OPRAH'S ETHICS & SOCIAL RESPONSIBLITY

Oprah’s have stated that “She have never planned one thing ever. She has been led by strong instinct, and have made choices based on what was right for her at the time”. Oprah’s approach towards business has taught her some hard lessons, as a result of her nontraditional approach to business. Harpo Productions, Inc. started out with only five employees and no management controls or development programs putting a strain on the production company. She operated the production company like a family. Oprah have stated “After a while, you can’t see everybody; you can’t talk to everybody. Oprah deciding that she needed more people to run Harpo Productions, Inc.  She hired a consultant to establish a clear business process and develop an organization alignment within the Harpo Productions, Inc. Oprah’s approach towards ethical behavior in her business is “It’s all about attracting good people”.  She has always surround herself with people who are smarter in ways she not. She encourages input from her colleagues and staff. Her ethical guidelines for the Harpo Productions, Inc. she have stated “I don’t yell at people, I don’t mistreat people.  I don’t talk down to people. She wishes no one in her vicinity, has the right to do it”. Her philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at that moment put you in the best place for the next moment. She feels that real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know if you did it or not. This is why she has built a strong foundation and is accountable for her actions, having a sense of pride in effort to do the right thing, even if she is the only one to know it. Oprah’s social responsibility for her production company is her communication, leadership, and motivation skills.

When we look at workplace ethics, let understand the benefits of ethics in the workplace.  An organization that has established code of conduct and ethics always functions better, and has a great image among the employee.  When the code of ethics has guides there are employees who make challenging decisions.  This is quality also maintains complete professionalism in the workplace. It enforces a strong group ethics which turn ensures the quality of the product and services provided by the organization, as none of it is compromised due to a lack of ethics.  This is the role of ethics in the workplace, a role so essential to ensure optimum functioning of the organization.