Social & Ethical Issues in Management
Brief Background/History of Corporation
Epitech is a technology company that creates and develops software for administrative use for other corporations. The company was founded in the year 2009 and has since then grown to become one of the renowned software technology companies in the region. The headquarters of the company is situated in the state of Virginia. The company is best known for its Omega software system which is employed by numerous corporations for their everyday administrative use. Epitech was officially established on 2nd April 2009 by James Hunt with the main intent of creating software for personal use. However, the company took a turn for the positive when the software developed were picked up by other corporations and has since then went on to become one of the most sought after software technology companies. Five years since its inception, Epitech has been able to produce software for over fifteen companies. The company intends on improving its status to become one of the best institutions to work in. This is not only through having a proper work environment for its employees but it is also through ensuring that a code of ethics that will guide the company is put in place.
Your leadership style as the Founder and CEO
Leadership can basically be described as an intricate process and practice of directing individuals towards the attainment of particular and distinct objectives and aims which have already been predefined. During the course of history, individuals have at all times strived to attain leadership positions. Each individual’s style of leadership has a significant demeanor on how successfully an organization attains and achieves its objectives. This is particularly true when it comes to individuals who have key responsibilities and accountabilities to undertake and are in positions that necessitate making decisions. In recent years, the whole conception of leadership has changed and transformed as newfangled information is revealed, espoused and implemented. The different styles of leadership aid and facilitate in the realization and attainment of the mission and maintenance roles of an organization. Essentially, there are three fundamental styles of leadership which are situational styles of leadership, multifactor style of leadership and democratic style of leadership (Lester, 1975: 20).
Being the founder and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, my main style of leadership will be a transactional style of leadership and a democratic style of leadership. This is also referred to as a participative leadership style. It encompasses the stimulation of personnel to be part and parcel of the whole practice of making decisions. It also comprises ensuring that the personnel are up-to-date and well-versed or conversant regarding all that pertains to what influences their work and sharing in the responsibility of solving problems and making decisions. Through this style of leadership, I will be able to promote and foster open communication within the organization and be able to have operational members of the company to participate in the process of decision making (Germano, 2010) The democratic style of leadership will basically in a simple manner be able to share the whole burden of leadership and one that will enable me as the CEO of the organization to foster a sense of satisfaction and attainment as the personnel makes advancement on the everyday responsibilities that they undertake. This style of leadership will enable me to be successful as being the leader of the company I will be able to help the employees, comprehend the strides necessary in realizing the vision, mission and objectives of the company. One of the positives of this style of leadership is that the employees react to this form of leadership by becoming more responsible and accountable for the performance and achievement of tasks. By making the employees feel as if they have a stake in the company, there will be much more productivity from them and this will be an advantage for the company.
A transactional leader is assumed to basically place major emphasis on maintaining the associations and affiliations generated and created within and outside the company rather than inspiring and motivating for novelty and originality (Kuhnert and Lewis, 1987: 65). This is the style of leadership that is being employed in Epitech Technologies. It has numerous benefits in the sense that the strong relationships that are created instigate a synergy that will be of great importance to the company. The company is greatly aware of the different stakeholders of the company and the leaders concentrate and focus on the needs of the workers, the shareholders and also the different stakeholders.
Leadership selection processes (How you selected your leadership team)
Selecting leaders for an organization is very important. This is because most companies spend minimal time and effort in selecting the right leaders and spends the rest of their time trying to correct this problem. Epitech Technologies undertakes a rigorous and fair selection system that ensures that all of the employees who are given leadership positions are the right ones for such particular positions. The first step of this process encompasses clearly defining the qualities and characters of the perfect candidate. This is by clearly looking at the leadership positions open for the candidates and thereafter keenly looking at what it is exactly that the company is looking for. Some of these attributes include being able to work together with other individuals as a team, being able to think critically and also the individuals need to have passion for software development and programming as this is the core activity that is undertaken by Epitech technologies. Once this is determined, the whole process of selection is put in place. Epitech first of all considers the in-house employees for any opening positions as they are already members of the company and have diverse understanding of what the company stands for and undertakes. However, if none of the employees are best suited for such positions or if such positions are more than the candidates, then the company goes ahead and advertises for such positions. The company subsequently collects the different applications made for the positions and thereafter compares the qualifications of the applicants with the minimum qualifications of such positions. The candidates are taken through three rounds of interviews. The first interview is an online aptitude test. The second phase of selection is another aptitude test that is undertaken within the premise of the company and has a time duration. Finally once the candidates prevail through these two interview processes they go ahead and get interviewed by a panel to consider their passion, outlook and attitude to see whether it goes in line with that of the company. Epitech Technologies ensures that this process is a fair and evenhanded one. The company’s main objective is to ensure that the leaders selected are in sync with what the company stands for (Goodall, 2007: 6).
