BESR

》Philosophy and Ethics《
*Philosophy
-Systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language
-"Love of wisdom"
-To seek to understand fundamental truths about themselves

Major Areas of Study:
1.) Metaphysics
     -Study of reality's nature
     -What exists in the world, whT it is like, and how it is ordered
2.) Epistemology
     -Study of Knowledge
     -Primarily concerned with what we can know and how we can know
3.) Ethics
     -What we ought to do and what it would be best to do
     -What is good and right
4.) Logic
     -Arguments or reasons given for people's answers to these questions

*Ethics/Moral Philosophy
-Involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behaviour

*Business Ethics/Corporate Ethics
-Form of applied or professional ethics, that examines sthical principles and moral or ethical problems that can arise in a business environment

》Classic Philosophers《
*Socrates
-Have the courage to disagree
-Best known for Socratic method of question and answer

   *Socratic Method - Way of thinking that allows individuals to define their own purpose for learning

*Plato
-The power to tule
-Person must study themselves to find out their character's level

*Aristotle
-Let people seek fulfillment
-Most practical and business oriented of all philosophers

*Confucius
-Do not do unto others what you do not want others do unto you
-Live a contended, moral, and happy life
-Aid in the creation of businsss leaders

*Plutarch
-Be a good role model
-Understood that humans are incredibly social creatures who constantly observe others and imitate them

*Epicurus
-Art of happiness
-Taught that life's aim was simply to be as happy as possible

*Immanuel Kant
-Advances the theory of deontology or deontological ethics

   *Theory of Deontology - Theory of duty and obligation

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*Plato - Moral values are objective, absolute, and eternal
*Aristotle - Virtues are good habits acquired which regulate our emotions
*Kantian Ethics - Single principle of duty: Have moral duties to on self and others
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○Socrates - West
○Confucius - East
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3 Major Greek Philosophers:
   -Can be applied in management and leadership
○Socrates - Dialectic method of inquiry
○Plato - Right people be in the right position
○Aristotle

Shaped western thought in:
○Persuasion and negotiation
○Structure of political society
○Virtue ethics

》Learning from Ancient Greek Philosophers《
*Eudaumonia - Good, prosperous life

○Socrates - Don't go with the flow
○Aristotle - Keep people motivated
○Plutarch - Be a good example
○Epictetus - Have a resilient mind
○Rufus - Act what you learn
○Epicurus - Be happy

*Confucianism
-Ancient China's philosophy and belief system
-Laid the foundation of Chinese culture
-Believes in ancestor worship and hunan-centered virtues for livinf a peaceful life

*Confucius
-Thoughts on ethics, good behaviour, and moral character were written down by his discioles in several books
*Lunyu - Most important book written by Confucius

*Virtue Theory (Aristotle)
-Doesn't judge actions as right or wrong but rather the character of the peraon doing the actions
-Propoass to build a virtuous character

*Utilitarianism (Jeremy Bentham and James Mill)
-Based on one's ability to predict the consequences of an action
-Consequentialist theory

*Deontology (Kant)
   *Deon - duty, obligation, or command
-People should adhere to their obligations and duties when engaged in decision making when ethics are in play
-Treat people as an end, and never as a means to an end

*Categorical Imperative
-Mandates an action, irrespective of one's personal desires

》History of Business Ethics《
○Ten Commandments in the Bible
○Early Years
   ♤Aristotle - dicusses economic activities and emphasized the negative consequencea of greed which he descrived as the "unnatural use of one's capabilities in the pursuit of qealth for its own sake
   ♤John Locke - Defense of a property as a natural right
   ♤Adam Smith - Common good is associated with 6 psychological motives
     ●Values:
        ○Prosperity
        ○Prudence
        ○Reason
        ○Sentiment
        ○Promoting makind's happiness
   ♤John Rawls propogated the difference principle

Contributors to the emergence of business ethics:
   ○John Stuart Mill
   ○Immanuel Kant
   ○G.W.F Hegel

*Adam's Equity Theory
-Employees believe that whatever they contribute to the organization could be commensurate to what they will receive as outcomes

*Difference Principle
-Emphasizss equality in society, though it allows the inequality in the goods and services' distribution only if it will benefit the lowest class in society

