What are Business Ethics

Business ethics is a relative term, and can be looked at from various angles, all equally rational and valid. There are many economists, sociologists and philosophizers who have defined these ethics in their own way and from different perspectives. With so many views in question, arises the question, what are business ethics exactly? Well, one of the most simple ways to explain business ethics is that business ethics are a code of ethical conduct. Adherence to which is expected out of organizations that function in a particular society, so as to not harm the members of that society or the society itself, in any manner. Earlier, the sole motive of all organizations was profit maximization. Today, profit maximization cannot be achieved if ethics or morals applied in that business are compromised on. Importance of business ethics in the workplace and in society is a crucial study for everyone who owns a business, or believes in being a thoughtful and informed customer.

In every business, there comes a time when profit maximization and social issues meet at a common junction. If at that time, the social issues are compromised on, there is a breaking of ethical code. To make this more simple, let us assume that organizations are people, which is the case in most countries including the United States where companies are legally considered as persons. If that person, for his personal benefit, decides not to abide by the norms of society or does not deliver as promised, he is guilty of his actions. This is where business ethics come in to the picture, to avoid a conflict between personal gain and social benefit. Business ethics are a term of today, having been formed somewhere around the 1970s. The history of business ethics and its co-relation with other economic and business terms is discussed below with some examples, which will help give you a clear understanding of the term.

History of Business Ethics...

Now, if we see emergence of the term business ethics, it's pretty much contemporary. But, the whole idea has evolved through ages and can be traced back to quite a few decades if not centuries. In the olden times, slavery was allowed and eventually it was banned. There was an entire era of colonialism, today we can't even think of something on those terms. There have been wars and those wars have always been out of one simple interest, more power which would only be achieved through a lot of profit. The businesses in olden times were seldom sensitive to the communities where they flourished. There was monopoly on a large scale and sometimes, there were also no ends to meet the needs. Eventually, we had economic laws that formed better ways for efficient co-existence. From 1970 to somewhere around the mid 80's, there were more than 500 courses that were started to deal with academic study of the term business ethics. In 1980, emerged the Society for Business Ethics and about seven years later, business schools in Europe started with the European Business Ethics Network. With so much hype around the term, somewhere around the 1990s or maybe a little before that, various companies and organizations started advertising how they are morally bound to their business ethics. This was in response to the various scandals arising out of not following the business ethics.

What are Business Ethics Today...

According to economist Milton Friedman, corporate executives' responsibility... generally will be to make as much money as possible, while conforming to their basic rules of the society, both those embodied in law and those embodied in ethical custom". Today business ethics are much more defined than they were before, and that too from different perspectives. Today, financial policies are made keeping in mind the ethics rather than only the law. The finances have to be maintained ethically and the usage of these, again, has to be made correctly. Human resource is another sector that is directly related to business ethics. The business should in no manner hamper the interest of the workers, and policies have to be formed keeping in mind the say of the trade unions. Recruitment, selection and promotions have to be done keeping in mind only the work of the individual. Marketing of a particular product or service has to be done keeping in mind the society where these businesses function. Business firms should not market or advertise or promise anything that they can't deliver. Every society has different set of rules and regulations which a business needs to understand to function efficiently and of course, ethically. A lot of companies and corporates were against the strict following of these business ethics earlier, but today there is The International Business Development Institute that offers a Charter in Business Development (CBD). This charter states what exactly are, and aren't, business standards and practices.

The Religious Element...

Different religions maintain and believe in different business ethics that suit, and are basically in accordance with, their respective religions. Though mostly all operations are today maintained by general law for the country, it is important to study this perspective on business ethics too. In Christianity, the theology is entirely based on the Old and New Testament. A very famous example here is that of Jesus asking his disciples, "If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you?". Christians believe that rewards from God should be given more importance than temporary monetary rewards. Here, interest on loans is discouraged. In Muslims, if you lend money to the needy with chargeable interest as a term, it's considered exploitation of people. Another example here is that if the promises made by the seller are not fulfilled or are not delivered wholly, the transaction can be canceled by the customers at any given point. Buddhism mostly speaks of business ethics to benefit employees and ethics in the workplace, where the employees should be the main focus in running a business and that employees in turn should treat working as gaining enlightenment. In the Jews, the ethics in business are more valued than any other ethics in the Torah, to an extent that it is believed that the first question a person would be asked before entering another life after death would be were you honest in business?