Formal and Informal Systems of Epitech
Organization usually comprise of labor forces or workforces, therefore it can be deemed as a social and financial entity. Present day companies are enormous with regards to the number of employees hired. For this reason, it becomes quite challenging and difficult for the employer and the personnel to have constant direct contact. A formal system of an organization encompasses the authorized and sanctioned chain of command and channels of authority, with their extents of control and regulation. The informal system of an organization encompasses the manner in which the authorized and sanctioned regulations are conveyed or disrupted through the unofficial practices of juniors or employees in the lower level. These two kinds of structures within an organization highlight and elucidate the difference between processes and communications in businesses which are arranged by written guidelines and those which hinge on individual interaction and relations within groups and teams in the workplace. The following analysis indicates the two kinds of system in Epitech.
1.
Formal System
The formal system of the company will take up a hierarchical structure. At the top most level of the system will be the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company. The system then branches out to the managers who head the various departments of the company. This includes the Human Resource Manager who is in charge of all matters pertaining the employee welfare and recruitment, the Software Development or Information Technology Manager who will be in charge of the operations and activities concerning the development and publication of the software. Lastly there will be the finance and sales manager who will be in charge of the financial operation of the company and also the sales of the software products developed by the company. Each of these managers will be followed by their subordinates in each of their individual departments.
2.
Informal System
The informal system of the company on the other hand will take up a network system of where all the employees in various departments will play an integral part in the success and operation of the company. Being a software company, it is imperative to appreciate and take note of the novelty that the employees have. Therefore, the conceptions and ideas that will be forwarded by the employees on all ranks will be taken into consideration. This will not only increase the level of hard work and determination by the employees but at the same time will ensure that the employees gain a sense of ownership towards the progression of the company.
The following diagram illustrates the formal and informal systems of the company.
Source: http://www.octopus-hr.co.uk/hrmoz/article/ways-org-network-analysis-can-help-you.aspx
As can be seen in the illustration above, in the formal system, the lowest ranked employee, in this case Stern, appears to have minimal impact in the company’s operations. According to this system, this employee barely has any contribution in the decision making process of the company. The key decisions made for the operation and functioning of the company are made by the top most ranking officials, in this case, Safarikas who would translate to the CEO of the company, and Baker, Jolley, McDonald and Couch who would be the head managers of the various departments of the company. The informal structure on the other hand, goes against the formal structure of the company. However, this contradiction is to the advantage of the company. This is for the reason that different from the formal system, Stern who is the lowest ranked employee in the company plays an integral role in the informal system of the company. This is through the different networking that takes place in the informal system that is more often than not created by the employees of the company. This will be of great advantage to Epitech technologies in the sense that the informal system will create a synergy amongst the employees and therefore increase their level of productivity.
Employee Engagement (incentives, benefits/perks, career path, etc.)
According to Kruse (2012), employee engagement can be defined as the passionate and demonstrative commitment that the employee has with regards to the company and its objectives. This sort of commitment and obligation implies that the employees that are engaged in actual fact are concerned for the welfare of the company and that of their work as well. Employee engagement has come to be a chief business concern for high-ranking officials in organizations. In this quick phased economy, corporate executives and officers recognize that having a workforce that is highly productive and has great levels of performance is important for development and continued existence for the company. They are highly aware and cognizant that an exceedingly engaged labor force can bring about a rise in invention, production, and performance and at the same time decrease the amount of expenses associated to employing and maintenance in vastly competitive marketplaces (Harvard Business Review, 2013).
