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Documente Cultură
BUSINESS ETHICS
TOPIC
UNETHICAL PRACTISE IN FOLLOWING SECTORS:
HOSPITAL
GROSSERY
HOTEL
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
JOURNALISM
GYMNASIUM
INTERIOR
INSURANCE
GROUP MEMBER
1. AMIR KHAN
2. ANFAL SHAIKH
13
4. AWIZ CHOUGLE
22
5. ENAM KHAN
37
6. FAHAD KADRI
38
7. DHANNYA DEVASSY
31
8. DIVYA BALSARA
35
9.HARSHADA BOMBAT
53
54
11.HIMANI LAL
55
144
156
Bad, or unethical, business practices have always been a concern for physicians and health care
organizations. But recent high-profile business catastrophes refocused our attention on the
responsibilities physicians must keep in mind when functioning as officers or board members.
Following federal legislation arising from the corporate scandals at Enron and WorldCom--and
in light of the recent litigation against health care organizations for fraud or unethical billing
practices--a review of potential ethical conflicts and pitfalls is important.
Case study 1: I was merely doing my duty as a medical staff member when I agreed to
serve on the hospital's board of directors.
Dr. Smith, the president of a local multispecialty clinic, was flattered and pleased to be
nominated to serve on the board of directors of his local hospital. Competent in medical
management from his tenure as a medical staff officer at the hospital and his experiences at the
clinic, Smith gladly accepted the board position.
While serving on the board, Smith learned much about hospital governance and operations.
Additionally, his expertise on quality and patient care served the other non-medical board
members well because many operational and financial issues required both clinical and nonclinical guidance.
While attending the annual spring board of directors' retreat, Smith participated in many strategic
planning discussions. The hospital's census was declining and hospital management engaged a
national health care consulting firm to present the board with new ideas for producing revenue.
The consulting firm studied both national and local health trends, accessed both national and
local utilization and demographic information, and formulated three specific strategic
opportunities to reverse the hospital's declining revenues.
GROSSERY
Subhiksha
CASE STUDY ON UNETHICAL PRACTICES
Unethical practices in marketing - examples
Pricing lack of clarity in pricing
Dumping selling at a loss to increase market share and destroy competition in
order to subsequently raise prices
Price fixing cartels
Encouraging people to claim prizes when they phoning premium rate numbers
Bait and switch selling - attracting customers and then subjecting them to high
pressure selling techniques to switch to an more expensive alternative
High pressure selling - especially in relation to groups such as the elderly
have a significant environmental impact. However, the company strongly opposes attempts to
introduce mechanisms such as container deposit legislation.
There are charges that the Coca-Cola Company was involved in the violent repression of a union
at several of its bottling plants in Colombia, South America. As of August 2005, when PBS's
Frontline ran a story on the controversy, Coca-Cola strenuously denied all allegations of unionbusting and murder of union leaders. Shareholders and U.S. college have boycotted Coca-Cola to
try to put pressure on the company to approve a full-scale, independent investigation of the
charges
On 10 December 2008, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wrote to Mr. Muhtar Kent,
President and Chief Executive Officer, to warn him that the FDA had concluded that Coca-Cola's
product Diet Coke Plus 20 FL OZ was is in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic
Act. During an interview with Reuters, the Coca Cola company's spokesman, Scot Williams,
stated, "This does not involve any health or safety issues, and we believe the label on Diet Coke
Plus complies with FDA's policies and regulations.
In January 2009, the US consumer group the Center for Science in the Public Interest filed a
class-action lawsuit against Coca-Cola The lawsuit was in regards to claims made, along with the
company's flavors, of Vitamin Water. Claims say that the 33 grams of sugar are more harmful
than the vitamins and other additives are helpful. Coca-Cola insists the suit is "ridiculous.
