Business ethics: concept, principles, norms, features

Principles of business ethics Culture of business communication Basic concepts Ethics of business behavior Business ethics in Russia Conclusion

Business ethics is a set of rules and ethical standards observed by business people in a corporate environment. Such ethics affects not only relationships within the company, but also outside it. In particular, its rules are observed when communicating with business partners. At the same time, the ethics of business relations is generally accepted and contains norms that apply not only in general, but also in specific situations.

Principles of Business Ethics

Basic generally accepted principles:

• Responsibility for actions in the business sphere;
• Respect for business participants.

An extended list of principles based on philosophy in conjunction with the practical experience of the business world was formulated by L. Hosmer, a sociologist from the USA. These principles are based on compliance with certain rules. In particular, it is necessary to exclude actions that:

• Contradict the interests of the company or business;
• It will not be possible to demonstrate or talk about them openly;
• They do not contribute to the formation of a sense of comradeship, the feeling that everyone is working towards achieving 1 goal;
• They violate the law, and it should be taken into account that the law always prescribes minimum social moral standards;
• They do not benefit society, as well as the company or business;
• Aimed at making recommendations to others, but I wouldn’t wish the same for myself if I found myself in a similar situation;
• They would violate the rights of those with whom they come into contact in the course of conducting business;
• They would be aimed at obtaining maximum profits in violation of the law and market requirements, without taking into account all kinds of costs. According to the axioms of economic theory, with the opposite approach one can claim a high degree of production efficiency;
• May cause injustice to weaker participants in business relationships;
• They are capable of preventing another person from realizing his right to self-development and self-realization.

2.1. Ethnic norms of the leader

Ethical standards act as a regulator of relationships in a team, which will either contribute to the successful activities of the organization in achieving its goals, or will create obstacles, lead to losses, and subsequently to the collapse of the organization. If the administration does not take control of the issue of regulating ethical relations, then the regulatory process may develop spontaneously.

The system for regulating the behavior of employees in the workforce is quite complex. The employer, having hired employees, must take into account the entire system of regulators operating in the organization. The most important of them are the following: orders of the employer, labor legislation, moral standards, traditions, beliefs of employees, religious values ​​shared by employees, universal values, group values, etc. The employer provides the employee with opportunities to perform certain actions, encourages, motivates him, and if necessary, forces you to refrain from certain actions, types of behavior, evaluates the behavior, tries to correct it using various methods.

Each manager uses a certain regulatory mechanism - a set of means and methods by which he directs and coordinates the behavior of employees. An important role in the mechanism of behavior regulation belongs to normative regulation, which consists of a number of elements representing a certain process. First, the goals that need to be achieved are determined, then a regulatory legal act is created in order to achieve the goals. Next, they create the conditions for implementing the standards, including monitoring their compliance. It is very important to choose effective measures that do not overly burden the employee or hamper his initiative.

Norms are always a means of implementing principles and ideology, i.e. any normative system reflects certain views of a certain group of people. The quality of ethical standards operating in the team should be a subject of constant concern to the personnel department. If immoral norms become widespread in the team, the organization will not be able to exist for long, much less effectively. Firstly, the authority of other organizations and government bodies will constantly decrease, and secondly, conflicts within the organization will increase.

The quality of ethical standards in the activities of an organization largely depends directly on the leader himself and his authority in the team.

The authority of a leader is a person’s personal influence on the team, which he acquires through his work, professional knowledge, organizational skills, innovations, and ability to work with people.

Depending on what style a leader uses in a particular situation, his relationships with subordinates are built, which determine his authority.

The authority of a manager is strongly influenced by the presence of a high culture of communication, which is expressed in the standards of professional ethics. These include: the democracy of the leader’s communication with his subordinates, his accessibility, attentiveness, the ability to create a friendly atmosphere of trust, politeness and correctness in handling, accuracy and a responsible attitude to this word. Equally important are smartness and neatness, clarity and organization in behavior. But the external side of actions must correspond to the internal moral convictions of the leader. Only under this condition can the standards of professional ethics help the manager communicate with people more effectively.

Speech culture plays a special role among the rules of communication with people. It involves skills and the ability to correctly formulate your thoughts, the optimal pace of speech, the emotional coloring of words, gestures, and facial expressions. Speech that is incoherent, inexpressive, and contains cliches does not contribute to high efficiency of communication, does not convince people, and is not remembered. An unacceptable element of a leader’s speech is foul language. In order to learn to speak well, you need to learn to think clearly, and for this you need to be an erudite person who knows how to persuade, reflect, and analyze. You need to master your speech technique, constantly expand your vocabulary and practice public speaking.

