HRM Contribution to Organizations and Society: Virtue Ethics - Example

Human Resource Management Contribution to Organizations and Society: Virtue Ethics] By Student’s Name Introduction Human resources are the people that are involved in the work of an organization while Human Resource Management is concerned with how people are managed and maintained in the organization. However, Human Resource Management (HRM) has acquired a significant meaning as it has gained more denotation than what has been prior discussed, reason being; people are different from other resources that make the achievement of an organization’s goals attainable. On critically analyzing the individuals; it is clear that they have thoughts and feelings as well as aspirations and needs. Therefore; Human Resource Management refers to an approach that keeps in mind accounts for the welfare of the workers and the community around. Individuals have varying needs and aspirations in life and thus Human Resource Management entails investigating on their needs and aspirations. This is achieved through appraisal processes and result to opportunities in the organization like creating more jobs opportunities and beyond the organization: this entails issues like enrolling the employees to educational programmes in the local colleges or universities for their employees to enhance their working skills. It is therefore imperative that Human Resource Management relates to all aspects of the channels in which the organization gets into contact with its people like in the sense of providing training and developing opportunities as well as evaluating them to find out their personal needs, training and improvement requirement analysis. When we expound on the global Human Resource Management, we find that it brings in a set of structures for development and supervision of the workers. Human Resource Management can clearly be termed as a quality of the stakeholders involved in putting into practice descent working environments to enhance effective running of the organization and not the human welfare. (Amanda, R. n.d. pg 30) Winstanley and Woodall (2000) argue that Human Resource Management holds the moral ‘stewardship’ of organizations. It is of much interest to consider the importance of HRM in the contribution towards an ethical and moral climate in organizations as a whole. Human Resource Management is an organ of information with the code of conduct in the group and defines the nature of work and constantly manages the recruitment relationship of the employees. (Bratton and Jeffrey, 2001) This practice involves various functional sections namely: Staffing which involve getting staff that are best qualified for the tasks at hand. Rewards based on the best achievers in various departments. Other includes employee growth, employee relations and employee maintenance. In this paper, Human Resource Management is well displayed as not presenting the values that are as per their convenience but rather prevents the same. In the organization, happiness is one vocabulary that cannot be engaged easily. Virtue ethics will try to define the situation of Human Resource Management and contrast it with the well being of the employees on the ground. Virtue ethics is one of the theories in Human Resource Management that explains on the ethics. Aristotle, who was there back in 384-322 BC, is the one behind the explanation of this theory. He clearly sought after what was viewed as truly virtuous and that which was contrary at that time. (Badii and Abreu, 2006, p. 102a) Virtue ethics has regained much excellence in the work of the Alasdair Macintyre the philosopher (1981). It wasn’t in the interest of Aristotle to identify the traits of good acts or ethics but of good people. (Amanda, n.d. pg 35) Aristotle argues that a man of virtues knows what virtuous action to do and a person of honorable and dignified caliber is bound to act in accordance to the ethics set and timeframe and place should be of much essence. It not just the simple following of rules that are vital, virtues also include both intellect and character virtues. An employee is bound by the requirement that he or she should feel satisfied that the actions done, are good and right and should have poignant as well as cognitive admiration of decency is a crucial element of high caliber. On comparing this approach with the others, it is very clear that virtue ethics aims at focusing on issues of agency in ethical conduct. This brings about the essence ensuring kindness with or without optimism. The successes of ethical processes rely on the personality of its implementers and are the individuals good or bad. DISCUSSION Human Resource Management Is Unethical Because It Is Not Interested In The Welfare And The Development Of The Employees. Human resource management is not interested in well the being (happiness) and human flourishing: Instead it prevents this: Human Resource Management is a function in the field of business that mainly ensures the supervision of workers, employers and the managing team. (Amanda, n.d). This clearly brings out the issue on what the respective responsibilities and privileges every individual group concerned in this entails fair treatment. These arising issues are ethical in nature and the following will try to expound on the deliberations about the moral basis of human resource management and the contrast of the same. The ethical nature of human resource management is critical, “All human resource practices have an ethical foundation. Human resource deals with the practical consequences of human behavior”. (Johnson, 2003 as stated in Amanda, n.d) In business there exists a firm tradition that organizations should not be alarmed with ethics. The central concern of the business- proponents of the market economy discuss that failure to safeguard viable proceeds in any investment leads to the business being viewed as redundant and not viable. Business that seeks to be ethically straight and profitable probably will fail economically resulting to the whole community failing to achieve the set goals. It has been viewed that business and morality has no meeting point, this is through a critique of business practice that has continued to accumulate itself and to challenge the notion prior stated. Concern has emerged