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Business as a Blend of People, Technology and Ethical Behaviour Business is a combination of people, technology and ethical behaviour. Although the quest for profits is a central focus of business, businesspeople also recognise social and ethical responsibilities. To succeed in the long-run, companies must deal responsibly with employees, customers, suppliers, competitors, government, and the general public. According to recent studies, technology is having a profound affect on ethics in the workplace. One study found that nearly half of those polled said they had engaged in some sort of unethical action related to new technology within the last year. Technology is also making the definition of ethical behaviour even more unclear. With new technological changes, managers are attempting to cope with the ethics of regulating the use of technology. They must understand the new ethical issues, as well as laws that affect how those issues are handled. These are areas of growing concern in the workplace, especially with the arrival of the internet. Science and technology are a process of social practice, which is to know the essence and rules of objects so as to stimulate the societys development. Ethics is also a process of social practice, which is to make the society steady and harmonious via behaviour norms and regulations. Business in itself is a social practice, which is to improve peoples living standard and social development through kinds of transactions following accepted agreements and rules. Science pursues reality, ethics the good, and business profits. Business operation builds a ladder between the ethical behaviour and that of science and technology. With this, the trip is accomplished that unifies scientific truth and ethical good. It then can be completed in human practice, which has surmounted the theoretical scope we discussed. Its standard of measure is the effect of business result (including effectiveness and efficiency), perhaps. The better the business effect is, the better it explains science and technology and ethics coordination. On the contrary, the worse it is, the further science and technology and ethics deviate from each other. In this case, scientific personnel should devote to the technical development of enterprise and the technical innovation campaign, and deeply think what the reasonable limit of science and technology as a tool is. They should also incorporate the knowledge of science and technology to the production, so as to realise the perfect unification of pursuing reality and pursuing benefit. Business and People The effectiveness and success of an organisation lies not only in the organisations products or service, but in its resources. Organisations have many resources, both physical and financial as well as resources that are directly related to organisational behaviour, such as knowledge, ability, decision-making and intelligence of the employees. Because of the value of the people within and behind the organisation, it is very important that the organisation takes special care to ensure the happiness and satisfaction of their employees with their jobs, regardless of how major or minor the job may be. The people behind the scenes, operating and running the organisation, are by far, the most valuable resource the company has to utilise. People are important for any business because of following reasons: 1) Organisations achieve their objectives through people. The strategic and operational management of people is a crucial concern therefore for any

organisation and its leaders and managers who are keen to succeed as more complex business models and organisation structures emerge. 2) The resources related to behaviour of business can only be found in one place, the employees and workers behind the scenes of an organisation. These employees could be salespeople, accountants, managers, drivers, maintenance workers, cashiers, stockers, distributors, designers, editors, chefs, waitresses, nurses, as well as almost every other job title there is. These people, no matter how small or insignificant their job, duties and responsibilities may seem, play a very important role, because without them the organisation most likely, could not be run. Every job, no matter how high or low on the totem pole, in an organisation is essential. 3) The company also requires officials and higher-ups to dictate how the organisation should be run, what policies should be in place in order to ensure smooth function of the organisation, as well as to be in charge of hiring individuals to work for the company, and creating or closing job positions as seen to be beneficial to the organisation. 4) The importance of people in organisations is widely recognised. In the last decade of the twentieth century, many business writers realised that intelligence lay at the heart of modern business success. Intelligent employees are able to add millions/billions of pounds to the value of a corporation people who use the latest information technologies, and who interact either face to face or through some other form of communication with customers. Business and Technology Technology in business is a growing necessity. As the years go by, the business world is leaning more and more toward it, making it almost impossible to separate the two from each other. Innovation breeds business, and since technology paves the way for it, it can be gathered here that business needs technology to be sustained. Business has always existed since the early times of man. Even though it only began with the simplistic barter system, business would not be the same as it is today without the advancements in technology. All the major industries would fall into a catastrophic collapse if one were to take away technology from business, since majority of business operations and transactions somehow involve the use of technology. Technology has following importance in business: 1) Technology as a Business Necessity: The role of technology in business caused a tremendous growth in trade and commerce. Business concepts and models were revolutionised as a result of the introduction of technology. This is because technology gave a new and better approach on how to go about with business. It provided a faster, more convenient, and more efficient way of performing business transactions. Some of actions of technology in business include accounting systems, management information systems, point of sales systems, and other simpler or more complicated tools. Even the calculator is a product of technology. It is indeed unfathomable to summon the idea of going back to the days where

