Unit 5 Discussion Board

The most compelling topic I have learned is to demonstrate ethical leadership and
management in a challenging business occurrence. Particularly how different organizational
occurrences require leadership and how others require management. I learned that leadership is
concerned more with organizing and motivating people to achieve organizational goals (Smart et
al., 2019). The PALEDENIM and UWEAR case study has provided different perspectives that
business owners need to consider during mergers. I learned that merging firms need a leadership
that is mindful of the unique features and challenges and develops a unified mission to achieve
their strategic goals.
The course has offered a deeper perspective on some ethical considerations regarding
employee activities. Specifically, the discernment of giving and receiving gifts leads to a conflict
of interest. This course was an eye-opener on the different ethical theories that leaders and staff
can rely on to make ethically conscious decisions. This course has helped me understand
precisely how organizations can develop and cultivate ethical cultures. I learned that
organizations could influence employee behavior and organizational culture through
organization mission, vision and value statements, and codes of conduct (Smart et al., 2019). I
have learned that organizations need to develop codes of conduct that encompass all
stakeholders’ interactions, such as with customers, suppliers, the government, and employees.
I learned that organizations can rely on no shortage of material, programs, and processes
to develop a values-driven culture of integrity. CEOs can use employee education, training and
ethical decision-making models to instill integrity into employee behavior (Weber 2014).

How participating in the discussions helped my understanding of the subject matter
I have reviewed and responded to my classmates to offer additional thoughts on their
discussion. This increased the depth with which I analyzed the subject matter. After reviewing
my classmates’ responses to my and other students’ discussions, I gained a more diverse
perspective on the matter under discussion, which helped me understand concepts better. I
pointed out several instances where my classmates’ views differed and critically analyzed why
they held such views. My classmates’ discussions were supported by course text and other
scholarly sources. I reviewed some of the sources to increase my knowledge base on the subject
matter.
Participating in the discussions created an opportunity for every classmate to have a
voice. Such peer-to-peer engagement is an essential learning tool that helps focus on the subject
matter (Wei & Chou, 2020). The discussions offered me the opportunity to improve my
presentation skills through the feedback I got from my instructor. I enjoyed referring to the
UWEAR and PALEDENIM case study in my discussion. Some of the discussion topics required
us to think beyond the course content and critically analyze concepts to contribute meaningfully
to the discussion.
My course instructor has encouraged me to use additional resources to expand my
perspective on the subject matter. Through this, I have learned how to use reliable and credible
sources of information to support my discussions.

Which approaches could have yielded additional valuable information?

The approaches in this course have provided adequate opportunities for peer-to-peer and
student-instructor constructive engagement. This, together with course text and additional
sources of information, has yielded a significant amount of valuable information. The prompts in
the course involved theoretical and application questions, which also provided additional
information. I had also reviewed practical organizational material when I reviewed Levi Strauss’
code of conduct. Information in the code of conduct was valuable because I could compare the
code of conduct against ethical theories in the course text and additional sources. The
information I have gained from the activities mentioned above was precious. However, I think
that other forms of evaluation could have yielded more valuable information. We have focused
on just one case study involving the merger between UWEAR and PALEDENIM. Though we
covered many topics under this scenario, an additional case study would have allowed us to
analyze other matters related to leadership and ethical decision-making. For instance, we would
have been allowed to research an ethical issue in an organization with a global outlook, such as
Walmart or Amazon. Such an opportunity would have allowed us to critically analyze ethical
issues in practical terms and analyze what does or doesn’t work. We would have seen how the
organization dealt with the ethical issue and given our perspectives about whether or not we
agree with how it dealt with it. Another approach that would have yielded more additional
valuable information is reviewing case law. Reviewing case law allows learners to distinguish
between civil and criminal issues (Maharg 2000). From some readings, I gathered that some
unethical issues are not necessarily criminal in nature in case law.
In conclusion, this course has been a revelation in many aspects of leadership and ethical
decision-making. Participating in the discussions has provided a unique academic engagement
experience.

References

Maharg, P. (2000). Rogers, constructivism and jurisprudence: educational critique and the legal
curriculum. International Journal of the Legal Profession, 7(3), 189–203.
https://doi.org/10.1080/096959500750142981
Smart, L., Kimble, C., Birch, J., Smith, R., Whitaker, G., & Editorial Board. (2019). Leadership
and Ethical Decision Making (2nd ed.). Words of Wisdom, LLC.
Weber, J. (2014). Investigating and Assessing the Quality of Employee Ethics Training
Programs Among US-Based Global Organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 129(1),
27–42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2128-5
Wei, H. C., & Chou, C. (2020). Online learning performance and satisfaction: do perceptions and
readiness matter? Distance Education, 41(1), 48–69.
https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2020.1724768