VALUES UNIT 1

Concept of Values
Generally, value has been taken to mean moral ideas, general
conceptions or orientations towards the world or sometimes simply
interests, attitudes, preferences, needs, sentiments and dispositions.
But sociologists use this term in a more precise sense to mean “the
generalised end which has the connotations of rightness, goodness or
inherent desirability”.
These ends are regarded legitimate and binding by society. They define
what is important worthwhile and worth striving for. Sometimes, values
have been interpreted to mean “such standards by means of which the
ends of action are selected”. Thus, values are collective conceptions of
what is considered good, desirable, and proper or bad, undesirable, and
improper in a culture.
According to M. Haralambos (2000), “a value is a belief that something
is good and desirable”. For R.K. Mukerjee (1949) (a pioneer Indian
sociologist who initiated the study of social values), “values are socially
approved desires and goals that are internalised through the process of
conditioning, learning or socialisation and that become subjective
preferences, standards and aspirations”. A value is a shared idea about
how something is ranked in terms of desirability, worth or goodness.
Familiar examples of values are wealth, loyalty, independence, equality,
justice, fraternity and friendliness. These are generalised ends
consciously pursued by or held up to individuals as being worthwhile in
themselves. It is not easy to clarify the fundamental values of a given
society because of their sheer breadth.
Characteristics:
Values may be specific, such as honouring one’s parents or owning a
home or they may be more general, such as health, love and
democracy. “Truth prevails”, “love thy neighbour as yourself, “learning is
good as ends itself are a few examples of general values. Individual
achievement, individual happiness and materialism are major values of
modern industrial society.
Value systems can be different from culture to culture. One may value
aggressiveness and deplores passivity, another the reverse, and a third
gives little attention to this dimension altogether, emphasising instead
the virtue of sobriety over emotionality, which may be quite unimportant
in either of the other cultures. This point has very aptly been explored
and explained by Florence Kluchkhon (1949) in her studies of five small
communities (tribes) of the American south-west. One society may value
individual achievement (as in USA), another may emphasise family unity
and kin support (as in India). The values of hard work and individual
achievement are often associated with industrial capitalist societies.
The values of a culture may change, but most remain stable during one
person’s lifetime. Socially shared, intensely felt values are a
fundamental part of our lives. Values are often emotionally charged
because they stand for things we believe to be worth defending. Often,
this characteristic of values brings conflict between different
communities or societies or sometimes between different persons.
Most of our basic values are learnt early in life from family, friends,
neighbourhood, school, the mass print and visual media and other
sources within society. These values become part of our personalities.
They are generally shared and reinforced by those with whom we
interact.
The main functions of values are as follows:
1 Values play an important role in the integration and fulfillment of
man’s basic impulses and desires in a stable and consistent
manner appropriate for his living.
2 They are generic experiences in social action made up of both
individual and social responses and attitudes.
3 They build up societies, integrate social relations.
4 They mould the ideal dimensions of personality and range and
depth of culture.
5 They influence people’s behaviour and serve as criteria for
evaluating the actions of others.
6 They have a great role to play in the conduct of social life.
7 They help in creating norms to guide day-to-day behaviour.
Types:
Values can be classified into two broad categories:
(1) Individual values:
These are the values which are related with the development of human
personality or individual norms of recognition and protection of the
human personality such as honesty, loyalty, veracity and honour.
(2) Collective values:
Values connected with the solidarity of the community or collective
norms of equality, justice, solidarity and sociableness are known as
collective values.
Values can also be’ categorised from the point of view their
hierarchical arrangement:
(1) Intrinsic values:
These are the values which are related with goals of life. They are
sometimes known as ultimate and transcendent values. They determine
the schemata of human rights and duties and of human virtues. In the
hierarchy of values, they occupy the highest place and superior to all
other values of life.
(2) Instrumental values:
These values come after the intrinsic values in the scheme of gradation
of values. These values are means to achieve goals (intrinsic values) of
life. They are also known as incidental or proximate values.
How are Values Formed?
Value formation is the confluence of our personal experiences and
particular culture we are entwined in. Values are imposed from our
family in childhood and reinforced through culture and life experiences.
The value of, for example, kindness was imposed on me from my
parents, and reinforced throughout early childhood. Then I applied that
value on the school playground and experienced how it helped me
create greater social bonds with my school mates. My personal
experiences growing up reinforced the value of kindness as I
experienced the adaptive effects of showing kindness and the
maladaptive effects when choosing malice over kindness. All through my
upbringing, both my personal experiences and cultural surroundings
both reinforced the value of kindness.
Having been born and raised in Dallas, Texas, the values of rugged
individualism, church, and God was ingrained in my psyche from birth.
Each of those three values, as I grew older, eventually formed the
foundation of my worldview and politics. In a sense, our values, imposed
upon us early in childhood, become the spectacles in which we view and
judge the world.
