Business and Climate Change: Discussion of Business Ethics and their Violations

Business and Climate Change
Business is by far one of the oldest as well as most common income earner in any economy. Business is the highest income earner for almost every nation in the globe. For this reason, business is considered as a key priority when it comes to setting up strategies which could facilitate the growth of the nation by achieving greater economic milestones. Business, in definition, is the exchange of good or services with currency. However, different countries practice different methods of doing business under this common principle.
However, different cultures in different parts of the world conduct business differently according to their own cultures. Different nations face different challenges in their respective business sectors. Some of this challenges can be similar and others can be totally different. Some of the challenges that face businesses around the globe are the violations of business ethics.
Discussion of Business Ethics and their Violations
These violations include the use of forced prison, bonded, compulsory or indentured labor in the production or manufacture of any goods. In addition to this, modern forms of slavery such as compulsory overtime, human trafficking as well as withholding of personal documentation such as work permits, compensation as well identification documents is also a gross violation CITATION Chr01 \l 1033 (Moon 2001).
The use of child labor is also a major violation, such that persons younger than the specified age set by different countries with the universal age being sixteen years old should not be employed for the production or manufacture of any goods. Persons below the legal age set for the completion of compulsory education are also prohibited from holding a job. This means that companies operating in different countries all around the globe have to be conversant with the labor laws and regulations of the said countries and be compliant to themCITATION AMa \l 1033 (Marcoux 2009).
Companies should also be conversant with the set working hours of particular countries in which they are operating in so as not to violate its employee's rights. They should also be conversant with the set compensation laws as well as the stated rights on the benefits of employees and how they should be handled. All their policies concerning the treatment of employees within the workplace should comply with the local as well as national standards. For instance, the international set working hours limit is at 48hours a week with a day or two off in a seven-day period of time. Any work done after the normal working hour's period should be compensated adequately according to the length of the time worked past normal working hours. This overtime should be in necessary business circumstances and should not be imposed to the employeesCITATION AMa \l 1033 (Marcoux 2009).
Companies should also ensure that the health and safety of the employees are covered adequately. This means that they should ensure that the working environment is safe as well as the equipment the employees use. Adequate measures should also be taken to avoid as well as tackle any emergency that would threaten to take place. The working environment should also meet the set local as well as national hygienic standards. This means employees should have protection equipment to handle any toxic substances. Waste disposal should also be set such that it does not pose any risks, health or otherwise, to the employeesCITATION AMa \l 1033 (Marcoux 2009).
Employees should be held with the utmost respect and dignity. They should not be subjected to any kind of abuse or discrimination or cruel or out of the normal disciplinary measures. Discrimination on the grounds of gender, race, religion, origin, age, sexual affiliation or political affiliation for employment or hiring is a gross violationCITATION Pdr81 \l 1033 (Drucker 1981).
Companies should conduct business in an ethical, fair and proper manner. The use of favors, bribes, gifts, kickbacks or services in order to gain a competitive advantage is highly prohibitedCITATION Pdr81 \l 1033 (Drucker 1981).
Companies should also give employees the freedom to associate with any legal associations or organizations as well as to bargain collectively without being interfered with unlawfullyCITATION Pdr81 \l 1033 (Drucker 1981).
Companies have the mandate to conduct impromptu inspections of living as well as working environments. They can also conduct audits without notice and take adequate action on any problems discovered during those audits. For example, if a company finds that there are discrepancies on the conditions in which another company was contracted, it has a right to terminate that contract pending further investigations or contract another company legally and totally do away with the previous contract totallyCITATION Pdr81 \l 1033 (Drucker 1981).
Companies should also follow the set laws and regulations both local and national on how they should conduct business in whichever countries in which they are operating. For example, a company should be able to pay any municipal fees provided by the council of a city it is operating its business in for using a certain location within the said city. Any legal fees or laws and regulations to be followed should also be dealt with before the company opens business in that city.
Communic...