Different Theories of ethics

Utilitarianism. The philosophy used in making ethical decisions that aims to achieve the greatest good or benefits for the greatest number. A person using this philosophy would try to figure out the impact of all the alternative actions on every one concerned and then choose the alternative that creates the most satisfaction for the most people.
Individual rights. The philosophy used in making ethical decisions that aim to protect human right and dignity.
Justice. The philosophy used in making ethical decisions that aims to ensure the equal distribution of burdens and benefits.
Location of business means the place where business firm is established and controlled.
The business where it is registered may be its location. The registered office is the location of the business. Locational theory has been based on the assumptions that profit maximizing firms will seek the optimum location. This is the site at which production and transport costs will be minimized.

What a manger can do to improve business ethics?

Flowing guideline are made to improve business ethics:
Ethical behavior must begin with top management. Top management establishes the organization’s culture and defines what will and will not be acceptable behavior. Top management must create an organizational climate that rewards ethical conduct.
Management can use ethical advocates in high level decision making. These ethics specialists will sit as a full-fledged member of the board of directors and acts as the board’s social conscience.
Obey the law, both the letter and spirit of the law.
Tell the truth. Telling the truth is important in building trust with relevant stakeholders.
Show respect for people. The notion of treating people with respect has deep roots in the study of ethics.
Do unto others, as you would have others do unto you.
Practice participation, not paternalism. Learning about the needs of stakeholders, rather than deciding what is best for them. Eliciting ideas and views before finalizing any plans. Discuss the problem with the affected parties before making decision. 
Establish ethics training programs for the employees to enable them to cope with ethical dilemmas.
Establish an ethics committee that reports directly to the board of directors. The committee may consist of internal and external members.
The functions of such committee may include- holding regular meetings to discuss ethical issues, dealing with gray areas, communicating the code to all members of the organization, checking for all possible violation of the code, enforcing the code,  conduct frequent and unpredictable audit,
Rewarding compliance and punishing violations and make them public so that it may deter others, reviewing and updating the code, and
Reporting activities of the committee to the board o directors. 
Formalize the ethical standards of the firms.
Prepare guidelines that detail how employees are to treat suppliers, customers, competitors, and other constituents.
Establish a formal code of ethics- written statements of the values and ethical standards that guide the firm’s action.
A code is a statement of policies, principles or rules that guides behavior. Some codes specify penalties for offenders.

Career planning

Career planning is the process of one’s life work and involves evaluating abilities and interests, considering alternative career opportunities, establishing career goals, and planning practical development.

Career planning is the deliberate process through which a person becomes aware of personal career related attributes and the lifelong sense of stages that contribute to his or her career fulfillment.

Organization has a vested interest in the careers of their members and career planning and development programs help them to enhance employees’ job performance and thus the overall effectiveness of the organization.
The term career has a number of meanings. It can be viewed from different perspectives. In popular usage it can mean advancement or upward movement o linear progression. For example, he is moving up in his career. It means a profession (for example, he has chosen a career in medicine). It is a lifelong sequence of jobs. It is sequence of positions that a person has held over his or her life. It means stable employment within a profession.

Super and Hall (1988) define career as a sequence of positions occupied by a person during the course of a lifetime. A career is all the jobs that are held during one’s working life. This is the objective career. 

From another perspective, a career consists of the changes in values, attitudes and motivation that occur, as a person grows older ( Davis, 1996). This is the subjective career.

Both of these perspectives, objective and subjective, focus on the individual. Both assume that people have some degree of control over their destinies and that they can manipulate opportunities in order to maximize the success and satisfaction derived from their careers.

Career is often confused with job. Experts make difference between a career and a job. According to them, a career is a perceived sequence of attitudes and behaviors associated with work-related experiences and activities over the span of the person’s life.

Whereas a job is what a person does at work to bring home a paycheck, a career is being engaged in a satisfying and productive activity. Thus a career involves a long-term view of a series of jobs and work experiences.

For some people their jobs are part of a careful plan. For others, their career is simply a matter of luck. Merely planning a career does not guarantee career success. Superior performance, experience, education, and some occupational luck play an important role. When people rely largely on luck, however, they seldom are prepared for career opportunities that arise. Successful people identify their career goals, plan, and then take action. To put it another way, successful careers are managed through proper and careful career planning.

 People who fail to plan their careers may do so because they think that their company or their boss will assume that responsibility. Or perhaps they are unaware of the basic career planning concepts. Without an understanding of career goals and career paths, planning is unlikely. A career path is the sequential pattern of jobs that forms one’s career. Career goals are the future positions one strives to reach as part of a career.

organizational career planning

Effective career planning and development programs must consider the different perceptions and desires of employees. Employees want the following factors in organizational career planning:

Career equity: Employees want to perceive equity in the organization’s performance and promotion system with respect to career advancement opportunities.

Supervisory concern: Employee want their supervisors to play an active role in career development and to provide timely performance feedback.
wareness of opportunities: Employees want knowledge of the career advancement opportunities that exist in their organizations.

Employee interest: Employees needs different amount of information and have different degrees of interest in career advancement depending on a variety of factors (age, sex, occupation, education). 

Career satisfaction: Employees, depending on their age and occupation, have different levels of career satisfaction.
Many employees know very little about career planning. Often they are unaware of the need for and advantages of career planning. And once made aware, they often lack the necessary information to plan their careers successfully. Personnel departments are suited to solve both of these shortcomings, and they can increase employee awareness through a variety of educational techniques. Workshops and seminars on career planning increase employee interest by pointing out the key concepts associated with career planning. Workshops help the employees set career goals, identify career paths, and uncover specific career development activities. These educational activities may be supplemented by printed information. The goals of career information seminar is to help employees better understand hoe their jobs and careers can contribute to their goals and to identify the roles of employees, their supervisors, and the personnel department in career planning and personal development.

Benefits of career planning

Personnel department should take an active interest in employee career planning. They often handle career planning because their human resources plans indicate the organization’s future employment needs and related career opportunities. D. B. Miller (1997) says that organizations have different perspective on careers. They want to assure that managerial succession is orderly and efficient so that when managers need to be replaced because of promotion, retirement, accident or illness, termination or resignation, high-qualified people can replace them quickly and easily. In addition, personnel experts are more likely to be aware of training and other developmental opportunities. Of course individual managers should encourage career planning. The involvement of personnel managers in career planning has grown during recent years because of its benefits. Here is a partial list of those benefits:

 Develops promotable employees. Career planning helps to develop internal supplies of promotable talent.
 Lowers turnover. The increased attention and concern for individual careers generate more organizational loyalty, and therefore, lower employee turnover.
Improves the organization’s ability to attract  and retain high talent personnel.
Taps employee potential. Career planning encourages employees to tap more of their potential abilities because they have specific career goals.
Furthers growth. Career plans and goals motivate employees to grow and develop.
Reduces hoarding. Without career planning, it is easier for managers to hoard key subordinates. Career planning causes employees, managers and the personnel department to become aware of employee qualifications.
Satisfies employee needs. With less hoarding and improved growth opportunities for employees, an individual’s esteem needs, such as recognition and accomplishment, is more readily satisfied.
Assists affirmative action plans. Career planning can help members of protected groups prepare for more important jobs. This preparation can contribute to meeting affirmative action timetables.
It ensures needed talents will be available.
Improves the organization’s ability to attract and retain high talent employees.
Promotes organizational goodwill.