988). In Deontology theory, an individuals or organizations code of ethics is not supposed to be situational exactly they should be constant and always followed, to ensure that in when cladding adversity their morals remain the same(p). When 3M went to Russia, they could have easily changed their ethics to fit the societal norm but they did not. They maintained the same high level of ethics as they do in other countries with less corruption, bribery and payments of protection money. They not only maintained it at a higher level, 3M even taught classes to their employees on ethics. For some, this was their first exposure to structured ethics training. Many deontologists believe that the rights of individuals reside in natural law. The in dividuals are a means and not end (Dahl, Mandell, & Barton, 1988). In their principles, all employees must apply honesty, integrity, promise-keeping, fairness, respect, concern for others and personal accountability (Thulin, 2012). They even emphasize when a situation occurs that is not covered by law or plainly outlined, they hold their employees responsible. They should make decisions that are fair, honest and above all in keeping with the companys policy on ethics Negative Consequences of the DecisionNegative Consequence of the situation is that progress members in Minneapolis Minnesota decided to enforce American ethics in other country. Although the decision, based on good intentions, begs the question, do we have the right to enforce or impress upon our workforce in some other country American ethics. Often the United States and American companies receive accusations of nation building, or where we go into another country and try to impress American laws and customs onto th e indigenous population. Do we have the right to peril our employees to make ourselves feel better? Here in America, corruption, bribery, and paying of protection money is socially unacceptable. When that is the norm, do we have the right to force our beliefs on another country or culture? For example, when the United States arm Forces works with a foreign Army or government, we try to follow the hosts countries rules. When I was in Iraq, it was illegal to possess, purchase or consume alcoholic beverages. It was illegal to possess, purchase, and download any full-grown material. Iraq is a cockeyedly Muslimcountry, and those are two of its major offenses to their faith. We changed our policies to comply with the host countries norms and values. Should our businesses follow that same example, to protect its workers and its interests? ConclusionEthical Frameworks attempt to provide a guideline for how an organization or even a society should interact with one another. The strength o f this analysis is that it showed that when an organization practiced good ethics, the principles are truly universal. The behavior of the 3M Corporation in their expansion into Russia should be the norm not the exception. When foreign organizations with different ethical codes of conduct meet, they should be able to create a common ethical cooperation framework, keeping strong basic values and adapting moral principles to best meet everyones needs.ReferencesBarr, A., & Serra, D. (2010). Corruption and culture An experimental analysis. journal of Public Economics, 94(11), 862-869.Thulin, I. (2012, February 24). 3M Code of Conduct Principles. Retrieved October 12, 2014, from http//solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/businessconduct/bcmain/policy-/principles/Romanova, M. (2011, March 11). American 3M to Expand into Russian Regions. Russia Briefing News. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from http//russia-briefing.com/ news show/american-3m-to-expand-into-russian-regions.html/Shama, A. (19 97). From exploiting to investing A survey of US firms doing business in Russia. The International Executive, 39(4), 497-518.Langlois, C. C., & Schlegelmilch, B. B. (1990). Do corporate codes of ethics reflect national character? Evidence from Europe and the United States. Journal of International Business Studies, 519-539.Dahl, J. G., Mandell, M. P., & Barton, M. E. (1988). Ethical frameworks of Tomorrows Business Leaders. International Journal of Value-Based Management, 1(2), 65-81.