Our culture plays a huge role in our value formation. Culture gives us a
community and shared reality so that we can cooperate in activities and
customs that give meaning, purpose, and significance to our existence.
Culture gives us prescriptions for appropriate conduct so that we can
learn best how to get along with others. All you have to do is travel to
another country to see how values ebb and flow with culture. You can
travel to China and see how they elevate the group and family over the
individual in contrast to most Americans; you can see how South
Americans elevate hospitality and care for their elderly unlike most
Americans; and how Hawaiians elevate relaxation and balance unlike
most urban metropolitan cities in the U.S.

Values and Behaviour

Behavior influences social values, so if you care about how you act and
follow rules of society (behavior) your social values will climb and others
will see this as the norm and follow suit, just like today its the opposite,
people are shortcutting the rules (no texting while driving, speeding,
even smoking – you know it causes cancer and other diseases but you
still smoke) and others follow along thinking its ok to do this because
others do it.
Values can be incorporated into the beliefs-behaviors-consequences
relationship. consequences can shape both beliefs and values, and it is
true both beliefs and values lead to particular behaviors.  The critical
point for a leader to understand when attempting to change the culture
of their organization, is that focusing on values is a much more powerful
lever than simply focusing on beliefs.
One value – two entirely opposite behaviours.
Does this mean you should drop values to focus on behaviours? Not
quite. Here are some of the reasons for using one or the other.
Values
• Values are an essential part of culture and are needed to
describe it at the deepest level – They are part of the BE level,
along with feelings and beliefs.
• Values underpin behaviours – It is difficult to change behaviours
without going to the BE level.
• Employees are used to discussing values because they have
been part of the corporate landscape for many years. In fact,
many organisations used to focus solely on values to shape their
culture.
• Values are easy to express conceptually in one word.
• Values hierarchy is at the core of how we behave – the most
common hierarchies sit behind the main cultural archetypes we
use to describe culture at Walking the Talk.
Behaviours
• Behaviours are what makes culture do-able. They translate
values into tangible, observable and measurable elements that
can be implemented, assessed and improved.
 • Because (as my earlier story shows) there can be many,
sometimes opposite, behaviours for a single value, working with
behaviours can avoid ambiguity.
• One behaviour, on the other hand, can represent several values.
• Behaviours are easy to observe, they are what people do – what
we call the DO level. As a consequence, employees can easily
self-correct.
• Behaviours make it easy to define standards – this, in turn,
makes culture do-able.

Values of Indian Managers

1. I Honesty & ntegrity
Honesty and integrity are the cornerstone of sustainable success. In
order for people to want to follow their leader they must have complete
trust in his honesty, his dedication, his commitment and his unshakeable
ethics and high standards and values. Managers who are open, truthful
and consistent in their behaviors are more likely to inspire trust, loyalty
and commitment in their teams.
2. Willingness to take Risk
Leaders are not afraid of taking risks or making mistakes. They take
calculated as opposed to reckless risks and while they weigh their
options and alternatives carefully they do not allow themselves to fall
prey to the “analysis paralysis” syndrome. The best leaders learn from
their mistakes and emerge from them resilient and ready to take on the
next challenge.
3. Optimism and Enthusiasm
A great manager inspires others with their infectious enthusiasm, their
disarmingly genuine keenness, passion and their zeal for what they do.
Rather than dwelling on problems they are solution-oriented and focus
on how to make things work and succeed. They are willing to see the
silver lining in every cloud and have a ‘can-do’ optimistic attitude that
leaves no place for negativity.
4. Commitment to Growth
Leaders recognize that learning is a life-long process and never stop
doing what it takes to grow professionally and personally and maintain a
grip with emerging trends and tools and business realities and
technologies. The best leaders realize that to remain at the vanguard of
their particular function or industry requires constant learning, enquiry,
exploration and innovation as well as continuous self-scrutiny and
analysis.
5. Vision
Leaders know precisely what they want and make clear detailed and
achievable plans to get there. They are not vague or ambiguous in their
goals nor do they leave anything to chance. Leaders are also able to
articulate and communicate their vision clearly and in no uncertain terms
and inspire and win others to their platform with their vision.
6. Pragmatism
While leaders may have lofty visions and ideals, they do not hide their
heads in the clouds and are mindful of the hard facts and figures that
surround them. They are very realistic when it comes to assessing the
landscape they operate in and practical about the decisions they make.
7. Responsibility
Leaders can be depended on to take responsibility for their actions and
to live up to their responsibilities completely. They stand firmly behind
the commitments they make and do not let their teams down; nor do
they assign or allocate blame to deflect from their own responsibilities.
They do not have a victim mentality that holds others responsible for
their poor choices and deficiencies but stare challenges in the face and
confront them head-on.