Numerous literary sources, the practice of scientists, sociologists, and psychologists show that when communicating with people, it is advisable for a leader to adhere to the following rules:

• it is necessary to show interest in people, to be attentive to them;
• you need to be able to give instructions to your subordinates;
• you need to try to remember the names of your subordinates;
• in work relationships, it is important to develop and maintain a sense of personal dignity of each employee, initiative and a creative approach to business;
• You cannot ridicule or condemn people, you must be able to put yourself in the place of those being condemned;
• you need to be able to greet people;
• you need to be able to listen to people.

The ability to understand people is one of the important qualities of a strong leader. A manager needs to know the people with whom he is in contact and whom he manages. To know them better, you need to study personal files in the HR department. But this is only a small part of what a manager needs to know about people, since documents cannot give a complete picture of the intellectual and psychological abilities and personal qualities of subordinates. The manager needs to know everything about them that can affect the process of their work and its results. Of great importance in the activities of any leader is the ability to persuade, that is, to achieve the desired changes in the views and beliefs of other people.

A manager is not only a good specialist, but also an organizer of the work of his subordinates. Organizing the work of others means distributing specific tasks among them. The efficiency of the subordinate unit and, accordingly, the quality of the work of the manager himself depend on the manager’s organizational abilities. If the team works well and the quality of its work improves, then we can conclude that it is working under a good leader, who must learn to do the work with the hands of his subordinates. But we should not forget that responsibility for poorly performed or unfulfilled work lies with the head of this department as the sole commander.

The effectiveness of work organization is ensured when the manager clearly understands what results he expects from his subordinates and in what form these results should be achieved and reported, as well as within what time frame. Based on this, he must organize control, which, along with strict discipline, is the main prerequisite for the effective organization of work.

Business communication culture – what is it?

You can often hear the opinion that business ethics is the same as the culture of business communication . In general, we can say that this opinion is correct. Culture cannot exist without ethics. Relationships can be cultural, which means they are ethical. However, culture is usually understood as a more capacious concept. It displays reality with seven positive and non-positive manifestations. In turn, ethics consists of norms and rules that are commonly applied in business circles.

A business person is obliged to adhere to the culture of business communication. The main aspects relate to being friendly towards the opponent, not being in a bad mood that could negatively affect the same conversation, as well as the need to show interest in the topic. Adhering to at least three important axioms, it can already be argued that a business person has an idea of ​​​​the culture of business communication.

LIST OF SOURCES USED

1. Abramovich Business in Jewish-2: Business ethics of the wise and rich / Abramovich, Mikhail. - M.: Phoenix, 2022. - 160 p.
2. Gravitsky, A. Fundamentals of business ethics / A. Gravitsky. – St. Petersburg: Phoenix, North-West, 2022. – 190 p.
3. Kanke, V.A. Modern ethics: Textbook. 2nd ed., stereotype. / V.A. Kanke. – M.: Omega-L, 2022. – 400 p.
4. Psychology and ethics of business communication: Textbook. 5th ed., revised. and additional / Ed. V. Lavrinenko. – M.: Unity-Dana, 2022. – 416 p.

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Concepts of business ethics: etiquette, norms, code

The concept of business ethics is associated not only with the culture of business communication. Ethics has a direct connection with business etiquette. The latter is a set of norms and rules that are used to conduct work in a certain style, with a certain manner; they determine the features of business negotiations, as well as appearance, etc. Business etiquette in a particular country may have its own original differences, about which business foreigners need to know if they want to find profitable ways of cooperation.

There is also such a thing as business ethics standards. However, they are generally accepted. They are not influenced by national, cultural and other characteristics. These include:

• Punctuality.

Predetermines the ability to do everything in a timely manner, to calculate your time. A punctual businessman is a person you can rely on. Professionals not only know how to take care of their time, but also that of others.

• Ability to keep secrets.

Maintaining confidentiality is one of the main and undeniable rules of the business world. And we are not just talking about some business details. Discussing even the personal lives of work colleagues is considered bad form.

• The ability to think about both yourself and others.

In the business sphere, it is not customary to show selfishness, disrespect, or intolerance. Arrogance is unacceptable and must be distinguished from self-confidence.

• Compliance with business etiquette in terms of behavior and appearance.

Knowledge of business etiquette standards regarding appearance allows you to ensure compliance with business ethics standards.

• Competence and professionalism.

The ability to correctly and competently structure one’s speech, to express oneself clearly through other forms of communication, as well as the presence of professional knowledge that relates to business are mandatory components that must be present in the life of a modern business person.