Some Examples to Demonstrate What are Business Ethics...

Let's assume that there is a company called A that deals into manufacturing of fairness creams. This company starts advertising that after using this cream, the customer would be able to achieve fairness in just 7 days. Most of the time, this isn't true and the disclaimer is a proof of these. After the whole code of ethics in business hype, these companies started advertising in terms of shades fairer than just fair. Business ethics in pharmaceutical industries are the best to study. First, the medicines have to be effective and deliver results as per promised. Second, they should not have any short or long term effects. Third, they should not be very expensive as the common man is the customer that we have to answer in the end. Now, let's take an example of a service instead of a product. From time to time, there are offers that companies come up with for the benefit of the customers. One such commonly seen offer is the free delivery of certain food items, if not delivered in time. Here, the size of the order and the area where the order needs to reach should be well explained so that the society is not mislead. If it doesn't reach on time, the order should be free in all terms.

Some academics argue that business ethics is nothing but the want of drawing equilibrium between relativism and idealism. Business ethics also gave rise to corporate social responsibility (CSR) that deals with the social responsibility of corporates towards communities and the welfare of society at large. I hope this information helped you understand what are business ethics properly and clearly.

Importance of Business Communication in Modern World

With the advent of technology to previously unimaginable heights, the importance of communication at the workplace and business communication has become even more profound. Gone are the days when businessmen would reach their office and find stacks of letters and notices lying on their desk. This is the digital era, and the presence of BlackBerry's and other mail exchange devices means that these same businessmen are never out of the loop, at any point of the day now.

Communication is a pretty generic term and it takes up different meanings in different scenarios. When we speak of business communication we literally mean the channels of exchange of thoughts and opinions and orders that exist within a business organization, and also the channels that pass from one organization to another. The two communicating parties can be partners or one of them can be a vendor of the other one. And in today's highly globalized marketplace, these are relationships that are not uncommon by any means.

Latest Communication Technology

As already mentioned, the digital era has brought with it many new facets and means for the purpose of business communication. 'Snail Mail' is no longer an option for the parties involved, and today one can reach a colleague or a superior instantly with the touch of a button. BlackBerry smartphones are what started this trend on a big scale, and these gave businessmen the opportunity to check their emails at any time, speak on the phone and text each other at any time, and also make video calls at any time. The Apple iPhone soon found its way into corporate hands, and this eventually led to the introduction of Android based phones as well.

The latest entrant in the field of business communication is the Apple iPad and other competing tablets, and these perform all the aforementioned tasks with ease. It is very important for business organizations to embrace the latest technology for communication purposes. Doing so not only showcases an attitude that is open to new innovations, but it also adds an air of professionalism and technological superiority about the company itself.

The Importance of Business Communication

All this brings us to the most pertinent issue, which is the importance of communication in business. Business communication consists of two aspects, internal and external communications. Internal communications take place when people within the same company communicate and interact with each other. Large workforces in the biggest companies make this an essential aspect of running any business, and this involves the passing of orders, the reporting of results, the reporting of complaints, the discussion of new ideas, the examination of client needs, the determining of marketing strategies, the production of the goods and the motivating of employees. All of these aspects are crucial for the smooth running of a business, and embracing new technology in the modern world for these purposes will be nothing but helpful.

The other form of communication that is necessary is external communication, and this involves interacting with vendors, clients, customers, press representatives and legal representatives. All of these channels require great tact and showmanship, and no company can survive without following the proper lines of communication. The needs of the clients need to be understood, the progress needs to be regularly conveyed to them, the procurement of raw materials needs to be carried out, the synergy and partnership with other companies needs to be nurtured, and the customers need to be targeted properly. All of these tasks require a concentrated effort from all departments of the organization, and this can only be achieved through proper means of business communication.

The importance of business communication in modern-day scenarios must not be underestimated by any means, since this is the life blood of any company. Embracing new technology for this purpose is also essential, and all successful companies know this.

How Long Does It Take to Recover from Bankruptcy

Recovering from bankruptcy is not difficult. There are bound to be several instances where you will feel bogged down and at a complete rock bottom. There is no specified time period which can serve to be an answer for your aforementioned query. However, to get out of the difficult times and from under the dark clouds, you require at least a year or so. Another 5 years or so would be required to get your finances right back on track, as the way they were before. Of course, this is the general timeline and it may differ.