from various sources like consumer groups, political groups, religious groups and charitable organizations. Entrepreneurs like, Anita Roddick of Body Shop (2000), intellects and researchers (Winstanley and Woodall, 2000; Greenwood, 2002) and executive professionals (Brown, 2003) as stated in (Amanda, n.d) have all articulated the view that principles of performance within business need to be evaluated and enhanced. We can clearly derive that negative results flow from poor ethical levels, for example, short term goals may be achieved through cut throat tactics of free market principles, at the achievement of the proceeds, the business will survive better if proper standards on conduct are maintained as well as long term goals are enhanced and maintained to ensure positive results. Ethics in business promote a positive environment in which buying and selling is enhanced whereas fraud, scarcity and being deficient in respect for the surroundings breed problems in the production field at the end. The business fields do not entail upholding moral values and neither relies on spiritual affiliations to dictate the implementation of their undertakings. Ethical values have of late been directed heavily against financial corruption, especially a concern within the accounting levels. Virtues is not something that is acted, it is a way of being and introduces impossible situations to bring them into task of Human Resource Management. (Baddi & Adreu, 2006, p. 104a) Unethical behaviors of Human Resource Management has hit the public attention which include off-shoring and exploiting ‘cheap’ labor markets, using child labor, reneging on company pension agreements, longer working hours, increasing work stress and the use of uncertain and unconvinced practice in hiring and dismissal of human resources. (Amanda, n.d) It is also evident that just as consumers’ perception towards the ethics of a company affects the sales, the views of its investors will affect the share price. On the same line, it has been proposed that poor levels of conduct arising from the top management affect the employee motivation and commitment to work thereby affecting the eventual realization of the organizational goals. (Schramm, 2004) As far as business nature and standards are concerned it is clearly seen in the current framework of business undertakings. We live in a compound society which is morally and culturally varied. Ethics in the business environment is very evident in the following discussion: The core movers and features of this complication can be identified as, globalization of markets and labor forces; intensification of both competition and monopolies; paradigmatic changes in technology and embracing of Information Communication Technology while creating new opportunities, also new dilemmas over communication, surveillance and privacy; rapidly increasing rates of product improvement, losing value and demand; aggressive promotion and the use of famous people by the media; intensification of supplies values and the commodification of everything, even edification; increased specialization, personality and world-weariness, often demonstrated by suspicion, irony and mockery with a disregard for customary values and any form of power and lastly the rise in worldly concerns- but also a concern with a loss of spirituality. All these are essential to the organization growth but not the development of the human resource in the company. Winstanley and Woodall (1996) highlight a number of ethically standards of Human Resource practice concerns arising from the strategic focus of this study which include. Increased job security arising from flexible working condition as well as contractual form of employment; panic of job loss due to outsourcing and offshoring; increased stress and a widening disparity of authority involving administration and personnel; Increase in assessment and control which varies from the use of psychometric tests to electronic observation of vocation patterns through the appliance of Information Communication Technology. Deregulation- the liberty of the working field and the conditions therein has been forced by worldwide regulators such as the World Trade Organizations; this can lead Human Resource compromising good practice for production needs. In professional services the organizations like fee earners are faced with the challenge of deciding between “doing good” and “doing well”. In the same line is the decline of management integrity, leading to wrangles of alternative to rhetoric and dishonesty among Human Resource professionals. A good example is the current emphasis on managing organizational culture and commitment of employees which can be contrasted with the highly involved approach to the regulation of the service agreement. It is very common to find that the adoption of contractual work escalating to enhance performance yet the welfare of the employees is not enhanced at the same pace. (Budd and Scoville, 2005, p 111) HRM can be considered in a simplistic manner as a coherent and unitary set of principles and practices. It varies from organization to organization, from society to society and can be varied in the organizations as well as outside. International Labor Organization clearly states that work rights are human rights, thus they are regarded as universal but we come to face situations where cultural practices pose challenges to the universality of human rights. (Budd and Scoville, 2005, p 110) The low level of appreciation of humanizing practices like affirmative action policies, suggestion scheme and joint consultation committees among small firms relative to medium and large firms may mean that some managers in small firms are ignoring participative Human Resource practices. Bartram, T. (2010, pg 149- 150) Adoption of Human Resource Management practices are only viewed as very vital among the bigger organizations, this should consequently warrant concern among practitioners, workers and academics owing to the impending confirmation that HRM is associated with the improvement of the members of staff’s interests and performance in conjunction to their executive performance indicators. Virtue and integrity do not exist in an empty space, it has a place in a social context, in a human practice and it is equally a very important