Topic: Ethical Issues In OB

Journal Title: Business ethics and organizational architecture (James A. Brickley,

Clifford W. Smith Jr., Jerold L. Zimmerman William E. Simon Graduate School of
Business Administration, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA)
Introduction:
The Writers suggest that Economics can complement traditional ethics discussions
concerning at least three essential points. Economics provides a theory of how individuals
make choices, including those that have potential ethical dimensions. Business ethics and the
internal structure of the Organization are inextricably linked, they add & a company's
reputation for ethical Behavior is part of its brand-name capital.
Review of Literature:
Economics suggest that how individual make choices, mainly which involves an Ethical
Dimension. Economics also offer that individual respond to Incentives. The Writers highlight
a flaw in Economics, which assumes that Individuals always make ethical choices regarding
ethical decision-making. At the same time, the writers suggest that Individuals are selfish,
especially when it comes to their gain, which might ultimately result in unethical decisions
for personal gains. Further, the writers also claim that managers & employees can modify
their methods or use crooked ways to receive incentives.
The Writers have highlighted that how an employee responds to incentives depends upon the
Organization's internal structure. Both the centralized and decentralized types of
organizations have certain disadvantages. To overcome them, managers have to design a
control system within an organization. Managers should develop a plan that connects the
reward and performance-evaluation strategies that help align the decision makers' interests
with those of the owners or the Organization's goal so that the employee's performance can be
monitored and accordingly rewarded, which can reduce unethical decision making from an
employee. Organization Can also develop a Corporate Culture, where Fundamental Principles
or core values of the Organization are held upon both by Senior & Mid-Level managers,
which will encourage the rest of the employees to follow the same. For example, ford
company has a motto as 'At Ford, Quality Is Job', so whenever the employee has a decision to
make, he checks whether his decision is violating this motto and hence makes the right
decision in line with the companies Values. Organizations can also develop a system of
complements where Employees with good performance, sound quality are complemented via
Organization Magazines or by giving them awards at various company functions.
In the Last Part of the Study, The Writers Highlight that even the Market provides incentives
for ethical Behaviour & the Brand value of an organization depends on its ethical Behaviour
of Organization. For Instance, if an organization provides customers with a product of less
quality, the organizations risk losing those customers, which will ultimately affect the future
sales of the product. If a branded organization performs an unethical act, it may lead to a lack
of trust in the brand, affecting the future sales of the Organization. There are also some
organizations like Moody's who monitor unethical Behaviour of organizations and create a
report of these Organizations which can affect the Organization's brand Value. Vice Versa,
Ethical Practices of the Organization also increases the brand value of the Organization &
thus creates revenue and trust leading to more revenue. Unethical Practices of an
Organization also affect the employees' morale, thus affecting the Organization's overall
efficiency. Organizations following Unethical practices are also at risk of Huge Penalties
from the Government.
Conclusion: We can conclude that although individuals tend to make unethical decisions for
personal gains and can also modify the incentives using crooked ways, they can be controlled
and monitored in the Organization by developing a sound performance reward system.
Induvial with good performance can also be complemented by various ways by management,
thus motivating all the employees to perform better. We can also conclude that Organization
with unethical Behaviour has to pay a Price in the Market in terms of losing Future Sales,
Brand Value, Moral of Employees. While the Market also pays incentives to organizations
with Ethical Behaviour of gaining Future Sales, Brand Value, Moral of Employees.
Topic: Ethical Issues In OB
Journal Title: Ethical Behavior in Organizations Directed by the Formal or Informal
Systems?
Writers: Loren Fatkenberg & Irene Herremans
Introduction:
In Contrast to the comments of our first journal, the writers of this journal state that the
majority of the Individuals are honest and moral and not Dishonest or Selfish. The Writers
suggest it is the control system of the Organization that encourages unethical Behaviour
among individuals. There are two types of systems within an organization that controls the
individuals' Behaviour, namely, formal & informal control system. The writers define the
formal System of behavior control as written procedures and rules that direct Behaviour to
achieve the Organization's goals and detect and discourage wrongdoing. Organizational
goals, budgets, reward criteria, performance rating standards, and codes of ethics are all
elements of a formal system. Formal Systems are designed to keep a check on the
relationship of an employee with the employer. There will be conflict in this relationship
when the employee's objectives or goals don't match the employer's. The formal control
system is effective where the environment is stable & routine work is required. The Writers
define the informal System of Behaviour as shared values, beliefs, and traditions that direct
the Behaviour of group members. The first hypothesis of the paper being reviewed is that the
informal System is the dominant source of control in resolving ethical issues.
Methodology:
Data were gathered through small discussion groups, with three or four
professionals/managers in a group. Five discussion groups, with a total of 17 participants,
were held. The investigators initiated discussions within each group, posing questions
relating to (a) what encouraged ethical behaviors in organizations and (b) what factors led to
unethical behaviors.
Findings:
All participants believed that "ethical behavior and good business" are not incongruent
concepts. However, the majority perceived that organizations often focus on the bottom line
at the cost of ethical behaviors. Participants indicated policies should be to protect
employees, develop a sense of fairness across employees.
Conclusion:
Researchers found informal systems within organizations are the dominant influencers on
when it comes to decision making. Participants suggested formal policies and procedures
should protect employees rather than the "principal's assets," they said. Senior management
fails to recognize the role of the informal System and believe that the formal System is all
that is necessary to guide employees' behaviors. Without formal policies and procedures,
organizations are more vulnerable to influences encouraging unethical behaviors. The
informal System is the dominant influence on the behaviors and decisions of employees in
the resolution of ethical issues. Senior management must address the values and norms of the
informal System. Senior management must ensure their behaviors are visible and be aware of
the behaviors of their supervisors. The informal System is the dominant influence on the
behaviors and decisions of employees in the resolution of ethical issues.
Topic: Cross-Cultural Management, Communicating Across Cultures
Journal Title: Cross-Cultural Management in Multinational Project Groups
Authors: Sylvie Chevrier, Université Gustave Eiffel, Champs-sur-Marne, France