everything was done manually, which basically means starting all over again from scratch. 2) Security and Support: With the automated processes that technology can provide, productivity reaches a higher level. This is due to the minimal resources consumed in processing business activities, allowing room for better products produced and faster services delivered to more clients and customers. Information is also stored with ease and integrity. With this, confidential and sensitive information are less prone to vulnerabilities. The said information can also be instantly retrieved and analysed to monitor trends and make forecasts, which can be crucial in decision-making processes. 3) Link to the World: Business involves communication, transportation, and more fields, making it a complex web of processes. The technologies pertaining to other fields only pushed business further. Globalisation has been realised because of the wonders of technology. Anyone can now do business anywhere within being constricted to the four corners of his room. Technology in business made it possible to have a wider reach in the global market. For example, internet, which is now a common marketing tool to attract more consumers in availing products and services offered by various businesses. Indeed, technology in business ultimately made living worthwhile. It cannot be denied though that technological threats to business are growing rampant, such as hacking and other malicious activities, so one has to be responsible enough in utilising the power of technology. The good that technology brings has some excess baggage in the form of bad things that threaten to shake the business world. In the end, it is still responsible use of these that would further allow us to enjoy the benefits that technology can bring. 4) Saves Time: Small business employees must wear a lot of hats. There is no such thing as having one job. Technology can allow spending far less time on routine tasks. Once you learn how to use a system, you become faster and more efficient. In other words, the benefit keeps growing as your familiarity grows. Imagine how much more time you would have to spend on simple tasks like going to the bank or buying groceries if you had to do them without machines or the software that runs them? Now think about how your business would change if you applied those same kinds of time-saving solutions to routine business tasks. 5) Prevent Errors: Regardless of how thorough or careful you are, mistakes will be made. Technology never gets tired, it is never sick and it does not transpose numbers. You can count on technology to consistently do what it is supposed to do. Mistakes can be costly. They can cost you customers and money. Anything that prevents re-work and enhances customer satisfaction is worth considering. Technology can do both. 6) Level the Playing Field: Your big company competitors keep track of all their customers, the last time each was contacted, all their purchases and so on. These companies ability to provide fast, automated responses is possible because of auto-reply systems. Inventory is tracked online. Robust software applications are used to help prevent errors and eliminate manual work.

How can a small business owner be competitive without some of the same tools? I honestly do not think you can. Great customer service, which is something many large companies struggle to do well, can close some of the gap. And let us face it many of us are willing to pay a bit more to receive great service. But there is a limit to how much we are willing to pay. By effectively using technology you can augment your companys ability to provide the individualised service that comes from working with a small company. Most importantly, you can save money and deliver your goods and services as quickly as the big guys. Business and Ethical Behaviour Ethics concern an individuals moral judgements about right and wrong. Decisions taken within an organisation may be made by individuals or groups, but whoever makes them will be influenced by the culture of the company. The decision to behave ethically is a moral one; employees must decide what they think is the right course of action. This may involve rejecting the route that would lead to the biggest short-term profit. Unethical behaviour or a lack of corporate social responsibility, by comparison, may damage a firms reputation and make it less appealing to stakeholders. Profits could fall as a result. Primarily it is the individual, the consumer, the employee or the human social unit of the society who benefits from ethics. In addition ethics is important because of the following: 1) Satisfying Basic Human Needs: Being fair, honest and ethical is one the basic human needs. Every employee desires to be such himself and to work for an organisation that is fair and ethical in its practices. 2) Creating Credibility: An organisation that is believed to be driven by moral values is respected in the society even by those who may have no information about the working and the businesses or an organisation. For example, Infosys is perceived as an organisation for good corporate governance and social responsibility initiatives. This perception is held far and wide even by those who do not even know what business the organisation is into. 3) Uniting People and Leadership: An organisation driven by values is revered by its employees also. They are the common thread that brings the employees and the decision-makers on a common platform. This goes a long way in aligning behaviours within the organisation towards achievement of one common goal or mission. 4) Improving Decision-Making: A mans destiny is the sum total of all the decisions that he/she takes in course of his life. The same holds true for organisations. Decisions are driven by values. For example, an organisation that does not value competition will be fierce in its operations aiming to wipe out its competitors and establish a monopoly in the market. 5) Long-Term Gains: Organisations guided by ethics and values are profitable in the long-run, though in the short-run they may seem to lose money. For example, Tata group, one of the largest business conglomerates in India was seen on the verge of decline at the beginning of 1990s, which soon turned out to be

otherwise. The same companys Tata Nano car was predicted as a failure, and failed to do well but the same is picking up fast now. 6) Securing the Society: Often ethics succeeds law in safeguarding the society. The law machinery is often found acting as a mute spectator, unable to save the society and the environment. For example, technology is growing at such a fast pace that by the time law comes up with a regulation we have a newer technology with new threats replacing the older one. Lawyers and public interest litigations may not help a great deal but ethics can.