(Lake, A. , 2016, October 16)
Click the link below:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/oct/16/ofm-awards-2016-best-ethical-restaurant-silo#
Understanding:
The public health, the environment and the relationship with the neighbors are three main factors considered by the owner of the Silo, Dough Macmaster. Clearly, he provides us with an example of how business ethics are performed. He cares about the public health prior to any other factors; rather than purchasing cheap white wine locally, Mr. Macmaster has decided to import wine from Europe. Even though he met with a lot of disapproval on his decision, he is dedicated to demonstrating his care towards the quality of Silo’s foods and beverages. “At least 99% of what we buy will go into our customers’ bellies”, proudly said by Mr. Macmaster; for the sake of a sustainable environment, he has improved on the restaurant’s efficiency based on clients’ needs. Furthermore, Mr.Macmaster decides to share every day’s waste with several other local shops; by doing so, he builds up a good relationship between the community and his restaurant; he also reinforced the idea of sustainability with other regional business by sharing.
Insights
“They are capable of being extremely farsighted and clear-headed in matters that is internal to their businesses. They are incredibly shortsighted and muddleheaded in matters that are outside their businesses but affect the possible survival of business in general.”
-Friedman, M. (2010). (citation “text”)
Being a profit-seeker without looking into the outside of the business is shortsighted. As always, a executive with the understanding on business ethics will help a firm to succeed in the long run. The environment, public health and community are are all supposed to be taken into consideration by firms when making a decision that might have a potential impact on the surroundings. It is believed that helping the surrounding, and performing business ethics will result in a positive impact on not only the firm itself but also the free market.
Another short example which clearly states the importance of business ethics is demonstrated by Jack Ma, the founder of the Alibaba Group. With the goal of providing an online platform that supports small business to sell products and service, Jack Ma has helped the government by creating millions of job opportunities in China. He is not just a profit-seeker. He is an entrepreneur with the deep understanding of business ethics. Therefore, he is farsighted on how business ethics will have a potential influence on the growth of his business in the long run.
Back to the article. Mr. Macmaster, an executive of his business, has a perception towards business ethics. From picking coffee beans to white wine, from reducing the waste to sharing it with his neighbourhood, Mr.Macmaster is unafraid; he is unafraid about that the firm not gaining a profit in the short-run, unafraid of people’s disapproval and judgments, and unafraid to talk to the public about the brands and the price quality of supplies they use. As a matter of fact, Mr. Macmaster and his team have the mentality that allows them to grow their firm consistently and positively.
Citation in APA:
Image: Lake, A. (2016, October 16). [Douglas McMaster, chef-owner of Silo, Brighton.]. Retrieved September 12, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/oct/16/ofm-awards-2016-best-ethical-restaurant-silo#img-1
Text: Friedman, M. (2010). The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits. In Corporate Ethics and Corporate Governance (1st ed.). Retrieved September 12, 2017, from https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-3-540-70818-6
Article: Fox, K. (2016, October 16). OFM Awards 2016 best ethical restaurant: Silo. Retrieved September 13, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/oct/16/ofm-awards-2016-best-ethical-restaurant-silo