Lying: Is there room for such a concept in the business world? Lying is a question that cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. It is common for many people to convince themselves that it is okay to lie, that everyone in this world prevaricates, but in actuality, is it ever considered okay to tell a lie? Is a lie told to embellish an otherwise tedious narrative just as wrong as a lie told to cover up a misdeed and avoid punishment? Is a lie told in desperation any less wrong than a calculated, merely convenient lie? (Solomon).
This may be one of the only issues that we can be in agreement on because every person has performed it. In this paper, I am going to illustrate a few examples that will assist in answering this question, such as, if a manager lies to his shareholders can it sometimes benefit even the shareholders themselves or is it just the consumers? As humanity or in this case, managers, we all lie for assorted motives: money, power, self-image, and satisfaction. Dishonesty not only in this epoch has come to be expected, but also accepted.
We utilize a great deal of time trying to identify mendacity and coming up with conclusions to why the falsehood of the propaganda was unveiled. We have those from the president, to the preachers and teachers of our societies, acquainted with deception, thinking it is for the greater good of the task they are performing. Most of these people lie in ways such as: white-lies, disobedient lies, even all the way to the intense lies. No matter what individuals are capable of saying, a lie is a lie.
Whether that lie is beneficial or remorseful is up to the individual, who is observing the state of affairs. In my opinion, there are instances where lying is adequate and can be tolerated. However, by simply defining the concept of lying, does not clarify that which is to be acceptable and immoral. One determines by his vision if a car is speeding or dawdling; however, radar gives its decision precisely by determining the actual speed of the vehicle. In relations to lying, one determines whether something is acceptable or immoral based on their personal values. However, in business no mechanism exists that will provide ones decision with accuracy.
Before one can decide whether lying is ever justified in the business profession, he must first understand the level at which the lie is implemented. After determining the level at which the lie is implemented, one can now focus on whether or not dishonesty has a role in the business world. Deceitfulness has no moral place in the implementing of businesses; however, it is almost always evident in the outcomes that are attained.
In order to explain this in simplistic terms, one can look to when he was a child, and his parents forbade the telling of lies. He was told that one should feel guilty when telling a lie because it was unethical. Ethics are not just social rules. They are part of our psyche, our mind, because they can not only guide out behavior, they also control it sometimes (Kimball). The predicament of this example is should he in spite of everything undergo the identical guilt in a diverse circumstance where the telling of a lie is the deterrence to initiate ones agony. Another example that is representative of this same idea is whether or not the manager of a corporation should lie to his shareholders and by accomplishing this it will take care of his consumers.
For instance, if that corporation supplies two similar products that are constructed by different companies and the manager is aware of one products domination, and the consumers are not, should he go along with the shareholders and still put on the market the two products for the identical price, although he purchased the undermined merchandise at a discounted price and compensated full value for the product that is better-quality, should not the price of the item for consumption that is not as good quality be reduced? I feel consumers are most significant in this situation because of the compared wealth.
The consumers for the most part do not bring in as much money as the corporation and shareholders. Therefore, the manager in this situation should be alert for his consumers and perform what is morally accurate by selling the undermined merchandise for a reduced amount rather than acquiring the consumers money. After all, the manager did pay a smaller value for the inferior product in the beginning. Shareholders at this point should not insist that the manager request for equivalent sales of the two products.
Although, they will still inquire the manager for the prices to be equivalent, and they will ask him if he can sell the product for a higher price and why he wouldnt want to make more profit for his company? He will then have to lie to them and say he can not sell the weaker product for more money because customers will not return. Lying in this example aforementioned is shielding the consumers and should be agreed upon. Taking the consumers money that could be prevented, is unethical and should be prohibited in all cases unless the corporations net income is less than that of the consumers. Buy, Lie, and Sell High. This is a book is an example that lying does occur in business (Mills).
By suggesting that lying should never have a part in the business profession, the moralists are assuming that the using of moral means will bring moral results. There is nothing available that assures a virtuous corporation in business will be the success. Morality is not always the easiest or best way to go. Sometimes by telling the truth about your corporation, will start to make it gradually suffer and then eventually may cause the company to go under. Such as, if a manager violates an important regulation of the government policy, such as discrimination and informs the truth, then his company could be at stake. For instance, if he is not fond of African-Americans and tells the truth to the government that he will not employ them, then he will almost immediately put his company in jeopardy.
Another example is if a company is beginning to struggle with finances, should managers begin to adjust the books to illustrate that the corporation is operating efficiently. He performs this duty for the sake of himself and for the sake of keeping employees their jobs. At times, managers filch money that is inferred to be spread towards equipment resources and the books state it is going for the unit specified above, but in actuality he inappropriately uses the money in areas that have insufficient funds to establish an image that the corporation is ensuring success. This is an example where even if you are a shareholders theorist you are still going to agree of the managers dishonesty to the shareholders.
In this situation, it is questionable whether or not dishonesty is successful; however, it is relatively agreed upon that it is unethical. This ignoring of morality takes one back to the example given earlier where a young child was faced with the ethics of lying, if by doing so, he prevented the hurt of others or in this case job losses. It has been said many times that it is ethically wrong to lie in any situation, but suppose, for example that lying to the owners of the corporation would lead to a quick end of job trouble and thus save many employees their jobs.
This concept is known as the cost-benefit analysis. One must determine the costs and benefits of a certain situation. If the costs outweigh the benefits, the action should be terminated; but if the benefits outnumber the costs, one should proceed with the action. The cost-benefit analysis is how some business men think and by doing so achieve great things but also by doing this they could be cloaked in failure.
Parents forbidding the telling of lies; discrimination; benefiting of the consumers by lying to the shareholders; and benefiting the shareholders by lying to shareholders, all seem very incomparable at first glance; however, one can conclude that even though some of these managers acted in an unethical way, each of them felt they were doing what was right or ethical. Therefore, in conclusion, the question of whether or not there is room for lying in the business world may not be a simple yes or no, but is of ones own judgment.