Implications of Bankruptcy on Your Personal Finances

Now the harrowing procedure is not what I am here to about. I am here to encourage and give positive advise. The only thing that you need to know is that your personal finances are going to be affected in exactly 2 ways.

    The first thing that you need to know about the effect of bankruptcy is that all credit reporting agencies are permitted to report any true negative information on your report for 7 years and a bankruptcy for 10 years, as per the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Now, I want you to say something to yourself, 'who's interested in that nonsense, I am not going to borrow anything'. The only person who can see the report, which would cause harm is a potential future employer. However, trust me your future potential employer is a sympathetic human being who is more interested in hiring you for your skills than your personal financial statements.

    Secondly, if you have filed for a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, then you have the obligation to pay off the existing debts in a scheduled manner. Positive outcome of this is that you have some of your valuable assets with you.

Now you will go through 3 important phases while recovering from bankruptcy. First is saving, second is securing, and third is investment. Here's how you can actually do it.

Saving After Bankruptcy

A simple bank account does not cost anything and all you need to do is have a mandated minimum balance. Now for the starters open two savings accounts. The first one should accommodate 25% of your salary, while the second one, 25%. The remaining 50% you can easily use for your monthly expenses. In fact, it's better to accommodate a 30%-30% combination in your accounts. In this stage you have to take care of three important things:

    Buy only what you need for basic survival and welfare. Buying something which is not needed, and is obnoxiously priced is a strict no-no. Exercise the best possible self-control that you can.

    If possible, create a hedge or sort for a security of about 10% of your earnings. This will prevent you from extracting any finances from the two savings accounts. Touching any of the two accounts should be strictly avoided.

    The third thing which I would like to recommend is to plan each and every expense properly and make it a point to stick to the plan.

Securing Your Finances After Bankruptcy

The next step is to secure yourself, this step usually comes after a year or a year and a half after the bankruptcy procedure. In this step you can start investing some part of your money into highly secured investment destinations. For this, you can curb down the percentage of money which you are contributing to the savings amount and invest the same into destinations such as health accounts (such as Health reimbursement account or Health Saving Accounts), Systemic Investment Plan (SIP), Fixed Annuity, or IRA and 401(k). These investment channels basically have two features, firstly, a security and assurance and secondly, assurance about the rate of return on investment.

Investing After Bankruptcy

The third phase is the indication that you have almost gotten out of the snake pit. Here you can start off investing into Collective Investment Schemes (CIS), Mutual Funds and Insurance policies. I would strongly recommend you to avoid stock, gold and silver investment, as there is an inevitable risk of losing money. As you progress to the third step, the total amount or percentage of income that is going to go into the savings bank account is going to drastically drop down. However, it is necessary and also advisable to continue depositing into these accounts.

There are three things which I would like to remind you of:

    Do not borrow, it's not needed.

    Never, ever be tempted.

    Last of all, think and also calculate before you conduct any kind of transaction.

In this manner, within a time span of 5 years or so you shall be back on track. I hope that you have the answer to the query, 'how long does it rake to recover from bankruptcy'. Good luck!

Careers in Business Management

Dynamic changes in manufacturing, communications, technology and transport have also brought about dynamic changes in the list of possible careers. Career management company to provide good growth opportunities, both at work as well as pay packages. The only catch is that one requires a profile of current and relevant training to enter also the careers of management are so broad in the type of work you offer, that no matter what your skills and expertise, you are sure to find its place here. Construction management company can be classified into different categories and information about them and the list of jobs that contain individually is explained below:

Accounting '
This field consists mainly of accountants and auditors. They are responsible for the correctness of the tax and financial business, on a day to day as well as annual basis. Record keeping and data handling is easier today due to various accounting software, which are available on the market. But still, this segment is known for having some of the most stressful jobs (everything is math, if you ask me). Accounting jobs has 40 weeks, but now the tax season brings on more sweat and overtime. Usually a degree in business, accounting or any related field you can get this job, but a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) will always have an extra edge. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) claims a 18 percent growth forecast for this area, all through 2016. The average salary for a general accountant is about $ 63,180 a year (in 2007).