Employee engagement is one of the significant human resource practices, which can nurture and develop an ethical environment. According to research undertaken by the Ethics Resource Center (2011:38), by nurturing and increasing the level of employee engagement can improve the level of ethical behavior within an organization. Statistics from the survey report indicate that seventy two percent of the participants in the survey indicated that if they engaged employees, they would have a higher likelihood of reporting any incident or case of ethical violation as compared to the fifty five percent of the participants who would be weakly engaged or non-engaged employees. Epitech plans on having numerous ways of engaging the employees as this will be a comparative advantage for the company in the market place.
1.
Assigning Company Values
Epitech conveys and allocates the values of the organization to a particular employee at the end of every month on the basis of a voting process done by the fellow workmates. The employee who displayed or demonstrated such values is recognized for his actions and deeds and handed out the employee of the month award with a bonus amount for that particular month. This will ensure that the employees strive to follow the values and principles set out by the organization (Cook, 2008:94).
2.
Personal projects
Being a software technology company, it is expected that majority of the tech employees also have individual and personal conceptions that they wish to turn into a reality. For this reason, Epitech offers the employees one day every week for pursuing their own individual projects. Letting the employees who work in various departments of the company to link and interconnect ideas can aid in obtaining a fresh outlook or angle on things. Developments and creativities can instigate and open new ways, inspiring an ingenuity and flow of energy that would simply be of great advantage to the remaining working hours. This is also a way of ensuring that there is work-life balance. (Cook, 2008: 107).
3.
Letting groups create their own values and ideals
Majority of the tasks undertaken by the company is done through groups or teams. Epitech allows each team to come up with and develop its own culture and rules as this is usually deemed to be much more enjoyable. Collaboration and synergy of the team is something that is difficult to achieve and it is by all means not a fast one to realize. However, it is an element that is imperative for the overall performance of the team project. Allowing teams to come up with their own rules and values aid the different Epitech groups to hasten the process of proper project performance.
4.
Empowering and Respecting Company personnel
Epitech encourages that respect ought to be the foundation of every interaction and communication that is undertaken within the different departments. This is particularly important with regards to the employees in various chains of command. Another way of engaging the employees that is done by the company is by empowering them. By handing the employees the power to make individual decisions gives them more responsibility and accountability towards the company. The employees are allowed to become their own leaders and therefore perceive themselves as part and parcel of the company. This will be more effective for the company as opposed to micromanaging the employees (Cook, 2008:143).
5.
Encouraging learning and development of skills
The company is based in an industry that is constantly developing and progressing due to advancements in information technology. Epitech stimulates and supports personnel to attain and hone new skills in software or in their different fields. This is beneficial for the company as it will not only motivate the workers but also make sure they are well prepared. At the same time, it will increase the level of satisfaction of the employees.
6.
Mentoring
One of the major aspects of employee engagement is instigating the sense of adaptation and growth within the organization. Epitech specifically does this through mentoring newbies and incoming employees. This makes the employees feel as if they are part of a team and more so that they are able to learn all that pertains to the company in an easy way (Cook, 2008:185).
7.
Encouraging innovation and attainments
One of the ways of ensuring that the employees are committed and dedicated not only to the company but to their work as well is by ensuring that their hard work and achievements are recognized as well as appreciating them. A simple remark such as “Good Job” to an employee goes a long way in motivating and stimulating the employee to work even harder. Another way is celebrating what is realized and attained by the teams. Creating a software program to its completion is not an easy task and takes several months of hard work. Therefore it is important to appreciate when such tasks are realized as they easily bring teams together and become even more hard working (Albrecht, 2010: 383).
8.
Increasing benefits/perks
Commitment and devotion to the company is the main element in employee engagement. Offering the employees benefits and perks such as bonuses and increased remuneration enhances this. These are incentives which make the employee to become more engaged towards their work and staying loyal to the company (Garber, 2007: 35).
9.
