The Satyam scandal was a corporate fraud that primarily affected an Indian-based computer service company known as Satyam as well as other partnering companies. The scandal started in 1999 and erupted in 2009 after Merrill Lynch exposed Satyam’s illegal financial practices. Ramalinga Raju, the company’s chairman, corroborated the allegations by revealing that he had been manipulating financial accounts for many years. The scandal shocked the whole world because Satyam was renowned for its exceptional corporate governance. Moreover, the ethics of conducting business, as well as those of the accounting profession, were challenged. For instance, the reputation of PricewaterhouseCoopers was tarnished as it was Satyam’s official accounting firm. The firm was fined highly by the US Securities and Exchange Commission for engaging in unethical accounting practices, violating the code of conduct, and disregarding the auditing standards. The magnitude of the fraud contributed to its comparison to the Enron scandal. Both scandals Continue reading
Business Ethics
Ethics in Financial Reporting
Integrity is of utmost importance for a successful career in business and finance in the long run. Some believe that the world of finance lacks ethical considerations. Whereas the truth is that such issues are prevalent in all areas of business. The business environment in much of the world is reeling from the revelation of several financial scandals in the past few years. The optimism of the turn of the century has been replaced by scepticism and distrust. It will be discussed as to how we landed ourselves in this situation, what is being done to correct it, and what the future holds for us. Though Enron has been used as the poster-child for this purpose, breakdowns in accounting and corporate governance in Enron as well as in other companies will be discussed. Some companies that have encountered financial reporting problems will be discussed along with the role of auditors Continue reading
Is Business Ethics an Oxymoron?
Business ethics refers to application of rules and regulations that govern business conduct by both individuals and organizations. It forms a basis for the philosophy that gives a business or an organization a purpose to operate. The complexity and demands of business in today’s world have changed how business is executed. Business owners determine what is ethical and what is unethical . Why Is Business Ethics an Oxymoron? Business ethics is an oxymoron because business and ethics are incompatible. Therefore, businesses should focus on what they do and leave ethics to individuals. Looking at their respective definitions gives an indication of two contradictory sets of principles. To ensure success in business, it is necessary to prioritize personal interests. This requires aggressive competition with other businesses, an insatiable appetite for money and power, and stringent business principles. It is difficult to achieve these business ideals by being overly ethical. The contradiction presented Continue reading
Carroll’s Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility
In the past, the common perception of a business responsibility was to maximize their firm’s profit. This is because businesses were perceived to always put the shareholder interests first. However, businesses are moving towards impacting the socials and environments. Several studies have found that businesses now have direct responsibilities to various other stakeholders which include preventing the harm of human rights and ensuring that there are solutions available if abuses occur. The modern view of business responsibility demands companies to help in problems relating to public welfare. As firms have no utmost responsibility for these unpleasant situations, philanthropic responsibilities are still not mandatory. However, due to a decrease of social institutions that provide help to the communities, people have higher expectations towards company and believe that they should take part in filling up the shortages. Carroll has proposed a CSR concept, Carroll’s Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility, which states the Continue reading
Benefits of Ethical Practices in Business
Business ethics set the standard for how your business is conducted. Ethical principles provide the foundations for various modern concepts for work, business and organization’s, which broaden individual and corporate priorities far beyond traditional business aims of profit and shareholder enrichment. Ethical factors are also a significant influence on institutions and public sector organization’s, for whom the traditional priorities of service quality and cost management must now increasingly take account of these same ethical considerations affecting the commercial and corporate world. Importance of Ethics in today’s Business world With legal scandals concerning insider trading and employee theft making the news, it is no wonder that businesses are increasingly giving attention to the ethical basis of their business and how to lead in an ethical way. Ethical investment is a useful aspect for considering ethical business, since large scale investment is ultimately subject to market forces, which largely reflect public opinion. As Continue reading
A comparative study of Value System of Japan, China , America and India
In order to understand the members of a particular society, it is required to have some idea of their daily lives , their tradition , their beliefs , their way of looking at the world , their value system. Values determine what is right and what is wrong for an individual , for a group of people ,for the people living in a particular nation. Individual’s value system decide the dos and the don’ts in their life. It forms the foundations of their characters. Depending on their value system , in a given situation they behave in a particular manner. The culture of various countries differ. There may be some similarity, but they are not the same. The values, beliefs and notions of Japan differ that of America, china or India. An organization is a part of the society . therefore, as far as an organization in a Continue reading