Business ethics

In one page answer question in second provide 3 supporting paragraphs. Review the definition of the structure/agency debate on page 499 (Fisher, Lovell, & Valero-Silva).which is The explanation of two forces that act to shape an individual?s actions: structures (social and cultural norms, economic circumstances and historical forces) and agency (their personal will and detached analysis). At risk of walking that fine line again, I?m going to suggest that it depends.
There are the heroic stories in our text (Fisher et al., 2013) that describe the actions individuals took to act on their beliefs, even when those beliefs went against the grain of society, employers and cultural norms. The case of Evan Vokes showed us someone who stood up for what he believed in regardless of the consequences. However, there were also stories of those who couldn?t make up their minds to take action: The Personnel Manager who flip-flopped on her opinion of whether her company should pursue making the company more accessible for those with disabilities was one. Milton Friedman?s theory that businesses should focus solely on making a profit, when taken to a personal level, suggests that individuals also should focus on their own well-being. Personal ethical neutrality may lead a person to suspend their ethical conventions when it threatens their accomplishments. We also discussed both sides of the debate whether the world?s businesses should have the responsibility for correcting the world?s problems, and both sides of this debate made excellent points. We can also compare this to an individual?s actions for and against taking that same responsibility. A more recent discussion had each of us describing how we would speak out against human rights abuses in international business, and the majority spoke about saying something, but only first through the proper channels and without harming one?s employer. All these situations seem to be the norm in society, the subtler suggestions and hints that ?we? need to do something about an injustice, just as long as it is within the boundaries that we, or our employers, or society, have set around us. Many of these types of actions may be contrasted by the more radical actions of people like Evan Vokes, who threw caution to the wind when he decided to stand up for what he believed.Based on the study of business ethics you have experienced in this course, which has the greater influence on an individual?s actions?
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