Introduction:
Transnational project groups are flourishing in various business contexts. They make up
cross-cultural teams; that is, they encompass members of different nationalities. The
effectiveness and efficiency of projects are affected by their cross-cultural characteristics.
The following paper claims that cross-cultural teams can be more effective than inter-
company teams.
Methods:
The fieldwork for this research consisted mainly of interviews with the project members and
attendance to meetings as a participant-observer. The data analysis was made through two
stages: description of each case and comparative analysis of three cases. Case 1: A
consortium for R&D, Case 2: A project team in electrical engineering, Case 3: A product
development project
Finding:
The study evidences three kinds of cross-cultural practices implemented by transnational
project managers. It is essential to mention that these strategies are not exclusive. One given
leader often resorts to several strategies simultaneously, and within one project, cross-cultural
leaders at various levels often set up different strategies. In the electrical engineering project,
the Swiss manager declared he did not want to make any difference and managed all his team
members the same way. Interviewees say cross-cultural teams could not be effective without
'openness, patience and self-control. Some German members of the product development
project said they would not put up with other Germans coming to meetings unprepared but
accepted it from their French colleagues. Despite their irritation, they control themselves to
avoid conflicts. Cross-cultural management, which mainly relies on the willingness of
participants as in Case 2, generates frustrations. The small informal groups of nationals that
form up at breaks often release part of the tensions that members experience because of
permanent self-control. However, all required adjustments are not so immediate.
The second strategy for coping with cultural differences is to make team members well
acquainted with one another. Social events like diners help develop acquaintance,
collaboration, or even friendship among team members. The limit of this strategy stems from
the frailty of empirical adjustments, which do not clear up the eventual matters of conflict.
Engineering culture played a leading role in overcoming cultural barriers. All members
shared a common core of knowledge, know-how, and representations. Research shows that
the corporate culture remained in an embryonic state where it was susceptible to play a
significant role
Conclusion:
The strategies to cope with cross-cultural differences are themselves culture-bound. Cross-
cultural management in international projects is contingent. The approaches to coping with
cultural barriers (individual adjustments, occupational cultures, cultural mediator) and
solutions are also culture-bound. They depend on the context, But by using effective coping
and collaboration strategies, a multinational project team can work more effectively and
create more output than a national project team.

Topic: Cross-Cultural Management, Communicating Across Cultures

Journal Title: Communication across cultures
Writer: Nguyen Quang Ngoan
Introduction:
Culture can be defined differently from different perspectives. People who live in the same
culture can find it easy to communicate because it gives them an interconnected set of shared
ideas, beliefs, and rules. Culture is a shared way of seeing, thinking, and doing by people in a
community. When persons from various cultural backgrounds speak with one another, there
is a considerable risk of conflict arising due to differences in cultural values, attitudes, or
beliefs. Communication and culture are closely interconnected to the extent that culture is
reflected in communication. Studies of communication in one culture and across cultures
have led to the technical terms of intra-cultural communication, intercultural communication,
and cross-cultural communication. Intra-cultural communication is communication between
people who share the same cultural background and reside in the same nation. Intercultural
communication is communication between persons from various cultural origins who live in
the same country. Communication between persons who reside in different nations and come
from diverse cultural backgrounds is cross-cultural communication. It should then be made
clear that when communicating with persons from very diverse cultural backgrounds, there is
great potential for problems to occur.
Review of Literature:
The culture patterns like High- versus low-power-distance cultures, high- versus low-context
cultures, and collectivism versus individualism are taken to examine the cultural patterns and
communication style. As a conclusion in larger-power distance cultures, children are
expected to be obedient towards their parents. If we look into the small-power-distance
cultures, As soon as youngsters can act, they are considered equals. From the research made
in the article we can understand that Individuals from small-power-distance cultures respect
equal power distributions, equal rights, and equal relationships. In Contrast, people from
large-power-distance cultures tolerate uneven power distributions, hierarchical rights, and
asymmetrical role connections.