Finance
The finance people (managers and financial analysts), are the people who interpret complex financial information and try to understand the logical conclusions from it. The finance people are hired for their critical thinking skills, financial knowledge (and the prospects for that matter) and their ability with numbers. A traditional 40 hours a week is good for financial analysts and managers, but because it is hard work, overtime and long hours are common. BLS predicts an increase of 37 per cent of employment in this sector until 2016. An MBA (Finance) or any other formal certification, ie, CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) or CFP (Certified Financial Planner) is obtained in this high paying field. The average annual earnings for these jobs is $ 81,700 (in 2007). Finance is the right career for those who want a challenging job.

Human Resource Management
They are the guides of each employee through the recruitment process, to exit interviews. Human resources managers and human resource specialists, strategic planners, and both are mostly working behind the scenes to generate passion and zeal in the work of employees. HR people suggest policies and procedures to improve the experience of employees. It is supposed to plan health benefits, retirement packages and other incentives for employees inside General. The certification or a master's degree in MBA HR is required for an HR job. However, it is essential for them to know how to staff a project, organization benefit plans, compensation and know how to improve employee performance. Human Resource Management is one of the few fields that are found in almost all sectors and, therefore, it is highly unlikely for this field to grow obsolete. People with technical knowledge and the computer have the upper hand in choosing a job. Jobs in this field are expected to grow well, with expected annual average wage of approximately $ 99,810 (2007 figures - added inflation is not factored in).

Information Systems and Technologies
All sectors to take the help of technology to remain competitive in this world 'Darwinian'. IT managers direct the work of systems analysts, computer programmers and support specialists, to keep the company IT system running smoothly and without flaws. They are also actively involved in planning and coordination of hardware and software installations, upgrades, programming and development of internal and external networks. One of their most important tasks is to ensure the security and maintenance of all networks and servers. This sector is expected to grow in the generation of jobs, higher than the average for all occupations through 2014. MBA with technology as a subject or a nucleus (Management Information Systems) MIS degree, to have these jobs if they meet the requirements of good communication and administrative skills. IT people spend most of their time in their offices, like 40 weeks now is not enough. Their evenings and weekends may even end up being an appointment with their computers. Their pay is very good with the median annual earnings for 2004 being USD 92,570. The only problem is the stress that comes from very tight, steep objectives and limited budgets, not to mention the even more quickly.

Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations
This whole area is one that creates glossed up sales out of nowhere. Provide information on products, obtaining high product visibility and making people realize a need for the product, is basically what all the marketing managers, analysts and executives do. Their work includes estimating the demand for the product, identifying potential (high growth) markets, developing pricing strategies and to monitor consumer trends. This work involves long hours of stress, but it gives national and international travel benefits to all concerned. Any type of formal education, with some form of experience is what is preferred in this field. A bachelor's degree or an MBA with a marketing emphasis is needed for a marketing job. You can enter the advertising and PR industries with a journalism degree or a degree / masters in public relations. There is great competition for the coveted positions in the field and the correct statement is therefore the best bet. BLS expects about 68000 jobs related to marketing in the U.S. by 2016, with an average annual gain of approximately $ 113,400.

Administration
Administration as a field is growing, but jobs secretarial and administrative assistant are growing much more slowly than average. Administration jobs involve training and orientation of new staff, storage, retrieval and integration of information technology and solving problems in the office. It also involves planning and scheduling appointments and travel management and responsibility for accommodation of guests and employees. The administration is the only field that provides the jobs that can easily double as an alternative or flexible working arrangements. Part-time as well as full-time positions (traditional week 40 hours) and temporary positions are also readily available in departments of administration. It is extensive use of computers, and a good technical and communication of know-how is a bonus to get these jobs. High school classes with basic office skills are considered suitable for entry-level positions, but anything else requires higher education. High school vocational programs, office administration programs B-school training (1 - 2 years), works etc for certain positions. A bachelor's degree or any other professional certificate is also gaining importance in this sector, where demand far outweighs meet. A CPS (Certified Professional Secretary) and CAP (Certified Management Professional) are more suited for a high standard as executive secretaries, etc. There were about 4.1 million held jobs in administration, in 2004 , but growth is expected to be slow in 2004 - 2014 period. The average annual salary was $ 34,970 in May 2007 and has been observed that the administrative processes in the management company are what pays the best.