material that overwhelms the personality and binds him or her to the larger human network. Human Resource professionals are bound to add more value to the organizations they serve and squarely contribute to the ethical progress of the organizations. Any decisions and actions they make is termed as personal and they should own it together with its eventual implications. They should also advocate for their profession by engaging in activities that enhance is credibility and value. (Amanda, R. n.d. p 34) The growth of codes of good conduct or ethical practice within organizations and professional associations stems from the deontological approach; however, it has been seen to present drawbacks in its execution. (Amanda, R. pg) Tulda and Kolk (2004, p. 50) examines how internationals tackles these uncertainties relating to the conflicting norms and expectations, relying mainly on corporate codes of ethics as the parameters measuring HRM strategies. A number of problems have rendered the implantation difficult as described by Amanda Rose. Critiquing how good a rule is, what is just in the final research, can all be of having the same opinion, wondering how to go on with cases competing philosophically and lastly the situations arising in the case whereby hurting one means hurting another, or where preserving an agreement with one person or group of people leads to contravening it to others. CONCLUSION The management of human resource can pose some of the severe challenging ethical dilemmas in business. (Schumann P. 2001, p.1) This concept brings out the principles of Human Resource Management studied with Ethical Principle being one of them. A virtue analysis suggests that the effectiveness of the code of conduct or practical actions depends on the decency of the people who are in question. Human Resource Management has key interests in codes of conducts as they are most likely the section that will be responsible for implementing and supervising; they are put into task for the effective running of the organization and thus contribute constructively to the society. (Amanda, R. n.d.). No matter how progressive the Human Resource Management will try to make better the conducts of professionals and help in the following of codes of conduct that affect all employees. If the organization shows little respect for any proper or official considerations above the creation of proceeds in the organization, the hunt of a proper Human Resource Management is ineffective. For business organizations to realize the best in their field; the best have to be obtained from their employees and the policies of Human Resource go hand in hand to determine the success of the organization. This concept should not just be sidelined to a certain section of the organization rather every leader in the organization has the mandate to enhance skills in this. Lastly Human Resource Management should entail each constituent manager having to lay out the proper and viable strategies that will enhance progress of the organization: Managers in the mother company should cease shaping the nature of major decisions made. This ensures that the manager on the ground takes into consideration the exact state of the organization rather than mere speculation. Training involves the chances offered and or courses and seminars for persons to hone their skills, understanding and attitudes towards their assignments that enable the organization achieve its set goals. Ethics training is a critical way of developing business organizations and thus ethical training programmes should be enhanced in the organizations.( Palomino PR, and Martínez R. 2011 )Development entails individuals undertaking opportunities and courses to develop skills, understanding and attitudes that help themselves achieve personal goals. Training and development requires analysis of the opportunities and experiences that are required to train and develop in order to meet organizational and personal objectives. It is therefore imperative to come up with a training and development plan in order to set out how the needs can be addressed in practical steps. Human resource Department is bestowed with the mandate of training and recruiting the employees to be aware of the company’s goals core values. (Bauernberger, J. 2005. P. 5). This enhanced character development in the organization as well as in the society. Due to cultural diversities and issues of convergence and variance, it is difficult to come up with a fully international approach to international Human Resource Management. This implies that the various practices in HRM should approach with a dimension that keeps in mind the cultures and beliefs of the host country at the same time weighing the balance of maintaining the virtue of being international or local. In as much as ethics are concerned in Human Resource Management, organizations of various sizes explicit various practices. Albeit the evident minimal wherewithal, management training and official strategic scheduling among small firms, these entities are enthusiastically adopting and experimenting with a host of work place innovations. There is normally a big disparity of industry differences in the adoption of Human Resource Management practices and policies among small firms. In a flexible local and international environment, the ability of effectively exercising competition is very vital for every organization particularly the small firms which faced with varying subjective issues. These are crucial elements that can never be looked down upon in any form of business or industrial set up. REFERENCES Abrieu, J and Badii, H. “Proposal of an Ethical Model for Human Resource Management,” International Journal of Good March 2006- September 2006. Available at http://www.spentamexico.org/v1-n1/1%281%29%20102a-119a.pdf Allan Price (1997-2011), Human Resource Management, HRM Guide, 4th Edition. Available at http://www.hrmguide.co.uk/introduction_to_hrm/management-theory.htm Amanda Rose (n.d) Ethics and Human Resource Management. pg 27-40 http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0077111028/536 Bauernberger “Johannes, Human Resource in the Global Market,” 1 Auflage 2005 Grin Verlag. Druck und Binding: Books on Demand GmbH, Nordestedt Germany. 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