Contemporary management issues(1) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Contemporary management issues(1) - Essay Example 3. Virtue ethics: Virtue ethics appraises the characteristics of the agent and not what should be done (deontology) or the outcome (consequentialism).The approach emphasises that action, within the principles of virtuosity, is ethical if virtue informs the action and leans on a moral evaluation of the performer rather that on the result or the duty considerations. In addition some philosophers have posited different approaches for delineating the ethical from the unethical, these are essentially shades of the above three basic approaches, and not recounted here. This essay looks at Consequentialist and Virtue Ethic approaches and their application in modern business practices using specific reference to the supply chain up to the customer of flowers that are out of season within the United Kingdom. Flowers, grown in all parts of the world, find their way to the auction houses in Holland. Buyers and representatives of large dealers buy the flowers and transport them to their respective countries and from there to the retail outlets. The chain is so organised that the flowers are at the retail outlets within hours of harvest. However, glitches do take place and the flowers may be out of season by the time they reach retail. In addition, stale, and flowers of lower quality sometime spend more time in the auction areas until a buyer picks them up at fractional prices or a decision taken to destroy them. A number of questions of ethics and ethical behaviour arise here from the points of view of the supply chain, the retailer, the customer, and consumer groups. Within the paradigm of consequentialist ethics, according to Williams (1973), confusion exists between goals (the desired/ desirable consequence) and actions, for once a goal is achieved, it becomes the means to the achievement of, or definition of, the next aim or goal. This continuity is bound to carry on as long as we are alive and taking some action. Therefore, the journey