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Assess the role of Anglo American acting as a moral agent in its mining projects. Moral agent behaves in a manner consistent with morality, recognizes morality as a dative for action and not only follows moral principles but also acknowledges morality as his or her principal (Grafton & Gears, 2005). A moral agent is anyone capable of making ethical decisions and putting them into action. The role of Anglo American acting as a moral agent makes them accountable for the predictable results of its actions. In practical terms, this means Anglo American has a responsibility to the public to act ethically.
The role of Anglo American acting as a moral agent in its mining projects can be discussed with the help of below points. 1) act. In other words, because Anglo American has power, it also has the responsibility to make ethical decisions. As a result of that Anglo American is committed to operating with strong ethical principles. They expect employees to take personal responsibility for ensuring that their conduct complies with these principles and encourage all stakeholders to raise concerns about potential breaches or any other legal or ethical issues with management.
We can see that Anglo American was investing in local communities and acting ethically which is burdensome to business but very much ethically aware (classy and cultural, 2014). ) Effects: Acting as a moral agent, it is very important for Anglo American to understand that their business decision, whether ethical or not, will affect the world, starting with their employees and their customers and extending to the larger community. According to Unveiled (2012), in 2012 Anglo American platinum sacks 12000 striking South African miners after three week strike while two deaths reported amid latest unrest.
This move had an effect on the lives of 2012 as well as the whole South African community as well. 3) Viability: As a Moral Agent, Anglo American’s actions can affect its viability within its industry. For example, when the Anglo American support environmentally friendly supplier to the business that might not last long if its competitors choose low-cost supplier to undercut its prices. 4) Responsibility: Anglo American and its all members are responsible for the effects of its initiatives.
But top-level managers often have access to information that low level employees do not, so they bear a larger portion of responsibility for the organization’s decision. So Anglo American has to be very careful about the moves they take as an organization because they have to bear the responsibility in case of anything wrong. 5) Legality: Government regulations control the behavior of Anglo American and protect the public from unethical practices to some degree. But the morality is solely depending on the actions of the organization. Or example, Anglo American might comply with the government code of conduct on South African mines but it’s up to them to reveal its true value which might not reflect the its true value. Empowerment, how well does Anglo American operate ethically? Employee Involvement Employee involvement is commonly defined as a range of processes designed to engage the support, understanding and optimum contribution of all employees in an organization and their commitment to its objectives (Accord, 2003). Anglo American’s purposes in encouraging greater employee involvement are perhaps best captured organization.
To enable Anglo American to better meet the needs of its customers and adapt to changing market requirements. Hence to maximize its future prospects and the prospects of those who works in it. To help Anglo American to improve performance and productivity ad adopt new methods of working to match new technology, drawing on the resources of knowledge and practical skills of all its employees. To improve the satisfaction employees get from their work. To provide all employees with the opportunity to influence and be involved in decisions those are likely to affect their interests.
It is very important to understand that the degree of involvement and participation determines the extent to which employees are able to influence decisions in their workplace. The mechanisms for achieving employee involvement can be discussed with below points. 1) Involve employees in discussions: The first step in developing the mechanisms for the employee involvement is to involve the employees in the concussions and the decision making. Looking at the Anglo American seems to be following this ethical approach.
They are achieving this through an important process called stakeholder engagement. This enables it better to understand the perspectives and priorities of external groups and employees that are affected by its activities and to factor them into its decision making process (Business case studies, 2014). 2) Map out a Giant chart: Second step in the developing the mechanism for the employee involvement in Anglo American is to get the employee and start to break down how they will implement their strategy. Giant chart should be mapped out to see the time line and all the necessary planning.