MBA Question/Answer: Is ethics a limiting factor in doing business?

@abrakadabra • Oct 26, 2024

Oct 26, 2024

1.7K

Any kind of Business or Management school faculty/panel respects the values that their organisation stands by. They want to know if you are aware of the college's values and mission statement. They want to know if you believe in basic ethics and abide by them or not.

Therefore, these kind of questions are definitely going to pop-up in your application form or the next interview. It is better to be prepared with an answer to the question: Is ethics a limiting factor in doing business?

How would you answer it with supporting comments and references? How would you convince the panel to select you on the basis of the answer to this question? Your answer could be both positive/negative - The point is how would you justify?

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Sunny Kichloo

@sunny-kichloo-GqMGZT • Dec 30, 2014

Before going for Any B-schools Interview go through there website and know about there vision.Read about there alumni Networks.Good B-school has Good Alumni Network,Give example of any Alumni whom they admire as a leader or Visionary.

In interview tell them how passionately they want to pursue this course in this institute.
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Koushal Patel

@koushal-C6mEgp • Dec 31, 2014

I strongly believe that, ethics at a larger platform depicts a picture starting from "how an organisation is breathing" to "how it's operating".

Ethics can be a limiting factor provided the "Ethics Book" has some more blank pages, a pen and a sensible writer. Everything changes with time and so as the people and the system. Amendments should be done from time to time.

Obeying to the Ethics wins the customer's attention and confidence.

So far my opinion is concerned, Ethics should be a limiting factor in doing business!! 😀😀
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Ankita Katdare

@abrakadabra • Dec 31, 2014

#-Link-Snipped-# Not sure how alumni can help in answering about ethics. Could you elaborate?

#-Link-Snipped-# You mean that ethics 'should be' a limiting factor, that means to protect the companies ethics (or vision, values etc) it's ok for the business to suffer a little? Correct me if I am wrong.

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Koushal Patel

@koushal-C6mEgp • Dec 31, 2014

Ankita Katdare
#-Link-Snipped-# You mean that ethics 'should be' a limiting factor, that means to protect the companies ethics (or vision, values etc) it's ok for the business to suffer a little? Correct me if I am wrong.
If I am saying, ethics should be a limiting factor, I am assuming that company's Ethics policy is a custodian of each and every rules and regulations following which company's doing are purely as per the law.
My answer is Yes to your question, "You mean that ethics 'should be' a limiting factor, that means to protect the companies ethics (or vision, values etc) it's ok for the business to suffer a little?"
We can see number of Indian companies who are suffering (various cases like 2G spectrum, Coal Block etc are pending in court). They have not followed their company's ethics which, I believe, never ever wants the company to be remain indulge in any matter and remain in any unlawful activity which, in future might cause any issue for them!! Kindly let me know if my understanding sounds odd!! 😀😀

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Ankita Katdare

@abrakadabra • Jan 1, 2015

Yes, that understanding sounds about right. I am sure any b-school values its ethics and loves the applicant who can stand by these ethics with a reason convincing enough.
I think candidates can give an example of a situation (they've heard of or experienced), where a company has benefited from living up to its ethics, to support their answer.

An example of this is a story I heard a few days back. A firm that specialized in selling cockroach-killing spray had its field workers explain how to use it from door-to-door. A manager in the company asked a fresher to do the demo. The fresher went to the client and did the demo and handed over the product. He forgot to ask how much to charge and therefore gave a random figure he had heard of. On returning, he narrated the incident to his manager, over which he got scolded. The manager and fresher returned to the client's house to return the money as the company isn't supposed to charge anything for the product given with a demo. Seeing their honesty and loyalty to the company, the client not only bought a couple more products, but also spread a word of goodwill in the neighborhood.

What say CEans? How would you convince the panel that ethics is NOT a limiting factor in business?
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Koushal Patel

@koushal-C6mEgp • Jan 1, 2015

Ankita Katdare
Yes, that understanding sounds about right. I am sure any b-school values its ethics and loves the applicant who can stand by these ethics with a reason convincing enough.
I think candidates can give an example of a situation (they've heard of or experienced), where a company has benefited from living up to its ethics, to support their answer.

An example of this is a story I heard a few days back. A firm that specialized in selling cockroach-killing spray had its field workers explain how to use it from door-to-door. A manager in the company asked a fresher to do the demo. The fresher went to the client and did the demo and handed over the product. He forgot to ask how much to charge and therefore gave a random figure he had heard of. On returning, he narrated the incident to his manager, over which he got scolded. The manager and fresher returned to the client's house to return the money as the company isn't supposed to charge anything for the product given with a demo. Seeing their honesty and loyalty to the company, the client not only bought a couple more products, but also spread a word of goodwill in the neighborhood.

What say CEans? How would you convince the panel that ethics is NOT a limiting factor in business?
Ekjactly #-Link-Snipped-# !! 😀 A nice example you put here... Thanks.

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mayank lavania

@mayank-lavania-5qwJcO • Jan 2, 2015

I do not agree with it. Ethics are a limiting factor in business. Even Mr. Ratan Tata admitted that if you are engaged in discussing about ethics, you are losing a lot of business. And even business schools know that. What they are trying to test is whether you will adapt to the situation, bend a rule a lil bit in your favour when required. If you go for one sided answer they will definitely put you in a situation where you will have to change your side.
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mayank lavania

@mayank-lavania-5qwJcO • Jan 2, 2015

And if you need example to support this you can draw examples from epics like mahabharat and all. Even lord krishna broke the rule of war when he made both the sides stand still when trying to convince arjun to fight against kaurvas. That was not ethically right. was it? and actually there is a whole article on this. I can post the link if you want.
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Sunny Kichloo

@sunny-kichloo-GqMGZT • Jan 4, 2015

Ankita Katdare
#-Link-Snipped-# Not sure how alumni can help in answering about ethics. Could you elaborate?
My bad i have taken question in incorrect way.As per me yes ethics is a limiting factor in doing business.

Sometime you have to do things in a business which may be limited by your ethics.

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Saumitra Trivedi

@saumitra-trivedi-Actzu9 • Dec 27, 2015

Hey all .... I am touching upon this subject pretty late, well I perceive this matter differently! I do not think ethics in business is a LIMITING factor , well, ETHICS ARE THE DEFINING FACTORS in business today! And hence they are increasingly governed by their COMPLIANCE policies!
It's not just include anti-corruption rules but also touches upon CSR (Corporate Social Responsibilities)
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