8. Hard Work and Conscientiousness
Leaders work hard and accept no short cuts. The best leaders lead by
their example demonstrating a stellar work ethic by being the first in the
office, the last out and the most productive, persistent and dedicated
while at work. They have a strong sense of duty and very high standards
of excellence and they apply these rigorous standards to themselves
first always seeking better, smarter, more effective ways of doing things.
9. Self-confidence
Leaders have no shortage of that essential commodity of self-assurance
that enables them to risk giant strides, be bold and tough-minded and
‘fall forward’ in the rare instances when they do fall/fail. Leaders
generally have little need for approval and are motivated by an inner
strength, maturity and drive. Leaders are very cognizant of their inner
strengths, weaknesses and the impact they have on others and
knowledgeable of what they can and cannot realistically do/achieve/
influence. They do not wallow in self-pity or guilt over past mistakes or
doubt.
10. Emotional Intelligence
Empathy, self-awareness, decisiveness, self-discipline, intuitiveness and
social competence are all key to successful leadership and all are
associated with high levels of emotional intelligence. Congeniality, the
ability to put oneself in another’s shoes and relate with others, the ability
to read between the lines and analyze the pulse of a relationship or
situation, the ability to focus on the positive and refrain from negative
and self-defeating attitudes and behaviors, are all elements of emotional
intelligence that contribute to leadership success.
11. Expertise in Industry
While there are many generalists in leadership positions the best
leaders become generalists not by knowing a little about many fields but
my being experts in a multitude of fields. Good leaders are
characterized by a very high level of energy, conscientiousness and
drive and spare no efforts to become experts in their field and harness
all the information and knowledge and competence they need to
maintain an edge over their competitors.
12. Ability to Engage Others
A key leadership trait is inspiring, motivating, engaging and bringing out
the best in others. The best leaders encourage leadership in all around
them and strive to develop and empower others to assume roles of
leadership and responsibility. They are able to propel others to elevated
levels of performance through their own energy and enthusiasm and
insight and can maximize the strengths and capabilities of their team for
the benefit of the whole organization.

Ethical Decision Making

Ethical decision-making refers to the process of evaluating and choosing
among alternatives in a manner consistent with ethical principles. In
making ethical decisions, it is necessary to perceive and eliminate
unethical options and select the best ethical alternative.
The process of making ethical decisions requires:
• Commitment: The desire to do the right thing regardless of the
cost
• Consciousness: The awareness to act consistently and apply
moral convictions to daily behavior
• Competency: The ability to collect and evaluate information,
develop alternatives, and foresee potential consequences and
risks
Good decisions are both ethical and effective:
 • Ethical decisions generate and sustain trust; demonstrate
respect, responsibility, fairness and caring; and are consistent
with good citizenship. These behaviors provide a foundation for
making better decisions by setting the ground rules for our
behavior.
• Effective decisions are effective if they accomplish what we
want accomplished and if they advance our purposes. A choice
that produces unintended and undesirable results is ineffective.
The key to making effective decisions is to think about choices in
terms of their ability to accomplish our most important goals. This
means we have to understand the difference between immediate
and short-term goals and longer-range goals.
Ethical Reasoning
Most human behavior has consequences for the welfare of others, even
for society as a whole. Individuals are able to act in such as way as to
enhance or decrease the quality of the lives of others, and generally
know the difference between helping and harming.
Ethical reasoning holds two roles in life:
• Highlighting acts that enhance the well-being of other people.
• Highlighting acts that harm the well-being of other people.
When an act enhances the well-being of others, it is worthy of praise
from others, when an act harms or decreases the well-being of others, it
is worthy of criticism. For many people, the desire to receive these
responses from others guides the development of their personal set of
ethical standards.
Ethical Reasoning and Individual Rights
In civilized societies, people have individual rights, but it is vital that
these rights coincide with the collective rights of society as a whole. A
person being denied personal rights due to the greater good of society
may feel the decision conflicts with his own ethical reasoning. While
some people believe that a person’s individual rights should be
preserved regardless of the benefit or harm to society, others deem it
more important that the common good and justice be considered in a
civilized society. These opposing beliefs are a result of individual ethical
reasoning.
Ethical Reasoning and the Law
The government creates and enforces laws in order to protect the
citizens and the unity of society. These laws carry punishments those
who violate them in the form of fines, community service, probation,
and imprisonment.
Each individual develops his own core values and ethical reasoning
according to his view of integrity and honesty, and ability to look past the
self-justification and self-deception common to all people. Acts that have
been deemed illegal may not coincide with an individual’s personal
ethical beliefs, and vice versa. Laws are often created out of widespread
social convention, whether they are seen to be fair and ethical by all or
not. Some people strongly believe that certain acts are unethical, and
should therefore be made illegal. Others find certain laws to be unethical
according to their own reasoning, and feel they are a hindrance to their
personal human rights.