Next, he examined the High-context cultures and low-context cultures. In this research, he
made it from the perspective of communication style, where Vietnam and other Asian
countries like South Korea, China, and Japan are high-context cultures. In Contrast, English-
speaking countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States are low-context
cultures. Communicators in high-context cultures are more aware of their surroundings and
environment, conveying their sentiments without using words. On the other
hand, collectivism refers to group-oriented cultures in which individuals favor positive
politeness tactics to satisfy each person's positive face demand, although conscious of
preserving both one's own and the other's face. The article states that communication across
the culture has many barriers like Attitude, Perception, Stereotypes, Interpretation, Culture
shock.
Conclusion:
Cultural effects are a natural part of all communications. The phrase "culture" refers to the
total of a big group of people's language, values, beliefs, habits, and customs. Cross-cultural
communication encourages international team working which is a key to promoting the
principles of formal organizations. To have successful cross-culture communication, people
have to overcome the barriers of cross-culture communication. The one who achieves
communicative competence will be a successful communicator. To decrease the challenges in
cross-cultural communication, cross-cultural research on speech act performance should be
done.

Topic: Personality
Article Title: Effect of Personality on Motivation and Organisational Behaviour
Author: Ashveen Nuckcheddy
Introduction:
The topic of "personality's influence on motivation and organizational behavior" was the
subject of this article's literature study. When it comes to managing staff, companies must
consider the link between Personality and motivation and how the former impacts the latter.
This study attempts to demonstrate and examine it further in the context of Personality and
individual differences in affecting overall organizational Behaviour.
Review of Literature:
Ashveen Nuckcheddy's study reviews important publications on Personality, motivation, and
individual variations. The study's theoretical analysis of personality theories included
personality theory, psychoanalytic, humanistic, and social-cognitive theories. According to
the study, personal emotional stability, antagonism, and extrovert or introvert worker
characteristics all influence motivation. Personality has also significantly influenced
organizational Behaviour through affecting tolerance, work environment, and work ethics.

Conclusion:
The study concluded that Personality is an essential factor to consider when enhancing
employee engagement and workplace organizational behavior. If organizations follow this
strategy, their human resource plans and policies are more likely to succeed. One of the ways
to improve the Personality and the morale of the employees is by motivation.

Topic: Personality
Journal Title: Review of the current status of the study on personality traits
Introduction:
Personality refers to individual differences in thinking, emotion, and acting tendencies. One
of the primary aims of this paper is to study the particular personality qualities, such as
friendliness or irritability & another aim of this research paper is to comprehend how a
person's various pieces come together as a whole. An approach of an individual to his work
or learn depends upon his Personality, therefore it of utmost importance to an organization to
recriuit an individual with the right Personality or offer job roles to an individual depending
on his Personality so that maximum output can be achieved from the employee.
Methods:
For the research, journal articles published online, soft copies of books available for free
download, and online versions of classic papers in personality traits research were searched
and downloaded. These articles were searched in time span from 1930 to 2017. These articles
were used to study personality qualities.

Findings:
The Big Five qualities (openness to experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness,
extraversion, and neuroticism) have been widely recognised as trait models.
Authoritarianism, individualism, internal vs. external locus of control, desire for
achievement, need for cognition, regulatory focus, self-consciousness, sensory seeking, and
self-esteem are just a few of them. The potential of personality traits to predict an individual's
future conduct is the essential benefit of studying them. From circumstance to situation, these
abilities reflect their respective individual differences.

