BUSINESS ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: THE STUDENTS’ FOUNDATION ON BECOMING SOCIALLY ACCOUNTABLE CITIZENS

From the idea that school is the second home of the students, the perspectives on education have evolved from simply decoding verbal lessons and interpreting reading materials to practice real-life situations responses and future career training. As awareness among people widens, the vision and mission of schools specify which goes back to defining the core values of the Department of Education namely love for God, love for fellow men, love for nature, and love for the country. Thus, education, indeed, should center on the enhancement of students’ knowledge and skills while targeting character development.

The real goal of education should involved in classrooms as it reflects how education influences the lives of the students as an individual in the present and the future. True enough, schools nowadays have different ways of including character development in their teaching system after having found how it contributes to the growth of the learners — it could be incorporated into the programs, protocols, activities, or even subjects.

In Accountancy, Business and Management Strand, a subject entitled Business Ethics and Social Responsibility bridges the principles of business to students by relating it with their code of conduct. In the academic year 2017-2018, business ethics was defined to be actions done by an individual or group that were assessed by other people to be good or bad. Meanwhile, social responsibility was explained as the effects of business operations on society. People who lack knowledge of the subject may think that it is purely about business. However, the words “ethics” and “responsibility” have more to say which play a crucial role in molding the students into socially accountable citizens.

An Accountable Member of the Family

Everyone who is a part of a family may be a sibling, a parent, or a child. Like an organization, a home is governed by the standards to keep the relationship balanced, firm, and progressive. Thus, decisionmaking must be included as it can either break or strengthen the bond that holds everyone. Upon learning Business Ethics and Social Responsibility, students are given situations that require critical thinking and problem-solving skills. By presenting reasons backed up with laws and policies, they can provide an arguable solution. However, how valid the solution is depends primarily on how one decides to interpret the problem. Hence, they undergo the process of weighing factors that should be considered in coming up with an ethical decision. According to the managing director of Management Training and Development Ltd., Sean McPheat, there are 5 reasons why decision-making skills are significant in management; two of them imply that they prevent conflict and increase productivity. Having said that, to be able to be an accountable member of the family, decision-making allows the students to learn about how to avoid misunderstandings through calculating the risks and minimizing the hazards. Hence, a healthy and strong foundation at home can be maintained.

ANACCOUNTABLEMEMBEROFTHEWORKFORCE

One of the main goals of education is to prepare students to become competitive and productive individuals. A typical classroom setting mirrors a workplace wherein the employees are accomplishing tasks that are part of their respective jobs. Through business ethics, one is guided by the protocols stated in their job descriptions which aim neither to harm nor maltreat anyone in and out of the premises where social responsibility can be applied. When the workers act together to achieve that, that is when teamwork comes into existence. In the same way, the subject promotes teamwork with the use of collaboration, brainstorming, and interactive activities. Alliance was introduced to be beneficial to the development of the students for advantageous reasons such as (1) it contributes to individual growth; (2) it shares the weight of the load with the team members; (3) it increases productivity; and (4) it improves one’s creativity. This practice enables the learners to expand their capabilities and widen their understanding towards becoming of being intellectual and well-mannered individuals — for an accountable member of the workforce knows how to communicate and cooperate with his colleagues to ensure a positive and efficient work environment.

An Accountable Member of the Community

Some will say that it takes maturity to become an official member of the community but for Business Ethics and Social Responsibility, the obligations of the person start with his will to be knowledgeable about his duties in the community. In school, the election of the officers is conducted to guarantee that peace and order in the institution are secured. However, to execute them properly, it takes the whole group to be followers and leaders at the same time. Business Ethics and Social Responsibility foster leadership that inspires and motivates other students through the implementation of projects that focus on influencing the thinking of the target people. Leadership is essential to the success of the organization for the reason that it affects the mindset of individuals to perform given duties without having to remind them especially when no one is around. Being an accountable member of the community requires a person to take on his initiative which is why schools train students to deal with things without being ordered. It can be seen in simple actions like falling in line, finishing a task ahead of time, and segregation of waste voluntarily. If one student can do that, others might be encouraged to do the same. Thus, better and greater results can be obtained. It is with proper education, discipline, commitment, and dedication that a person can be guided towards being an accountable member of the community.

-oOoThe author is Teacher III at Aliaga National High School