For example, Bob believes that the death penalty is unethical and that is
violates human rights. In the  jurisdiction  in which he resides, however,
the death penalty is a punishment occasionally handed down by the
judicial system. While Bob does not believe that the death penalty is
ethical, the law was made on the belief that it is necessary for the
greater good of society.
Ethical Decisions in the Legal System
On occasion, those who work in law enforcement and the legal system
find that the ethical decisions they are required to make on a subject
conflicts with the law. This may occur, for example, when a judge finds
that the resolution of a case, as dictated by law, conflicts with his
personal ethical reasoning. In such a case, the judge must follow the
laws of the jurisdiction, even if it seems to create a moral dilemma for
him personally.
Institutional Ethics
In some instances, individual entities can punish or take corrective
actions against a person who has breached the company’s ethical code.
For example, an accounting firm hires new employees, who are required
to read and sign the  employee handbook. This handbook states that
employees must not let their personal bias interfere in any business
transactions.
Allowing personal bias or opinion to dictate how a business transaction
is done is not necessarily against any law set forth by the government,
but it may result in the employee’s termination as it violates the
company’s policy and institutional ethics. In serious cases, the employer
may be able to recover damages through a  civil lawsuit  for such a
violation.
Related Legal Terms and Issues
• Damages: A monetary award in compensation for a financial
loss, loss of or damage to personal or real property, or an injury.
• Jurisdiction: A territory in which the court has the right, power,
and authority to administer justice by hearing and resolve
conflicts.
• Social Convention: A set of generally accepted standards for
social interaction, often seen as customary behavior and ethics in
a society.

ETHICS (Unit 1)
Management Process and Ethics
‘Management Ethics’ is related to social responsiveness of a firm. It is
“the discipline dealing with what is good and bad, or right and wrong, or
with moral duty and obligation. It is a standard of behaviour that guides
individual managers in their works”.
“It is the set of moral principles that governs the actions of an individual
or a group.”
Business ethics is application of ethical principles to business
relationships and activities. When managers assume social
responsibility, it is believed they will do it ethically, that is, they know
what is right and wrong.
Ethical Activities:
Amongst a host of ethical activities that managers can perform, a
study conducted by Barry Posner and Warren Schmidt highlights
the following ethical activities observed by managers:
1 The foremost goal of managers is to make their organizations
effective.
2 Profit maximisation and stakeholders’ interests were not the
central goals of the managers studied.
3 Attending to customers was seen as important.
4 Integrity was the characteristic most highly rated by managers at
all levels.
5 Pressure to conform to organisational standards was seen as
high.
6 Spouses are important in helping their mates grapple with ethical
dilemmas.
 7 Most managers seek the advice of others in handling ethical
dilemmas.
Types of Management Ethics:
Three types of management ethics or standards of conduct are
identified by Archie B. Carroll:
1 Immoral management:
It implies lack of ethical practices followed by managers. Managers want
to maximise profits even if it is at the cost of legal standards or concern
for employees.
2 Moral management:
According to moral management ethics, managers aim to maximise
profits within the confines of ethical values and principles. They conform
to professional and legal standards of conduct. The guiding principle in
moral management ethics is “Is this action, decision, or behaviour fair to
us and all parties involved?”
3 Amoral management:
This type of management ethics lies between moral and immoral
management ethics. Managers respond to personal and legal ethics
only if they are required to do so; otherwise there is lack of ethical
perception and awareness.
There are two types of amoral management:
(a) Intentional:
Managers deliberately avoid ethical practices in business decisions
because they think ethics should be followed in non-business activities.
(b) Unintentional:
Managers do not deliberately avoid ethical practices but unintentionally
they make decisions whose moral implications are not taken into
consideration.
Guidelines for Ethical Behaviour:
Though every individual and group has a set of ethical values, the
following guidelines are prescribed by James O’Toole in this
regard:
1 Obey the law:
Obeying legal practices of the country is conforming to ethical values.
2 Tell the truth:
Disclosing fair accounting results to concerned parties and telling the
truth is ethical behaviour of managers.
3 Respect for people:
Ethics requires managers to respect people who contact them.
 4 The golden rule:
The golden business principle is ‘Treat others as you would want to be
treated’. This will always result in ethical behaviour.
5 Above all, do no harm:
Even if law does not prohibit use of chemicals in producing certain
products, managers should avoid them if they are environment
pollutants.
6 Practice participation – not paternalism:
Managers should not decide on their own what is good or bad for the
stakeholders. They should assess their needs, analyse them in the light
of business needs and integrate the two by allowing the stakeholders to
participate in the decision-making processes.
7 Act when you have responsibility:
Actions which cannot be delegated and have to be taken by managers
only (given their competence and skill) must be responsibly taken by
them for the benefit of the organisation and the stakeholders.
