Career Management Competencies - Assignment Example

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL Name Institution Name Course Code Date Reflective Journal Activists are people who rise up to oppose certain activities carried out by an organization. Activists operate by creating awareness towards various issues that they feel affect the environment. In the case of Timberland, thanks to the numerous emails the activists sent the company CEO, he was able to follow up on the supply chain and the root cause of the problem was established. The environment plays a major role in the society. Thus, activists are people who feel obligated to protect the environment by campaigning against any inhumane or reckless use of resources. It should be noted; however, that activists do not deal solely with the environment rather they focus on all issues affecting the well being of human beings. In the Timberland case, for example, the 65000 activists raised a very important question that led to he CEO and the entire chain of supply became accountable as a result. However, on e issue was evident from all this, which is the ignorance people have towards the source of the goods they consume. For instance, the suppliers of the leather had no idea about how the leather they supplied had been acquired. They had little regard about whether or not rules had been broken in the acquisition. A fact that ought to addressed in the future. Activists are widely spread and very well connected, thus, a negative campaign towards a certain company can greatly tarnish the company’s image. This win turn affects the sales volume. Therefore, such outbursts from activists’ should never be ignored rather the CEOs should take time to look into the issue. A good example is where the CEO of timberland tried to get in touch with the Greenpeace organization in order to resolve the problem. This is assign that the organization is willing to listen and possibly change whatever is being opposed. Hence, not all opposition and criticism is bad as some of it is actually constructive. However, not all activists are right and peaceful. There are various documented incidents where activists took up drastic measures in order to attract attention. In the process, they get categorized as criminals and their agenda is dismissed as propaganda. Thus, they fail to meet their objectives even though they are intended for the good of the society. Money drives almost everything in the society. Thus, if left unsupervised, some organization would exploit all the resources in the environment without considering the impact on the society. Therefore, activists act as the voice that condemns any wrongs done on the environment as well as any inhumane activities conducted towards the rest of the society by large organizations in their quest to make profit. . Activists bring to light the underlying activities that company’s do and would probably not want the consumers to discover. They help to ensure that transparency is exercised by all companies in their activities. Environmental degradation has adverse effects on the society. By helping companies and consumers realize the importance of a good and clean environment, they ensure that the environment is sustained and protected. Resources in the environment should be treated respectfully, in the case of the timberland company; the question on the source of leather was raised. It was established that some cattle are slaughtered in inhumane manner that entirely disregards the animal rights. Thus, all organizations need to ascertain that the raw materials they use in their production processes in obtained in an acceptable and lawful manner that des not violate any animals’ or humans’ rights. Thanks to activists, companies tend to be more aware of the environmental impact of their activities, hence preserving the environment. Career planning is the laying down of goals of career and making adequate decisions on how to achieve these goals. As a first year university student, it is important to have career plans so as to reach your goals. At the university, one gains adequate knowledge and skills which employers value highly. Career planning paves a secure path in life. An example is an instance where a person who wants to be banker must pursue a Bachelor of Commerce degree specializing in accounting or finance options. Planning beforehand ensures an undergraduate student effectively and efficiently achieves his or her educational targets. It also guides him towards a proper and secure future. Failing to plan is planning to fail as it is said. This would translate to us not finding the job of our dreams. Career planning helps one achieve their task by motivation. Learning is a process which is necessary for a first year student. It is important to encourage the student in career planning as it is an investment in his future and this would mean he or she would be satisfied in his future job. In developing a plan for his career, the first year student gains better ideas of: The kind of job in which they are best skilled in the organization which he or she will work in future The type of education and level of training they will require to advance in the job they would be skilled in within an organization The strategy which will assist them to get to their destination Career planning entails: Choosing the type of occupation Securing a job Possible change of jobs Eventually retiring The student needs to plan his career because: It helps to build his personal development It is not always that we land our dream work It brings a feeling of accomplishment It helps him be responsible