INSURANCE SECTOR
UNETHICAL PRACTISE IN INSURANCE SECTOR
Fraudulent Practices in Insurance Sector
Life insurance as an investment
In the late 1970s, insurance regulatory changes and high interest rates drove companies to
develop new "investment-related" products such as universal life insurance. Agents started to sell
life insurance as an investment. Policyholders began to consider permanent life insurance
products as part of their investment portfolios.
Additionally, the advent of computer software led some companies to aggressively distribute
insurance illustration software based on questionable assumptions, such as interest rates of up to
13% or 1 Fraudulent Practices in Insurance Sector
Dear Sir,
I am adhar saxena, I wish to throw light on the false practices in insurance sector, many private
insurance companies are operating through cahnnel partners or DSA's. These agencies in order to
achieve there targets are luring innocent people with false lucrative policies giving high returns
and insurance. On actual policies being received by the customers he comes to know that he has
been fooled. Though there is 15 days free look period available, this period is passed by these
culprits by assuring the customers that they are amending the policy wrongly issued by mistake.
Once the free look period is over the investor is helpless, no one is there to listen. The insurance
company keeps itself away from everything and takes no responsibility.
Sir, I am also a victim of above fraud. I was approched by Mr Pramod Giri & Rajesh Sharma of
UNICON Investment Solutions, NOIDA, luring me to invest Rs.15000/- for just 3 years in
Bharti Axa Policy, that 100% money will be invested and insurance cover of three lacs will be
available to me and my wife along with cash less hospital benefit upto an age of 70years.But I
was shocked when I received the policybond, only units for 50% money were alloted and
balance was deducted as policy charges, further insurance for only 1.50 lacs was provided to me
and nothing to my wife, also no medicalcover.
Since Nov.2009, it is over three months that I am sending emails over help desk but these people
are fooling me with false assurances. They have taken back my original policy bond to issue me
a new one, Now I have no hope left, my money is gone.If there is any remedy for me I can give
full details of my policy and the contact nos. of above persons, I feel helpless, kindly do
something to stop such malpractices.
Thanks,
Adhar Saxena
Spot unethical sales practices
As the old saying goes, people don't buy life insurance, it's sold. That's not completely true, since
most people really do need life insurance to protect the security of their loved ones. But it's in the
type of life insurance and how much you buy that the adage rings true. Below are some of the
things to watch out for when working with insurance agents. Keep in mind that most insurance
agents are helpful and professional and that those who engage unethical practices are very much
in the minority.
Consumers had very good reason to fear some agents and some companies in the 1980s and early
'90s because of rampant fraud and abuse. But now the tables have turned and the insurance
companies are the ones running scared.
The violation of a market agreement reached by all insurance companies following the Ijebu
Ode retreat was saddening as it resulted in the abortion of an excellent attempt to self regulation
and discipline by the operators.
Even before the ink with which the agreement was written had dried, a portfolio that a group of
companies had underwritten, with the cover running, was purportedly poached by another
company, without just cause. In spite of the agreement to Consult the Lead, the client was
encouraged to transact the business without payment of premium by our colleagues.
The ridiculous thing was that the latter cover was just to run for the remaining 45 days of 2009,
with no offer to renew thereafter.
We cannot continue in this path any longer. There must be a change of attitude and behaviour
among practitioners. We cannot continue to do the same thing all the time and expect a different
result. The future is bright for the industry if only we could be more professional in our approach
to the business, he said.
Meanwhile, from all indications, except there is massive development of manpower in the
Nigeria insurance industry, the much awaited opportunity to maximise the expected gains from
the implementation of the Local Content Act may remain a mirage, as the industry is currently
facing the challenge of dearth of manpower. When addressing members of the Chartered
Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN), the Commissioner for Insurance, Mr Fola Daniel, disclosed
that one of the industrys challenges is the dearth of manpower to deal with specialised risk such
as aviation, oil and gas and other technical insurance businesses.
Mr Daniel, who stated that the opening of oil and gas business for the industry was a sign
of business opportunities, stressed that insurance sector needed to upscale its manpower in that
realm so that it could leverage on opportunities opened through the Nigerian Local Content Act.