Approaches to Management Ethics:
1 Utilitarian approach:
In this approach, managers analyse the effects of decisions on people
affected by these decisions. The action rather than the motive behind
the action is the focus of this approach. Positive and negative results are
weighed and managerial actions are justified if positive effects outweigh
the negative effects. Pollution standards and analysing the impact of
pollution on society is management ethics code under utilitarian
approach.
2 Moral rights approach:
In this approach, managers follow ethical code which takes care of
fundamental and moral rights of human beings; the right to speech, right
to life and safety, right to express feelings etc. In the context of business
organisations, managers disclose information in the annual reports
necessary for welfare of the people concerned. The nature, timing and
validity of information is taken into account while reporting information in
the annual reports.
3 Social justice approach:
According to this approach, managers’ actions are fair, impartial and
equitable to all individuals and groups. Employees are not distinguished
on the basis of caste, religion, race or gender though distinction on the
basis of abilities or production is justified. For example, all employees,
males or females with same skills should be treated at par but it is
justified to treat employees who produce more differently from those
who produce less.
Ethical issues
In the complex global business environment of the 21st century,
companies of every size face a multitude of ethical issues. Businesses
have the responsibility to develop codes of conduct and ethics that
every member of the organization must abide by and put into action.
Fundamental ethical issues in business include promoting conduct
based on integrity and that engenders trust, but more complex issues
include accommodating diversity, empathetic decision-making, and
compliance and governance consistent with a company’s core values.
Fundamental Ethical Issues
The most fundamental or essential ethical issues that businesses must
face are integrity and trust. A basic understanding of integrity includes
the idea of conducting your business affairs with honesty and a
commitment to treating every customer fairly. When customers think a
company is exhibiting an unwavering commitment to ethical business
practices, a high level of trust can develop between the business and
the people it seeks to serve. A relationship of trust between you and
your customers may be a key factor in your company’s success.
Diversity and the Respectful Workplace
Your current and potential employees are a diverse pool of people who
deserve to have their differences respected when they choose to work at
your business. An ethical response to diversity begins with recruiting a
diverse workforce, enforces equal opportunity in all training programs
and is fulfilled when every employee is able to enjoy a respectful
workplace environment that values their contributions. Maximizing the
value of each employees’ contribution is a key element in your
business’s success.
Decision-Making Issues
A useful method for exploring ethical dilemmas and identifying ethical
courses of action includes collecting the facts, evaluating any alternative
actions, making a decision, testing the decision for fairness and
reflecting on the outcome. Ethical decision-making processes should
center on protecting employee and customer rights, making sure all
business operations are fair and just, protecting the common good, and
making sure the individual values and beliefs of workers are protected.
Compliance and Governance Issues
Businesses are expected to fully comply with environmental laws,
federal and state safety regulations, fiscal and monetary reporting
statutes and all applicable civil rights laws. For example, the Aluminum
Company of America’s (ALCOA) approach to compliance ensures no
one at the company may ask any employee to break the law or go
against company values, policies and procedures. The company’s
commitment to compliance is shored up by its approach to corporate
governance: the company expects all ALCOA directors, officers and
executives to conduct business in accordance with its business conduct
policies.
Some professions, such as health care and the law, have a clear code
of ethics that spell out what a person should and should not do in certain
situations. However, a great many of other professions don’t have
guidelines to help someone navigate tricky situations. It’s then up to
each organization – or even each person in some cases – to decide how
to handle ethical issues.
Social Media Use
Whether you like it or not, social media is an important business
marketing tool, and it’s likely an integral part of employees’ lives. The
evolving nature of social media means that it’s becoming harder to
distinguish between personal and professional in a social media setting.
To ward off any potential ethical issues, a small business owner should
create a clear set of social media policies for employees. Policies can
cover both how and if workers can use any social media programs while
in the office, as well as what they are allowed to say about the
workplace on public-facing social media pages.
Technology and Privacy Concerns
Today’s technology security abilities mean that employers can easily
monitor their workers’ use of technology, such as emails and website
history. However, a business owner might run into the ethical issue of
how much privacy an employee can expect when on a company device,
whether computer, tablet or phone. As with social media usage,
employees should have a clear understanding of how much, if any,
privacy they have when using a company-owned device. They should be
alerted if the company leadership plans to read email or if their internet
usage will be tracked.
Business Travel Ethics
Some businesses require both leadership and employees to travel on
the company dime. Ethical issues can result when someone takes
advantage of travel policies. Examples include using an allotted per
diem to purchase alcohol when it’s stated in the employee manual that
it’s not allowed or using a personal credit card to book trips to gain the
rewards and pocketing the cash given to you by the company. While
these actions aren’t illegal, they can be considered ethical issues if
someone’s boss isn’t aware of what is going on or if the employee
knows the action would be frowned upon.