Another concept of business ethics should be considered a code of business ethics . No matter how loud this concept may sound, it has a rather narrow meaning in terms of application. The Code of Business Ethics is a local regulatory act. This is a set of rules and standards established in a particular company and mandatory for use by employees of this company.

INTRODUCTION

Business communication is an integral part of modern society, the most important type of relationship with other people. Indispensable and one of the main regulators of these relations are ethical norms, which express our ideas about good and evil, justice and injustice, the correctness and incorrectness of people’s actions. And when communicating in business cooperation with their subordinates, boss or colleagues, everyone in one way or another, consciously or spontaneously, relies on these ideas. But depending on how a person understands moral norms, what content he puts into them, and to what extent he generally takes them into account in communication, he can make business communication easier for himself, make it more effective, help in solving assigned tasks and achieving goals, and make this communication difficult or even impossible.

Knowledge and understanding of the basic principles of business etiquette are important for the head of a company, primarily because a professional is not only someone who masters the intricacies of any field of activity, but also the intricacies of business communication.

The object of study in this work is business etiquette, and the subject is its theoretical component.

The purpose of the work is to study the main characteristics of business ethics.

This goal is represented by the following tasks:

1. Consider the concept and essence of business ethics

2. Explore the principles of business ethics

3. Consider the manager's business etiquette

Ethics of business conduct

Ethics of business behavior is a system of individual actions, which is associated with the implementation and achievement of the individual’s business interests. It includes features of interaction with business partners, managers, colleagues and subordinates. Business behavior is implemented through:

• Business communication, which is built on the basis of business culture, business professional ethics;
• Establishing mutual relationships, as well as making decisions that contribute to the success of the business;
• Respect for those with whom you have to communicate in the course of doing business.

How a businessman behaves during business communication, how he establishes contacts, how he makes decisions - all this forms the concept of business behavior, which is also influenced by respect, which includes:

• Politeness;
• Maintaining hierarchy;
• A competent combination of parity and priority.

2.2. Standards of ethical behavior for a manager

Standards of ethical behavior for a manager are rules based on the knowledge and skills of ethics that determine the respectful attitude of a manager towards his subordinates and the external environment.

In his professional and everyday behavior, the manager must be an example for subordinate employees (as well as for employees of other departments with which the department entrusted to the manager is associated, as well as for external business partners).

Having in mind a personal example, first of all it should be noted that a leader must have qualities that can be generally characterized as follows:

1. organizer of the labor process;
2. a specialist competent in solving the problems of the assigned unit;
3. a person of high culture of behavior with knowledge and skills in the field of ethics in business relations.

The key to the stable operation of a particular unit is the ability and desire of the manager to perform general management functions. These include: planning, organization, stimulation, regulation, control.

An integral part of these management functions is the manager’s performance of coordination tasks:

• representative, i.e. functions of representing and protecting the interests of the team before senior management and the external environment (business partners, consumers, etc.);
• motivational, i.e. the function of implementing an effective motivational policy in the department, distributing work among employees taking into account their interests, demonstrating the ability to captivate the team in solving the problems facing the department, etc.;
• advisory, i.e., the function of providing the necessary assistance to subordinates in solving problems, and this assistance should be expressed in specific professional consultations, supported by the sincere desire of the manager to assist employees.

According to the experience of many foreign and domestic organizations, the performance by a manager of the above general functions is included in his evaluation system. Thus, the quality of performance and the manager’s readiness for such tasks affect his official rating and informal authority.

High-quality performance of these general and coordination functions is unthinkable without the manager having broad and thorough knowledge in the field of his professional activity. In addition, to maintain a favorable socio-psychological climate in the team, the manager needs legal knowledge on labor relations. Knowing their basics and promptly turning to relevant reference books or specialist consultants is an important condition for an effective personal example of a manager.

The qualities listed above characterize the manager as a good organizer of the labor process and a competent specialist in his field. The presence of these qualities is not yet enough for a leader to contribute by personal example to the prevention and overcoming of conflicts and stress in the team. He, as already indicated, must comply with one more condition related to the fact that his subordinates see him as a person of high culture of behavior, possessing knowledge and skills in the field of ethics of business relations.

There is also no doubt that any leader must be to some extent a psychologist. This presupposes a certain amount of knowledge on which the manager’s behavior skills in relation to subordinates are based. This kind of knowledge usually includes ideas about the basic patterns of interpersonal relationships that manifest themselves in the process of management activities.

A leader should know and understand that different people - be it one person or a group - at different times can react completely differently to the same influences, which are expressed through instructions, orders, requests, instructions, etc. This often happens because that a manager can choose a method of influencing employees that does not correspond to their abilities, motivation and properties, and subordinates choose as a means of protection any methods that can protect their own dignity and self-respect.