at an early age In order for an individual to be ethical in the course of doing their jobs, professionalism must be upheld. Cowton’s (2009) article, Accounting and the ethics challenge: Re-membering the professional body, analyzes several scandals reported among accountants and the challenge that they have to face in order to uphold ethics and at the same time, remain professional. The author focuses on whether being ethical is reflected in terms of financial performance, and whether upholding formal codes play any role in promoting ethical behavior. One of the challenges that the author explores is the professional challenge that accountants are faced with. He notes that accountants should not only think about being ethical when faced with difficult situations. On the contrary, ethics should be a constant practice within a profession. This ensures that one is not caught off guard when difficult situations arise. Professional should make the ethical codes part of who they are. This makes it easier to ensure that they overcome the professional challenge that they are faced with. Expertise and self-regulation play a crucial role in ensuring that an accountant overcomes professional challenge. This is because this forms a huge basis of being ethical (Cowton, 2009). Cowton (2009) also looks at the pay off challenge associated with being ethical. Most accountants are of the opinion that being ethical restricts that amount of pay that they are able to generate. They tend to think that they must stop being ethical for them to make it in the corporate world. Cowton agrees that it is a touchy issue that is difficult to explain to other people. He notes that people need to realize that there many openings in the business world that would lead to profitable business without forgoing ethics. He notes that this was Friedman’s idea when he said that the choice lies with the owner managers on whether or not to mix up their profitas agendas with their ethical interests. Business ethics are the moral values that are accepted in the corporate world. All businessmen and corporations have an obligation to abide by these values. This ensures that there is no conflict between the players in the market. It also ensures that any conflict arising have a defined solution. It is business ethics that enhance respect while competitors face each other. Business ethics are generally the morally accepted values in the society. They define the conduct of both the individuals working in firms and the firms themselves as the entities. Failure to abide to the stipulation of business ethics could cause one to be sued. This ensures that they pay the damages accrued to their act or the injunctions as stated by a court of law. It is extremely crucial that individuals and firms abide to business ethics. This is because violation of these ethics could ruin the reputation that they hold. Consequently, this implies that they could lose their market share as their good will deteriorates. Violation of business ethics leads to ethical issues. This is because thy amount to disagreements. It is also attributed to the fact that they could lead to collision among the players in the market. Ethical issues are clear and not confusing. They are independent of other issues in the organization. This result from violation of moral issues and ethics accrued to the society. Ethical stewardship, leadership and trustworthiness go hand in hand. A good leader is one who is ethical and trustworthy. Such a leader is goal-oriented and many re the times he achieves his set goals and objectives. Team leaders have great influence on the members. This implies that it is necessarily for these leaders to be credible and trustworthy. This will ensure that the team feels secure under that leadership. This can only be achieved through the continued conformity to ethical standards. Eventually, respect will be earned and efficiency in the performance of duties and responsibilities will be enhanced. Gradually, the organization will be reaping the benefits as the goals of optimization are achieved. From the above analysis and as presented in the case presented by Cowton (2009), I am in agreement with the author that accountants must practice ethics at all times. This implies that in order to overcome the various forms of challenges that they face, they have to make being ethical part of their self build. As such, they will remain ethical as it is expected and will not be caught off guard in case difficult situations arise. Therefore, it is evident that had this advice been followed, situations as those seen in companies such as Enron would never have happened. Reference List Ball, B (1997), Career management competences: the individual perspective, Career development, vol. 2, no.2, pp74-79. Ibarra, H (2003), Working identity: unconventional strategies for reinventing your career, Harvard. Strenger, C (2008), The Existential Necessity of Midlife Change,, Havard Business Review, February 2008, pp82-90. Swartz, J 2010, "Timberland"s CEO on standing up to 65,000 angry activists", Harvard Business Review, vol. 88, no. 9, pp. 39-43. Sandhu, S 2010, "Shifting paradigms in corporate environmentalism: From poachers to gamekeepers", Business and Society Review, vol. 115, no. 3, pp. 285-310. Anderson, DR 2005, Corporate survival: The critical importance of sustainability risk management, iUniverse, Inc. New York (chapter 3, pp. 88-109). Cowton, C 2009, "Accounting and the ethics challenge: Re-membering the professional body", Accounting and Business Research, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 177-189. Read More