Perils of Employee Favoritism
While it’s not unreasonable for the owner of an organization to have
employees that they enjoy working with more than others, there can be
ethical issues if the person in a position of leadership shows favoritism
to an employee without any merit behind it. Giving in to playing favorites
can cause a business to lose valuable employees. However, keep in
mind that favoritism is different from forms of sexual harassment, which
is not an ethical issue – it’s just illegal.
Bad Leadership Behavior
Sometimes, it’s not the employee who exhibits unethical behavior, but
the owner or head of the company. Putting rules in place for employees
but not following them yourself is an example of an ethical issue in the
workplace. To keep your employees motivated and satisfied with their
workplace, a leader should practice what he preaches and keep his own
behavior ethical.

Ethos of Vadanta in Management

Indian Ethos Management believes in supreme soul and supreme
truth. If you do well, you get good. If you are good, the whole world is
good. Indian Ethos Management taps on potentials and values and
cultures. To be perfect, to live in the present and develop selves is the
core essence of Indian Ethos Management. Fuse morality with
education in sweet harmony. And see what happens. The educational
system has to be shaped anew, so that students can fulfil the task of
brightening the Motherland Bharat. Education should teach us= SIMPLE
LIVING, HIGH THINKING. EDUCATION should produce- students of
integrity, character and self-confidence. Education without purification is
like a kite whose twine is scrapped. Education without refinement of
character is like a rudderless boat, no one knows where it will take us.
What is education? He indeed is the wise one, who focuses his attention
on the important aspects of learning and obtains the right insight into the
true nature of education. Education is that which throws wide open the
doors of the mind. The men of learning should experience within
themselves the sublime beauty and splendour of education, and then
they should impart it to others. To see the Universal and all pervading
spirit of Truth face to face, one must be able to love the meanest of all
creation as oneself- says Gandhiji and this is only the supreme Truth.
Bhagvad gita- chapter 15 verses 1= Urdhva Mulam Madhsakham,
Aswatham Prahurravayam, Chandagumsi Yashya Parnani, Yastam
Vedasa Vedavith. Meaning- The Banyan tree roots have it in upwards
and its leaves downwards. They are the Vedas and one who knows it
knows the Vedas. Similarly, one who knows the essence of education
knows all about the fruits of education and its realities and its moral
values. Chivalry of speech has increased, Chivalry of deed has
disappeared, Life is laden with false vanities, Previously Indian Ethos
was to Know one selves. Self- realisation is the Key aspect in Indian
Ethos. Indian Ethos promotes the qualities of team-spirit, humility,
forbearance, patience, persistence, perseverance, purifying the mind,
living in peace, possessing a spirit of service and Niskaam karma. Unity
in diversity is the key- aspects of Indian ethos human values. This was
the previous nature of Indian Ethos. But today, the Indian youth and
people have forgotten our age-old Indian Ethos Management.
Competition, Carelessness, stress, over-confidence, Pulling others
down to make one sleves secure, crab-mentality, has reduced the life-
span of people and now more dis-eases have increased. Money has
become our God, Pride has become our weapon. Selfishness sits in
Mind’s seat. Egotism has become our Fashion. Greed has become our
Beauty. Dharma is not sought. Compassion has sunk low. Moral fervour
is lost.
Hypocrisy has become the light of life. Love and Kindness lie sick and
diseased. Modern education has blinded the man with lust. Life has
become a burden. Mind has gone astray. Education should enable a
person to nurture proper values and virtues n oneself. The end of
education is to gain employability and possess lot of wealth. Students
are the very foundation of the nation. When the foundation is strong, the
nation will also be the strongest building. For this, the people of the
nation, the government, the teachers, the parents and the students of
country should have a strong moral value. Students nowadays strive to
get high ranks and high degrees, but they have lost moral values. We
have reached the planets, but we cannot conquer our senses.
Master the mind and be a Master mind. We nowadays are not caring for
remarks, but we only take credibility in Marks. So better try to improve
educational policies, values and use better Indian philosophies to come
up in life and for over-all development of societal welfare. So Believe in
Indian Ethos Philosophies and start moving ahead and use it for the
betterment for the society.
FINDINGS: Some of the points to be considered, during the analysis as
findings:-
• Self-confidence, Self-morale, self-esteem and self-contentment
levels of the students increased by participating freely and whole-
heartedly.
• Students came from various backgrounds, that is of different
caste, creed, colour, race and being together, moulding
themselves so, they could be better personalities with better
human heart.
• Good communication process and exchange of ideas could be
done with, irrespective of caste, creed, race, or religion.
• Students could become Professional, yet were Indian attached
ethic cultural wise.
• They build four B’s- Building bridges and breaking Barriers for
everybody in this selfish world today.