In other words, the manager must clearly understand that in the sphere of management activities there is an objective dependence of people’s perception of external influences on differences in their socio-psychological characteristics, i.e. motivations of behavior, abilities and properties.

It should be emphasized that infringement of a person’s self-esteem, self-respect and personal status is a direct path to conflicts and stress. This, in particular, requires that in a number of cases the manager, in a correct and unobtrusive form, provides explanations to his employees about what underlies his written and oral instructions, instructions and requests.

Thus, knowledge of the basics of business etiquette and its correct application contributes to the growth of production, increased profits, professional satisfaction and the creation of a positive image of the company.

Business ethics in Russia

Russia has its own peculiarities of business ethics , taking into account the fact that domestic businessmen doing business at the international level still comply with generally accepted ethical standards in the world. These features include the following:

• As practice shows, communication in the Russian business sphere begins with a sincere greeting and an obligatory handshake. It is customary for us to address the interlocutor by his first name and patronymic;
• If all over the world the communication of business people is accompanied by a calm voice, then in Russia a slight increase in tone, gestures and even sharp intonations are acceptable;
• Abroad, a sign of respect is considered to be the call: “How are you?” A Russian, even if he is a business person, for some reason decides when asked such a question that he needs to be told about everything that concerns the state of his affairs;
• In Russia, business people practically do not smile, which is strange when compared with the behavior of business foreigners;
• Russian businessmen often communicate at close range, which should not be done when communicating with foreign partners. Foreigners may consider this behavior familiar;
• Only in recent years have business Russians begun to be more scrupulous about their appearance. But all over the world it has long been customary to follow certain standards of business etiquette, which determine what a businessman should look like;
• Business people from Russia, when communicating with foreign partners, may speak incorrectly and incomprehensibly, which is absolutely forbidden to do if very important business issues are clarified during the same negotiations.

Appearance rules

Dress code

In your apartment you can walk around as you like, even in pajamas and funny socks. If you arrive at the office, or even more so for a meeting, please follow the dress code. Otherwise, the wrong impression may be formed about you. Representatives of the older generation may consider you frivolous, superficial and even - oh horror! - incompetent . Yes, we understand that professionalism does not depend on appearance. But the traditions of society are strong, and rebelling against them is stupid and short-sighted. You are not 15 years old.

Basic dress code rules:

• for men - a business suit or shirt with trousers. Jacket, shirt and jeans are acceptable. For women - a suit, blouse and pencil skirt, no minis and, God forbid, deep necklines;
• minimum accessories. For men, watches and cufflinks are acceptable. For women - a maximum of two accessories: earrings and a ring, a chain or earrings, and so on. If you have sets of jewelry, do not wear all the items at once, it is vulgar;
• neat haircut, well-groomed hair, for men - a styled beard and mustache, if any;
• neat manicure, well-groomed hands;
• clean shoes in any weather, even if you got to the office by subway or dog sled;
• no tattoos or piercings in visible places. If you have a large, visible tattoo, it is better to hide it under clothes. If you establish a good relationship with your partner, you can show it later, but at first it’s better not to take risks. You don't know what views he holds.

The more important the meeting or negotiations, the more strictly the dress code must be observed. Remember, this is in your best interest.

Dress code for women and men

Gestures, movements, facial expressions

It sounds funny, but in fact, many deals have been broken because the partner made an inappropriate gesture or was too familiar. It is clear that everything is subjective: an open person will not be intimidated if the interlocutor actively waves his arms or blows kisses to everyone. Still, you should adhere to the basic rules - at least at the first meeting . And then you will see for yourself how the interlocutor reacts.

Please note the following points:

• straight posture, restrained movements without fussiness;
• look into the eyes - confident, firm, but not arrogant;
• restrained facial expressions, try to control emotions. In difficult situations, when you want to curse or, conversely, laugh, put on a “poker face”;
• Tactile contact is allowed only in the form of handshakes. Leave pats on the shoulder, tight hugs, and especially kisses for loved ones: not all people love the touch of strangers. According to the rules of etiquette, only a handshake is permissible - preferably a short and energetic one.

Tip: practice in front of a mirror in advance or ask a loved one to “read” your facial expressions or movements . If there are signs of nervousness, fussiness, or too violent emotional reactions, eradicate these habits. Remember that many entrepreneurs have studied body language and know the basic rules. For example, eyes slanted to the left are a sign of lying. Arms crossed on the chest - a desire to isolate oneself. Whoever the toes of the interlocutor’s shoes point to is the one who is most important to him at the moment. And so on and so forth - the Internet is full of such advice.