We need to have adequate manpower, he said. Another challenge, according to him, is the
abuse in the insurance industry. This, he claimed, was common in financial institutes generally,
but stressed that in insurance industry, there are some unethical practices which limit the
product of insurance industry.
Mr Daniel, however, added that all the challenges were being looked into with the aim to stop the
unwholesome practice in the industry. The directors and chairmen of insurance companies have
been co-opted to address the situation. Insurance industry should be at the pedestal higher than
where we are now, and there are abounding opportunities to take the industry to the next level.
We believe that insurance industry has the capacity to be bigger than the banking sector, but we
cannot get there unless we change our acts and strategies that govern insurance practices, so that
the insurance sector can thrive and become the nations economic driver, he said.
Jornalism
Unethical practice is threatening journalism
There is a growing consensus among journalists and media practitioners around the world that
unethical practice is slowly killing journalism. The threat has become so serious that the
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) last year launched an Ethical Journalism Initiative.
The initiative is supposed to be journalisms response to the challenges the craft faces the
increasing polarization around the globe, the clamor for change in a number of countries on the
fringes of development, war and terrorism.Amid these developments racial, religious, cultural
and political conflicts that most of the time lead to shooting wars are the media, which most of
the time are used by partisan interests to deceive, sow falsehood and speculation, and provoke
misunderstanding, hatred and violence.
The manipulation of public opinion by media-savvy extremists and the poisoning of public
discourse happen because individuals and groups that express themselves freely do not aim at
truth, said Aidan White, IFJ secretary general.
It should not be the norm for journalism and the media whose basic tenets are accuracy and
fairness, to aid the spread of lies and deception. Unfortunately, technological advances in the
delivery of news, the growing commercial interests of media organizations, and the drive for
dominance by institutions and states, have contributed to the erosion of the tradition of truthtelling in the media.
Apparently commenting on the trend of sensational, celebrity- and scandal-oriented coverage of
many media newspapers, magazines and broadcast outlets, blogger True Focus, in an article
reprinted by BC Culture observed that most of the news rooms have gone from media bias to
engaging in media corruption.
He added that many journalists do not seem to be interested anymore in source accuracy and
reliability in news reporting, but in ratings.
With the proliferation of technological advances, and subsequent increased ambitions on the
global socio-political/economic platform, so too have the ambitions in newsrooms across the
nation increased, the blogger said.
The IFJs White admitted during a global media conference in Bali, Indonesia, last May that the
scope for quality journalism has been dramatically curtailed even in countries where free
speech is supposed to have taken roots.
Among the factors he cited to explain the problem are changing market conditions and deep
cuts in editorial budgets.
Several studies in the United States have found a decline in advertising, especially in
newspapers, with the growing popularity of the Internet as a source of news. News sources are
even competing for popularity, high ratings and advertising dollars, blogger True Focus said.
With full access and control of the news outlets that reach the masses, and no one to answer
to, media (have) ceased to be reliable tools for information, but powerful tools for fraud and
manipulation, he added.
Indeed journalists have been found to be accepting bribes and fabricating stories. Some even
work with interest groups to sabotage rivals and defame enemies.
Reclaiming the ethical tradition
The media must reclaim their ethical tradition to survive the changing landscape, said White,
even as he urged journalists and media practitioners to rethink their attitudes on how media and
journalism contribute to democratic life.
When journalism is inaccurate, when it marginalizes important issues or denies access to
different voices and when it is manipulated to serve narrow interests, it damages democracy,
White said.For democracy to work in a society dominated by conflicts and deceptions,
journalists must commit to an ethic of communication to help the public better understand the
complexities of the world.For journalism to survive and to function effectively, it must open
itself to scrutiny and challenge, White said. Journalists must make a conscious effort to protect
and nourish the values and public good that flow from committed, ethical journalism.