CONCLUSIONS:
• Self-confidence levels of the students increased by participating
freely and whole-heartedly.
• Ultimately- Over-all personality of the students could be
enhanced.
• Inner-wounds, emotional aspects could be rectified.
• We have to consider the welfare about others while we practice
INDIAN ETHOS.
• Good Indian Ethos was passed in the environment, around the
STUDENTS.
• They had learnt these techniques of freeing themselves, free of
cost, now they would be giving to society free of cost.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
• There is always a win- win situation when we do good things.
• They have to be change-agents by themselves, if they self- willed
be.
• Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see divine in human,
same thing has happened when we conduct like these kind
sessions for our youth.
 • When we do such activities, we become stress-free.
• We create positive auras for everybody, through Good Indian
Ethos teachings.
• How to be free from DIS-EASES is also taught by me.
GAP ANALYSIS:
• People are always Orthodox, traditional and conservative.
• We only think about ourselves and other people who need us.
• We have our own perceptions and do not like mixing with each
other.
• Being Egoistic retards our growth.
• We always make religion come first and humanity next and this is
the main cause of our downfall.
• We never forgive and fall in many maladies and go in graves with
same sorrowful situations.
• We are always trying to accumulate things, rather than giving.
• We are hoarding things for ourselves.
SCOPE OF INDIAN ETHOS MANAGEMENT
• Together we come and make a great difference. Together we
come and move towards the steps of prosperity.
• There was a Mentor- Mentee relationship in my classes (guru-
shishya parampara). After learning from me, the students will
now be Mentors for many mentees and the chain continues.
• I have been a learner in this learning process. By completing a
course in Bio-medical Health care, from St. Pius Seminary,
Goregaon and a project- Mental Health care, I would be using it
for these special DIFFERENTLY ABLED- kids and understand
them in a better way, trying to make their life meaningful.
• Also try to serve the patients- cancer and other terminally ill
patients who have no hope of tomorrow.
• Try to teach the Under-privileged kids who do not have money to
learn and are still trying to learn by making and pulling
something.
• Through these kind of papers, try to help the rural people in their
development either through education giving or by some other
mode.
Relevance of Ethics and Values in Business
Need for Business Ethics:
Business ethics is important for the following reasons:
 1 Business organisations are economic and social institutions that
serve customers’ needs by supplying them right goods at the
right place, time and price. This is possible if the institutions
engage in ethical practices.
2 Business ethics help in long-run survival of the firms. Unethical
practices like paying low wages to workers, providing poor
working conditions, lack of health and safety measures for
employees, selling smuggled or adulterated goods, tax evasion
etc. can increase short-run profits but endanger their long-run
survival. It is important, therefore, for firms to suffer short-term
losses but fulfill ethical social obligations to secure their long-
term future.
3 Business houses operate in the social environment and use
resources provided by the society. They are, therefore, morally
and socially committed to look after the interests of society by
adopting ethical business practices.
4 Ethical business activities improve company’s image and give it
edge over competitors to promote sales and profits.
5 Legal framework of a country also enforces ethical practices.
Under Consumer Protection Act, for example, consumers can
complain against unethical business practices. Labour laws
protect the interests of workers against unethical practices. Legal
framework of the country, therefore, promotes ethical business
behaviour. Business houses want to avoid Government
intervention and, therefore, follow ethical practices.
Barriers to Management Ethics:
1 Chain of command:
If employees know that superiors are not following ethical behaviour,
they hesitate in reporting the matter up the hierarchy for the fear of
being misunderstood and penalized. The chain of command is, thus, a
barrier to reporting unethical activities of superiors.
2 Group membership:
Informal groups lead to group code of ethics. Group members are
strongly bonded by their loyalty and respect for each other and unethical
behaviour of any member of the group is generally ignored by the rest.
3 Ambiguous priorities:
When policies are unclear and ambiguous, employees’ behaviour
cannot be guided in a unified direction. It is difficult to understand what
is ethical and what is unethical.
Solutions to Barriers:
The following measures can improve the climate for ethical
behaviour:
1 Organisational objectives and policies should be clear so that
every member works towards these goals ethically.
2 The behaviour of top managers is followed by others in the
organisation. Ethical actions of top managers promote ethical
behaviour throughout the organisation.
3 Imposing penalties and threats for not conforming to ethical
behaviour can reduce unethical activities in the organisation.
Formal procedures of lodging complaints help subordinates
report unethical behaviour of superiors to the concerned
committees.
4 Educational institutions also offer courses and training in
business ethics to develop conscientious managers who observe
ethical behaviour.
Values:
Values are a set of principles that people cherish. They enhance the
quality of individual and collective life. They involve personal and
community discipline and sacrifice of immediate gratification needs.
Quality of life is a product of physical, social, environmental, mental and
spiritual health and wholeness. Values refer to intrinsic worth or
goodness.