○New Generation of Ethics
   ●1937 - Business Ethics - by Frank Chapman Sharp and Philip D. Fox
                           - first managerial textbook in business ethics
                           - ethics and laws aren't the same
   ●1960 - Wide interest in business ethics
   ●1970s - BE Emerged as an academic field
     >Textbook writers: - Deal with ethical reasoning
        ○Norman Bowie
        ○Thomas Donaldson and Patricia Werhane
        ○Richard De George and Manuel Vasques
   ●1986 - One of the ethic decision-making models developed by Hunt and Vitel
         - Discusses how the individual is prompted by a situation and eventually recognizes its ethical content
   ●1985 - Ferrel and Gresham
   ●1986 - Trevino
   ●1991 - Jones
      •All 3 contributed ethical decision models which emphasize that co-employees and peers are most influential in ethical decision
   ●1990 - Ferrel and Fraedrich published another book on business ethics
         - Defines the ethical standards to be followed in business organizationa
   ●1995 - Katherine Nelson and Linda K. Trevino wrote a book which addresses ethical decision-making, the ethical problems encountered by manager and how they can comply ethically and legally from a managerial point of view

*Bentley University's Center for Business Ethics
-Pioneered activities that suppprted business ethics and research

*Ethics and Compliance Officers Association
-Largest ethics organization in the United States

*The Journal of Business Ethics - 1982
*Business Ethics Quarterly - 1991
*Business Ethics: A European Review - 1992

*Th Defense Industry Initiative on Business Ethics and Conduct of the United States Government
-1986
-Acted as a guide in the practice of ethical standards in organization

*Sarbanes-Oxley Act (2002)
-To address the loss of confidence in financial recording

》Beliefs and Religion《

*Belief System
-Set of Principles or tenets which together form the basis of religion, philosophy, or moral code

*Religion
-Set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies  usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often contain a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs
-Systematic set of beliefs that influences human behaviour

》8 Major Religions《
○Judaism
   -12-17 million Jews in the US and Israel
   -Jews are divided into:
     ●Middle Eastern/Oriental Jews
     ●Sephardic Jews (Spain & Portugal)
     ●Ashkenazi Jews (Europe)
   -Traces its roots to the covenant made between God and Abraham
   -Includes the 10 Commandments which embody the core values of Judaism
   -11 Core Jewish Values form the basis of Judaism Ethics:
     ●Honesty - Always be truthful
     ●Intergrity - Consistency in words and actions
     ●Brit - Always keeping one's word
     ●Loyalty - Developing a trusting relationship with God, parents, friends, and tradition
     ●Tzedakah - Refraining from being judgmental and doing acts of charity to the poor
     ●Chesed - Being kind and merciful to others
     ●Respect for Human Dignity - Respect for human life since everyone is created in the imahe and likeness of God
     ●Respect for Law - Practice of good citizenship by abiding by the laws of the community
     ●Accountability - Each individual is held accountable for their actions and is answeravle to God and others
     ●Taking Responsibility - Rake responsibility for decisions and set an example for others
     ●Tikkun Olam - Contribute to making the world better by fighting opression, corruption, and exploitation
   -Have a high regard for work
   -Person should have the things needed for survival and happiness
   -Certain rules: Employers and employees follow different set of rules because they have different positions
                   Relationship between buyers and sellers and borrowers and lenders to prevent the exploitation of buyers and borrowers
   -"Were you honest in business?"
   -Workers: Not to steal company time

○Christianity
-2 Billion followers with many branches and churches
-3 Main Branches of Christianity:
   ○Catholic
   ○Orthodox
   ○Protestant
-Christian Bible is the main guide to determining what is ethical and moral
-72 books in the Bible, source of knowledge on what's right and wrong
-Traces its to Judaism which is based its ethical and moral principles on the Old Testament, specifically the convenant between God and Abraham
-Old Testament laid the foundation of the New Testament which brought the ministry of Jesus and the Apostles to the world
-Ethics is based on the behaviour standards taught by Jesus:
   •Values propagated in Christian belief are based on the Christian Scriptures
   •Behaviour is related to Christian prophets behaviour
-Believe in a loving God who created the universe
-Focus is having a personal relationship with God
-Basic Christian tenets come from the 10 Commandments