Conclusion:
The primary goal of trait psychology is to understand the consistency of personality traits and
the Behavior these traits induce. The term "trait" refers to the consistency of patterns in a
person's Personality throughout time. Personality factors account for the relative consistency
of behaviors across situations. However, another intriguing area where contemporary trait
researchers are working to understand better is if personality traits are consistent across a
person's lifetime.
Walter Mischel, a pioneer in trait psychology, underlined the importance of context variables
in assessing traits in 1968. Even though the study of personality traits has been going on for
decades, the Big Five Model, which was first published in the 1980s, remains the master
question for many academics. The investigation into the causes of traits has remained mostly
unchanged. However, the critical results that all trait-related behaviours cannot be traced to
genes have been called into question. The use of statistics and computer technologies to
quantify personality traits has advanced the field of research.
Topic: Perception & Learning
Title: Workplace learning: developing a holistic model
Author: Pamela Matthews
Introduction:
Workplace learning can take a variety of forms, including formal, informal, and incidental
learning. There is increasing recognition for workplace learning, but employees must realize
the benefits of workplace learning to evolve into a learning organization. Workplace learning
is highly complex and involves more than simple training and development issues. The nature
of the work environment, the pace of change, use of technology, teaching, and learning styles
all impact how learning takes place in the workplace. Workplace learning requires integrating
diverse factors such as adult learning theory; learning paradigms; organizational needs; and
individual interests, which can result in positive workplace learning. The proposed workplace
learning model outlined by the writer of this paper draws upon various ideas presented by
recognized academics and includes elements of relevance for most workplaces.
Review of Literature:
Rylatt originally proposed the Model of workplace learning discussed by the writer. The
concept that individuals and organizations must change their previous attitudes or mindsets
about the workplace underpins this Model's development. Because "mindsets have the power
to transform the growth and performance of the workforce by providing much-needed clarity
and a sense of purpose to all actions, goals, and strategies," a positive attitude is required. The
eight mindsets identified by Rylatt (1994, pp. 17-21) as essential to the process of workplace
learning transformation are:
1. Workplace learning must be greater than change
2. Workplace learning must be systematic and interactive.
3. Workplace learning must be geared to business outcomes.
4. Workplace learning must provide meaning, self-worth, and sustainment for all
employees
5. Workplace learning must be learner-driven. Workplace learning should be flexible
enough to respond to the needs of the individuals
6. Workplace learning must be competency-based.
7. Workplace learning must be "just-in time". As workplaces are becoming more
accountable for the "learning" they provide, there is a need to deliver workplace
learning on time.
8. Workplace learning must expand into new frontiers of knowledge.
Individual learners, company objectives, and the future are all considered while building
these new mindsets. Rylatt (1994, p. 17) describes workplace learning as a systematic and
interactive process that must consider a variety of factors before improved company results,
competency improvement, and highly satisfied employees can be attained.

Conclusion:
Universities, as educational institutions, should strive to be learning organizations. It is clear
from the discussion of the concept and application of workplace learning and the examples
drawn from "new" universities that universities advocate and support the need for workplace
learning. Still, like other organizations, they are unwilling to allocate resources to this area as
tangible, quantifiable outcomes. This trend is particularly evident in the business world,
where executives are preoccupied with immediate productivity, efficiency, and profitability
concerns and are sometimes unable or reluctant to engage in employee development because
they cannot quantify the benefits. The growing awareness of the need for workplace learning
is a good start, but the momentum must be maintained.
Individuals and organizations will become more dedicated to utilizing workplace
learning activities as they realize the benefits, such as enhanced employee dedication, a more
flexible and rapid reaction to global, environmental, and technological change, and improved
productivity and quality.

Topic: Perception & Learning

Journal Title: Perceptions of learning among Swiss watch managers
Authors: Kayhan Tajeddini, Les Roches International School of Hotel Management, Bluche,
Switzerland
Introduction:
This paper offers new insights and practical ideas that have inspired some of the world's most
influential companies. This exploratory research analyses the strategy taken towards learning
organizations to address a substantial gap in our understanding of the nature of
learning orientation and educate firms in making strategic decisions about learning orientation.
Continuous learning & Transformation is significant for all the Organization to succeed, The
Organization failing to learn & upgrade will lack behind in terms of business. For Instance, the Swiss
Company, the market leader, was reluctant to learn and upgrade itself and lost its dominance in the
Market when the Japanese launched new products in the Market.
Methology:
In the following paper, the writer attempts to investigate managers perception of learning within the
sample space of Swiss watch companies.The writer did face-to-face interviews of 13 marketing
managers and owners over three months for this research.
Findings:
Several interviewees from the manager sample support the hypothesis that employees and their
departmental managers highly value learning. The learning process begins with the individual (self)
who recognises the importance of the department (team) and links insights to the Organization leads
to practice. The majority of the interviewees agree that most of their learning takes place when they
work in a team. While working in Teams meeting new ideas are shared, individuals are made aware of
new technologies & Products & hence team plays a significant role in Leaning. All interviewees
agreed that learning leads to innovation & job satisfaction & therefore Companies must prioritize
learning & training of employees.
Conclusion:
With reference to a complete assessment of the literature as a background for the Swiss watch
industry, this research gives a clear insight into organizational learning in practice. According to the
respondents' perspectives, their organizations place a strong focus on learning, which has a beneficial
impact on performance. It can also be concluded that for the Organization's overall success, Senior
management should not only focus on the Organization's revenues but also focus on the training of
employees and structure the workplace in a manner best suited for learning. From the Swiss Watch
example, it can be studied that an organization reluctant to learn & progress will lose market share &
revenue.