They are the beliefs that guide an individual’s actions. They represent a
person’s belief about what is right or wrong. Values lay standards
against which behaviour is judged. They determine the overall
personality of an individual and the organization he is working for. His
family, peer group, educational institutions, environment and the work
place develop values in him. Values apply to individuals and institutions,
both business and non-business.
Values and Behaviour:
Values remain embedded in our minds since childhood. As children, we
are taught what is good, bad, right or wrong by parents, educational
institutions and social groups. These values become part of our
behaviour and personality when we grow up and are transmitted to
future generations, thus, creating a healthy society.
In the business world, every person, whether manager or non-manager,
whose behaviour is value-based shapes the culture of the organisation.
Organisation is a group of people responsible for its formation, survival
and growth. How good an organisation is depends upon how good are
the people managing it.
Good people are those whose actions and behaviour are based on a
sound value system and ethical principles. Value system is a
combination of all values that an individual should have. Values lay
foundation for organisational success.
They develop the attitudes, perceptions and motives that shape the
behaviour of people working in the organisation. This develops a sound
organisation culture that promotes image of the organisation in the
society. Values in individuals develop a value-based organisation,
society, nation and the world as a whole.
Values in Business Management:
There are many ways in which the basic human values – truth,
righteousness, peace, love and non-violence can be practiced in the
day-to-day conduct of business. There are different aspects of
management such as marketing, finance, industrial relations, etc., but
the most important aspect is “man-management.” Each country has its
own historical and cultural background and Indian managers should not
mechanically copy practices from abroad but should keep in mind the
Indian milieu and our national ethos.
Values of Managers:
Management is a systematic way of doing work in any field. Its task is to
make people capable of joint performance, to make their weaknesses
irrelevant and convert them into strengths. It strikes harmony in working
equilibrium, in thoughts and actions, goals and achievements, plans and
performance, products and markets.
Lack of management will cause disorder, confusion, wastage, delay,
destruction and even depression. Successful management means
managing men, money and material in the best possible way according
to circumstances and environment.
Most of the Indian enterprises today face conflicts, tensions, low
efficiency and productivity, absence of motivation, lack of work culture,
etc. This is perhaps due to the reason that managers are moving away
from the concept of values and ethics.
The lure for maximizing profits is deviating them from the value-based
managerial behaviour. There is need for managers to develop a set of
values and beliefs that will help them attain the ultimate goals of profits,
survival and growth.
They need to develop the following values:
1 Optimum utilization of resources:
The first lesson in the management science is to choose wisely and
utilize optimally the scarce resources to succeed in business venture.
2 Attitude towards work:
Managers have to develop visionary perspective in their work. They
have to develop a sense of larger vision in their work for the common
good.
3 Work commitment:
Managers have to work with dedication. Dedicated work means ‘work for
the sake of work’. Though results are important, performance should not
always be based on expected benefits. They should focus on the quality
of performance. The best means for effective work performance is to
become the work itself. Attaining the state of nishkama karma is the right
attitude to work because it prevents ego and the mind from thinking
about future gains or losses.
Managers should renounce egoism and promote team work, dignity,
sharing, cooperation, harmony, trust, sacrificing lower needs for higher
goals, seeing others in you and yourself in others etc. The work must be
done with detachment. De-personified intelligence is best suited for
those who sincerely believe in the supremacy of organisational goals as
compared to narrow personal success and achievement.
Value based managers do the following to discharge their duties
well:
1 Cultivate sound philosophy of life.
2 Identify with inner core of self-sufficiency.
3 Strive for excellence through ‘Work is Worship’.
4 Build internal integrated force to face contrary impulses and
emotions.
5 Pursue ethico-moral righteousness.
6 Vision:
Managers must have a long-term vision. The visionary manager must be
practical, dynamic and capable of translating dreams into reality. This
dynamism and strength of a true leader flows from an inspired and
spontaneous motivation to help others.
Vision includes the following:
(a) Forming a vision and planning the strategy to realize such vision.
(b) Cultivating the art of leadership.
(c) Establishing institutional excellence and building an innovative
organization.
(d) Developing human resources.
(e) Team building and teamwork.
(f) Delegation, motivation and communication.
(g) Reviewing performance and taking corrective steps whenever called
for.
The management gurus like Lord Krishna, Swami Vivekananda and
Peter F. Drucker assert that managers should develop the following
values:
1 Move from the state of inertia to the state of righteous action.
2 Move from the state of faithlessness to the state of faith and self-
confidence.
3 Their actions should benefit not only them but the society at
large.
4 Move from unethical actions to ethical actions.
5 Move from untruth to truth.
6 ‘No doer of good ever ends in misery’. Good actions always
produce good results and evil actions produce evil results.
7 Take the best from the western models of efficiency, dynamism
and excellence and tune them to Indian conditions.