  *Jesus Christ
    -Supreme norm for Christian ethics
    -Central figure in all Christian teachings

○Hinduism
-Primarily centered in South Asia and 85% of Hindhs lived in India
-End Goal: Freedom from the law of karma
-How work is done (performance) is more important than what particular work is done
-Value commitment to work and are held accountable for results
-Wise men should possess the highest standards of conduct because they're considered to be the nost knowledge and intelligent among the people

  *Brahman
   -Worshipped by Hinduism
   -Source of ultimate oneness in the form of gods ans goddesses
   -Representations can be idols, temples, animals, mountains, rivers, and so on

   *Law of Karma
    -Present life is brought about by whatever actions or behaviours they had in the past

   *Karma
    -Act or deed which may result in either happiness or misfortune
    -Cause and effect, "What you sow, you reap"

   *Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and Brahma Sutra
    -Ancient Hindu scriptures
    -Used to develop the Vendata (Ethics of Hindus for practical life)

   >Standards Wise Men of India must Possess:
     ●Integrity
     ●Character
     ●Truthfulness
     ●Ethics
     ●Morality

   *Tata Group
    -Most respected business house in India
    -5 Core Tata Values:
       ●Integrity - Conduct business fairly, with honesty, and transparency
       ●Understanding - Care and show respect, compassion, and humanity to colleagues
       ●Excellence - Constantly strive to achieve the highest possible standards of work in the quality of goods and services
       ●Unity - Work with others and build a strong relationship with the group, customers, and worldwide partners
              - Based on tolerance, understanding, and mutual cooperation and to continue to be responsible

○Buddhism
-350 million Buddhists with 1/3 residing in China; 90% of Thailand
-Based on Buddha's teachings
-Don't worship gods or God
-Believe in the cycle of rebirths and rebirth is suffering
-Believe that the cause is cravings, aversions, and selfish motives
-Goal: Let go of all selfish yearnings and hostility by purifying the heart
-Don't acknowledge compankes that don't give importance to environment and animals
-Practice mindfulnes, key to good business

   *Siddhartha Gautama
    -Seperated from Hiduism and became Buddha

   *Buddha
    -"Enlightened One"
    -The end goal of Buddhists, the one they'd like to attain, to be free from the cycle of life and death

   *Nirvana
    -Where all selfish attachments to oneself is extinguished

○Islam
-Started with Muhammad
-Laid the foundation for some moral standards
-Gives importance to the love of God and man
-Believes in Allah
-Person will be judged at the end of their life according to their good deeds and devotion to Allah
-Governed by freedom, responsibulity, and honesty
-Gambling is restricted
-Doctrine on honesty and kind dealings with customers
Mutual consent is necessary
-Monopolies are forbidden

   *Muhammad
    -Believed to be God's last prophet

   *Quran
    -Holy book of Muslims
    -Basic principles on how to deal with life, including business

   *Allah
    -Almighty God who is the creator of the universe
    -Source of good and evil and whatever happens to humans is his will
    -Considered powerful and strict and whoever believes in him is his servant

○Confucianism
-Religion propagated by Confucius in China in 5th century BC
-Found in China and Korea
-One of the 3 traditional religions of China (Buddhism & Taoism)
-Fundamental belief system of China
-Advocates stability by organizing the society and placing more emphasis on the common good and welfare of all through interdependence
-Most Important Core Value: Interpersonal relationships built on trust and reciprocity
-Humanistic
-Most profound and dynamic thought system in traditional Chinese culture

○Taoism
-Based on Tao Te Ching or Book of the Way and Virtue by Lao Tzu
-30 million Taoists blend their religion with Buddhism and Confucianism
-Promotes inner peace within an individual and harmony with the surroundings
-If one follows the Tao, there is harmony; if not, there is chaos
-Believe that good behaviour is essential not only in self-improvement but also improving the world

   *Tao - Path or the way
        - Considered as the cause of everything

   >3 Basic Renets of the Tao:
     ○Tao - Universal laws of nature
     ○Wu Wei - Letting go
     ○Yin and Yang - Dualism or interconnecting opposites but they are within themselves and vice versa

