Secondary abstract: |
In the modern business environment, companies are faced with the demand of basing their operations on ethical business practices. Whenever a business is founded based on suitable ethical practices, the company finds it much easier to develop at all levels and in all directions. This becomes apparent both in the company’s relationship with its business environment – for example, in its dealings with business partners and banks –, as well as with its internal environment, i.e. co-worker relations and workplace satisfaction. In the first part of the graduate thesis, we examined the theoretical starting points for researching ethics and the latter’s influence on business operations. Appropriate ethical company practices support the comprehensive development of an organization – from an economic, social and environmental perspective. For the purposes of our research, we looked into the normative starting points for a company’s ethical business practices, focusing on examining their codes of ethics. In our case study, we selected the code of ethics of the Slovenian Managers’ Association of Slovenia, which companies may choose to implement. In the second part of the graduate thesis, we looked at the business ethics of two companies: Mercator and Krka. These two companies have a long-standing tradition on the Slovenian market. Through their actions, they have set an example for other market participants. Based on the examined state of the ethical conduct of the selected companies, we also formulated recommendations for improving the ethical conduct of Slovenian companies. Employee education and their training are the strongest factors supporting an improvement in the field of ethical standards in companies. |