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Ethical Practices and Values as a Means to Business Sustainability

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Introduction
In today’s world, different types of business have emerged and business operations have become the cornerstone of making a success, however the way in which they are operated is what is important. Most businesses hunt the main objective of making a profit without considering how that might affect other factors of society and that is what in most cases diminishes the longevity of the organisation.
This research is compiled to explain how good ethical practices and good values in business can yield sustainability within the business and the society as a whole and in order to do this the concept of ethical business practice and values have to be understood.
Decades ago, the perception of ethics and values in business practice has …show more content…

Values
Business values can be defined as beliefs of an organisation, they are “the context in which an organisation’s norms are established and justified” (Nieuwenhuizen & Oosthuizen, 2014, p.95) therefore compel one to think about issues such as honesty, loyalty, morality etc.

Business Ethics and values
Business ethics and values are closely related, their effect and application in business activities correlate and they make one to ask very important questions that may or may not guide an individual in an organisation to make an ethical decision.
Diagram1:
Ethics Values
What should I do? Why?
What do I choose? What are the intentions?
How should I do this? What must I sacrifice?

When one asks himself/herself these questions, one’s inner conscience becomes active and then end up asking oneself the ultimate question: “Is it right or wrong”? If only management made all their business decisions by firstly considering other factors that would be affected by the decision issues such as bribery and fraud.
Business Ethics and good values in a micro environment
In order for a business to be sustainable through good ethical operations and good values, it has to start from the top management, considering that in an organisation the superior’s values are the inferior’s values (Putnam, 2002). Management has to practice values in the micro environment before anything.
Honesty: Honesty is an attribute of speaking and acting real and

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