○Shintoism
-Ethic religion of Japan which started around the 7th century AD
-Closely tied to the development of Japan as a nation
-Not a belief but a way of life
-Focuses on rituals and Japanese practices
-Has no god and no commandments
-Ethical principles are inspired by Confucianism
-All human beings are good and the worls is good as well
-Encourages to respect nature and groul effort which recognizes indivuala in a group, treating employees like family
-Company name is more important than the job title, the community they belong to is more important than what they do

   *Shinto - Shen (Divine being) + Tao (Way of the spirits)
   *Kami - Sacred spirit found in nature

》Filipino Values《
*Values - First taught at home and are adapted and implemented in society
        - Denote the degree of importance of something or action, with the aim of determining what actions are best to do or what way is best to live or to descrive the significance of different actions

*Filipino Values
-Set of values that are significant and inclined with obe's culture by the influence of people connected with
-Preserves social harmony that promotes connection and unity

》Popular Filipino Values that Influence Business Practices:
●Pakikisama (Fellowship)
-"Sama" - To accompany someone
-Used to maintain good relations with others
-Associated with adaptation, dealings and harmony

●Hospitability
-Relarionshil between a guest and a host, wherein the host recieves the guest with goodwill
-Includes reception and entertainment of guests

●Family Orientation
-Family whcih a person is raised

●Filial Piety
-To show respect, love, care, and support to their elders, parents, relatives, and ancestors
-Holds affecrion and displays courtesy to family

●Padrino (Whom you know system)
-Supports the strong relationship between people
-Automatically hired regardless of qualification and educational background through:
   ○Endorsements
   ○Political connections
   ○Family affiliations (Nepotism)
   ○Friendships (Cronyism)

●Suki
-Shows loyalty and trust relationship between a customer and supplier
-Establishes at the market or business

●Bahala Na
-Lettings things happen beyond their control
-Attitude of a person willing to submit everything to God or leave things to happen by fate

●Mañana
-Means "tomorrow" or "unspecified future time"
-Attitude that tends to delay the task

●Amor Propio
-"Self-love"
-Sense of self-esteem or self-respect that prevents a person fron swallowing their pride and being concerned for one's reputation
-Includes sensitivity to personal insults or affronts

》Filipino Value System
*Values - Principles or standards of behaviour which can be taken individually or as a group
   ○Objective - Upheld by all
    ○Subjective - Upheld by a single individual

》Roots of Filipino Values
○From Filipino culture
○4 Ways to Explain:
   ●Filipino values which take a universal stance but have become distinctively Filipino
     ♤"Hindi labis", "Hindi kulang", "katamtaman lang" equivalent to the Greek's moderation "meden agan"
   ●Aspects of Filipino values can be found in other culture and values system
   ●Universal values have their own distinct Filipino meanings
   ●Filipino values have evolved historically and the conciousness emanates from a set of events

》Filipino Traits《

》Positive Traits
●Hospitability - Warm and excellent hosts
●Respectfulness - Saying po or opo when answering elders
                - Put the hands of their elders on their foreheads
                - Another sign of respect is taking a bow, especially to those with high positions
●Strong Family Ties and Religions - Keeping their family intact
                                  - Religion playa a key role in the Filipino family
●Generosity and Helpfulness - Generous
                            - Spirit of bayanihan is evident
                            - Always ready to help in the best way possible
●Hardworking - Value their work even when they earn less
             - Try to earn extra income by havjng "sidelines"
●Loving and Caring - Loving and caring people, sweet and expressive

》Negative Traits
●Fatalism - "Whatever will be, will be" or "Come what may"
          - Surrender the future to fate
●Crab Mentality - Push others down for their own personal gain
●Complacency - Aware of issues but if these don't directly affect them, they aren't concerned
             - "Walang pakialam" attitude
●Shame or Hiya - Conform to the expectations of others for fear of being the object of gossip or ridicule
●"Don't be Caught" Attitude - Alright to cheat as long as no one is looking, breaking the rules is okay because everyone else does
●Rationalization - Won't admit their wrong behaviour but will find excuses to justify

》Filipino Work Values《
●Orderly Environment - Physical conditions with which Filipinos are very particular
●Strong Family Ties - Attachment to family
●Interpersonal Relationship - "Utang na loob" and "amor propio"
●Material Well Being