It cannot be right that with the supposed expansion of free expression, the quality of information
delivered by the media should be declining. Journalists must start standing up for principles to
circulate the worries, fears and inquiries of people who have no institutional voice.It is
admittedly hard for many in the media to make the shift after years of working in what could be
a culture of corruption fed by a culture of silence and sustained by a deep-seated fear of exposing
their own weaknesses.But with initiatives like that of the IFJ, there might be some hope for the
future. Practical is the inclusion in the campaign of a stress for politicians not to meddle in
journalistic affairs.
There is of course no debate that governments can contribute to building an enabling
environment for media freedom by creating conditions for decent, safe and fair employment
conditions for people in journalism.It is not enough to leave journalism to the market. Priorities
must be set. In the Philippines, for instance, the culture of impunity must be eradicated by
punishing the killers of journalists, the welfare of media practitioners must be looked into, and
laws that threaten free expression repealed.
Journalism must first of all be safe, and attacks on media practitioners must be stopped; a fresh
start for journalism based on its ethical traditions must be encouraged; and a dialogue between
citizens, the government and media must take place to raise awareness of free expression and
independent journalism. Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda made it clear in Bali last
May: One inconvenient truth that cries out for concerted action is the fact that too many
journalists are being killed in the line of duty, often in areas that are free of armed conflict.
He called on journalists to ennoble their audiences by using the medias power to educate,
enlighten and to unite perceptionsto take collective and concerted action for good causes and
for good fights.The return to ethical practice in the profession is the good fight that must be
waged by journalists themselves.
GYMNASIUM
Gold's Gym Complaints - Unethical business practices
Gold's Gym must have an affiliation with a crime syndicate. I signed up with Gold's more than a
year ago. When I initially joined the club I had signed a twelve month contract. In order to join I
had to pay an enrollment fee in addition to first and last month dues up front. After my twelve
months were completed I noticed that my checking account wasn't drafted any longer for dues so
I figured that my obligation was complete. Four months after my twelve month contract was
completed, I receive in the mail a collection agency letter indicating that I owe them $80.52. I
stopped working out in the club about a month prior to what I thought was my last payment.
After reading some of the complaints on this forum, I wished that I had visited here before I ever
attempted to join Gold's Gym. SO FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE CONSIDERING
JOINING GOLD'S GYM, DON'T. THEY ARE A BUNCH OF CROOKS!
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
I think information technology (IT) is highly instrumental to massive improvement. Information
technology has revolutionized the way organizations conduct business. Several years ago,
consumers became accustomed to experiencing a humanistic personality in-person as well as on
the telephone, this form of interaction was widely known as customer service. However; the
consumer demand for most businesses was far greater than the services organizations could
provide. The number of calls an organization would receive on average outweighed the number
of staff members that were able to tend to those calls. In essence, organizations desired to spend
more time with consumers face to face and less time answering phone calls. IT has allowed
organizations to integrate automated phone systems that would answer a plethora of consumer
concerns. Automated phone systems are extremely detailed in nature in which case a consumer
may not have to speak to an actual representative of the company because their questions,
concerns or business dealings were handled via the automated system. For example, the DMV,
provides a wide array of information that would enable an individual to log on to the company's
website and renew and register a vehicle, and print out forms in the privacy of your own home
without standing in a long line.
Example
"IT, reflects the combination of three key technologies: digital computing, data storage, and the
ability to transmit digital signals through telecommunications networks. Rapid changes in
semiconductor technology, information storage, and networking, combined with advances in
software, have enabled new applications, cost reductions, and the widespread diffusion of IT.
The expanding array of applications makes IT more useful and further fuels the expansion of
IT"(National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics, 2002).
Safeway "d.b.a." Vons vision statement is dedicated to consumer sustainability and their
willingness to adapt to business and an ever changing market. The reason I selected Vons is as a
result of their use of information technology in home deliveries. Vons has developed a system
that allows consumers to shop for their groceries online while providing same or next day
deliveries. This method enhances the companies chances of maintaining loyal customers and
acquiring new customers."