ETHICAL VALUES IN THE PRESENT INDUSTRIAL SCENARIO

           

When we talk about ethics , the three words come to our mind i.e. honesty, integrity and values.  Earlier days, we used to talk about professional ethics which was understood in the context of Doctors and Advocates.  Like a doctor will take the oath before entering into profession to follow the laid-down principles.  The ethics was very much attached with the value system of a person.  Following the path of honesty and maintaining integrity while undertaking the professional jobs was the way of life.  The medical profession was considered as most noble profession, similarly, the teaching was highly respected field, the advocates followed the ethics of doing justice with the client  by way of defending the case with best of their capability. 

The definition  of business was something different.  If marketing is to be defined , it was “making the product available from manufacturer to the consumer after giving reasonable profit to all concerned”.  We may appreciate that money was a important aspect of any business or profession but ethical values used to prevail.  The corruption was there in every avocation, but it was not generalized earlier also.   The business houses were having cut throat competition, but they never compromised on the platform of business ethics.

In todays’ scenario during last one decade we have witnessed a sea change in terms of ethical values when the meanings of honesty are changing.  Today, a business house is ready to compromise in all spheres whether it comes in terms of quality of raw material, employee relationship management or customer relationship management.  The profit has become the sole consideration  and giving bribes for getting the business has become a common practice.  The philosophies made and practiced by the giants such as Tata’s , Birla’s, Dalmia’s, Modi’s, Kirlosker have been forgotten.  It used to take generations for a person to become rich from poor, but today the recent scams shows that the corruption can lead to success at the cost of loosing not only ethical values but morality also.  I need not explain the current stories of Satyam, 2-G spectram, black money scandals ,CBI raids to bureaucrats finding tones of gold and crores of rupees in their houses and lockers.

Earlier days business was synonym to trade and industries we never thought of making  the field of education, medical and places of worship as business.  Look at the education system mushrooming of business schools selling MBA  / Doctors Degree / Fake Flying Schools making pilots on the basis of forged documents, students taking admission on the basis of forged documents. The scams of coaching institutes giving gurantee for admission to medical colleges and engineering colleges.  The donation running in crores for obtaining PG Dgrees.  The education is being sold for a price when the foundation is laid on the strength of corruption, unfair means  then one can understand what will be the result.

It was quite inevitable to loose the values of professional ethics when there is a cut throat competition among business houses.  The consumers are being cheated in a clever manner when a packet which normally comes for the quantity of 500 gms or 250 gms contents of the material is being sold in the same packing with the reduced quantity of 240 gms and 480 gms written. In minute figures which may escape the eyes of  consumer while purchasing the goods.   Another, tactics being adopted is  in the form of  the fake medicines being sold in  open market endangering the life of the human being.   The compromise in the quality of oils, pulses, ghee, sweet, eatables is  quite common.  Milk is a big industry we never thought of getting artificial milk which is available today with the ingredients of Urea,, Soap, Oil and what not.

A question comes to my mind that is it business? Is it success? Is it the way of progress? It is the only way of beating the competition? What is the root cause for losing the ethical values?  Again, it makes me to think aboutthe  probable  causes  for  this  shift  in  thinking  specially  when  words  are  losing  meanings …bribe  corruption  desire  for  quick  money  and  gains …why  it  is  so  ?

The  business  houses  are  in  the  race  of  purchasing  decision  makers …lots  of  politician  corporate  nexus  are  the glaring  examples for  this  menace ….well  the  real  cause  is   loss  of  values  at  initial  stages  ..when  a  person  becomes    doctor  by  getting  admission  on  the  basis  of  paying   bribe   then  what  can  you  expect  from  him  after  entering  into  profession .  similarly  a  bureaucrat  who  gets a  so  called  plump  posting  with  the  help  of  politician  - corporate  nexus    what  he  will  do ..certainly  corruption  to  pay  the  price   to all  stake  holders   who  helped  him . here   lies  the  problem  when  ethics,  morals,   honesty  and  integrity  becomes  meaningless    for  him

Today  in  the  days  of  changing  Industrial  scenario  when  competition  is  stiff ..it  is  a  question  of  survival  for  a  business  house.  It is  in  a  dilemma  to  weigh  …values  or  existence say  success …..

Now  I  need  to  say  about  remedy , it  has  to  come  from  upbringing , what  we  learn and  practice  it   all   comes  from  surroundings .  we  need  to  include integrity  as  one  of  the  subject  case  study  based in  education  system  as  compulsory  subject at school level.

Young  generation  is  leaning  wrong  lesson  by seeing  prosperity  and  success  of  dishonest  and  corrupt persons  in  business and  other  professions …It  is  so  deep  rooted that  one  thinks  bribe  as  perk attached to his  position in Govt. Sector.

Whatever  we  may  say   honesty  still  prevails  look  at  Laxmi  Mittal   the  steel  king   the …Tata  and  Birla Groups   are  still  there  to  maintain   business  ethics Laxmi Mittal never believed in paying bribes but still made it to happen for reaching to the top in steel.  His latest venture of Bhatinda Petroleum Refinery worth about 20,000 cores is the glaring example.  He selected the hard-core professionals to run the industry which is evident from the selection of CEO when a bright honest and dedicated bureaucrat with 30 years serviceresigned to join him. 

It is relevant to mention here that a person practicing ethical values with faith in honesty can still rise in business.  There are large number of examples like Krishnamoorthy for his group Infosys.