Workplace is ok

It’s cool, of course, to justify the mess on your desk and in your office by saying that you are a creative person, but I’m afraid your partners won’t understand. Practice shows that order on the table magically clears your thoughts and brings order to your head . Try it and see for yourself!

Disorder in the workplace is unacceptable

Features of negotiations

Business communication is based on the hierarchy adopted within the company or among partners:

• from top to bottom: boss - subordinate, senior - junior;
• from bottom to top: subordinate - boss;
• horizontally: between people in equal positions.

Each option has its own norms, but there are common principles: respect between participants, correctness towards employees and representatives of other companies.

Leader - subordinate

A comfortable atmosphere in a team usually depends on management. The ability to control emotions, subordinate actions to a specific goal and other qualities that relate to the concept of self-discipline is the strongest motivator for subordinates.

Only the ability to manage oneself gives the right to manage other people. A person holding a leadership position must avoid tardiness, disregard for performing duties, and familiarity. Personal example strengthens the authority of a leader and inspires trust in him.

This level involves the use of the following styles:

• order - suitable for critical situations;
• request - allows you to give orders while maintaining a friendly tone;
• request/question - emphasizes the competence of a subordinate, has an ethical and practical meaning in relation to highly qualified specialists;
• volunteer call - applies to proactive and conscientious subordinates.

A system of rewards and punishments that are adequate to merits and failures, respectively, is extremely important. Fairness is a significant aspect of a healthy team.

Subordinate - leader

Subordination is important. Breaking distance and trying to impose your views is unacceptable, since this leads to the destruction of discipline in the team and calls into question the authority of the boss. This applies not only to direct contact, but also to interaction online.

The subordinate has the right to express his personal opinion, but in an extremely correct form. Appealing to senior management, bypassing the boss, is regarded as a manifestation of disrespect for him.

With equal positions

The main condition for achieving mutual understanding at this level is a clear distribution of responsibilities between all participants, otherwise a conflict may arise.

This type of interaction excludes familiarity, personalization, and disrespect. You cannot interrupt the presentation or interrupt the speaker, even if the question seems extremely important. There is a specially designated time for this.

READ Constructive criticism: its features, examples and differences from other types

Senior - Junior

Building relationships at the senior-junior level is primarily based on the status of the participants and only then on age positions. For example, regardless of the difference in age, a junior in status is presented to a senior, he can offer a hand to shake only if the senior has taken the initiative. If contact occurs between individuals of equal status, then priority is given to the older one.

Ethical principles

Ethical principles are moral laws based on a value system that establish the responsibilities of an individual. The literary synonym for this concept is the word “virtue”. The formation of internal laws occurs during the education of the individual. The result of this is the awareness and acceptance of such moral categories as humanity, honor, justice, dignity, responsibility.

The most extensive and in demand by human society are the following principles:

• humanity is a conscious, selfless attitude towards people, in ordinary life it is expressed through the ability to provide free help, to give in, to do a favor;
• respectfulness - respect for the environment, for the world around, which is realized in the form of gratitude, politeness, goodwill;
• rationality - involves actions based on wisdom, logic, that is, on innate intelligence, supported by experience and moral values;
• courage is a person’s ability to overcome life’s difficulties while maintaining respect for oneself and others.

Examples of principles with a minus sign are utilitarianism (consumerism), opportunism, unprincipledness.

In entrepreneurial activity, all these categories are reflected in the ethics of business relations, which has an applied nature and a practical goal: simplifying the mechanisms of interaction between participants in one team or representatives of other organizations.

Ethics as a personality quality

A person can be ethical from the very beginning. For many, this quality is innate. Others have to learn to build relationships with others. In this case, ethics is called professional or acquired. When hiring a new employee, companies often ask him to undergo several psychological tests. Based on the results, they determine what kind of ethics he has. It is important, as is experience and professionalism.

A person for whom compliance with the rules of business etiquette is not particularly difficult has many important qualities:

• conscience, responsibility;
• willpower, self-control;
• honesty in thoughts and actions;
• friendliness, ability to make contact, collectivism;
• self-control, resistance to stressful situations, the ability to control feelings and emotional impulses;
• integrity, sequence of actions, combination of words and actions;
• hard work, interest in the company's activities;
• seriousness, stability;
• humanity, tolerance;
• optimism, self-confidence;
• positive thinking.

It turns out that an ethical person is a godsend for the company. Moreover, he can occupy any position, be it a manager or an ordinary employee. In both cases, the business will be successful.