Published by:
Harvard Business Publishing
Length: 5 pages
Topics:
Decision making; Ethics
Abstract
Inside companies and beyond them, business and ethics still demand managers to make tough decisions. Concerns about doing business in South Africa, how to handle plant closures, issues involving personnel matters-- none is new. What is new is the interest the public takes in business decisions and the pressure it applies--pressure that tempts boards and managers to sidestep hard choices. Managers must be open to the role ethics plays in decision making. Know where you stand on issues as an individual. Weigh all the competing interests carefully. Then simply get on with doing business and let your actions speak for themselves. This article won HBR''s 1986 Ethics in Business Prize.
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Abstract
Inside companies and beyond them, business and ethics still demand managers to make tough decisions. Concerns about doing business in South Africa, how to handle plant closures, issues involving personnel matters-- none is new. What is new is the interest the public takes in business decisions and the pressure it applies--pressure that tempts boards and managers to sidestep hard choices. Managers must be open to the role ethics plays in decision making. Know where you stand on issues as an individual. Weigh all the competing interests carefully. Then simply get on with doing business and let your actions speak for themselves. This article won HBR''s 1986 Ethics in Business Prize.