Retelling the mission, vision and values of the company
Every so often, it is important to place emphasis what it is that the company represents and symbolizes. The employees have to be reminded why they do what they do for the company every so often. They are stakeholders of the company and therefore the mission and values of the organization ought to be important to them (Cook, 2008:98).
10.
Providing required resources
Employees become more committed and devoted to the company and to their work if they have all the resources that they require in their . Epitech ensures that the employees have the latest devices which are optimal in undertaking their tasks. This is important for the reason that not only does it make the job of the employees to become much simpler it also stimulates the employees to capitalize their time and extra effort in their work (Garber, 2007: 65)
Foreseeable Ethical Issues and the protocol/approach for resolving ethical issues
1.
Marketing Ethical Issues
It is with great certainty that in the present day business and corporate world, ethics and accountability are key elements for any kind of business and organization whether it is a multinational company or a small company. Whereas there are plenty of arguments and controversial public debates regarding how distinct accountabilities are laid out and highlighted and implemented or executed in the marketplace, it is with certainty that either way they are of great significance and importance. For this reason, these ethical issues can be foreseen whether they are prospects or difficulties and dealt with in the marketplace all over the world. These foreseeable ethical issues can easily be handled before they become grave issues for any organization (Baker and Hart, 2008:559).
Marketing ethics is one of the foreseeable ethical issues that might have an impact on Epitech as a company. Marketing ethics takes into account the values and ideals that outline and elucidate the standard or conventional conduct in the marketplace (Ferrell, 2007:1) Marketing more often than not takes place in the formal setting of an organization and unethical issues commonly come about from the burden or stress to meet performance goals. Some palpable ethical issues in marketing consist of straightforward endeavors to mislead or take advantage of a state of affairs. These ethical issues are foreseeable for the reason that all companies or institutions experience substantial threats from ethical misconduct and prohibited behavior from employees and managers on a (Ferrell, 2007:2).
2.
Use of illegal software
As a result of constraints in time and money, it can be quite easy for the software developers in the company to make use of a software copy that is pirated or also make a violation of software license. In actual fact, on previous occasions a number of large global corporations have been found making use of software copies that have been pirated or even violating the rules and regulations that have been set for the software technology realm. In solving this particular ethical issue, Epitech technologies plans on taking a preemptive and hands-on approach to make certain that there is no piracy done by employees. One way that the company plans to do this is by creating a publication that clearly states the manner in which the employees and personnel ought to use software. This publication will offer the employees guidelines and information such as the fines and penalties that Epitech as well as the employees will face if piracy is done as well as providing solutions to commonly asked questions about software use (Garett and Lewis, 2010: 5).
3.
Using Source open code
This ethical issue is bound to arise when the company’s developers or software engineers make use of an open-source code in their own code but do not adequately or correctly credit the source of the code. There are three distinct types of open source codes. These are licensed source codes, copyrighted source codes and public domain. The first one consists of a general public license which explains or provides information on how the software as well as the source code ought to be copied, distributed or changed (Garett and Lewis, 2010: 7). With regards to copyrighted source code, it can be openly published on a website with the consent of the author for the developer to make use of the source code as long as the author is given credit for the source code in the code that is being developed. The public domain does not bring about any ethical issues. Epitech technology has to be wary of this probable ethical issue because more often than not programmers are inclined to spend minimal or no time at all as well as funds to ensure that quality assurance tests are undertaken. This is for the reason that the developers know that they are not unequivocally responsible for any kind of harm or damage that results from the software as long as they openly assert that in the user agreement or even documentation for the software and license. However, it is imperative to note that this is unethical and can tarnish or ruin the brand of the company (Garett and Lewis, 2010: 4).
Epitech has to be apprehensive of such ethical issues because these sorts of ethical problems in the software sector can bring about legal consequences, for instance civil legal cases and penalties, and it can also bring about business consequences, for instance a tumbledown repute and status that will have an adverse effect on the company revenue transactions. Epitech plans on solving this major ethical issue through a number of ways. To start with, the company will employ a compliance risk officer to make certain that the licenses are being employed in a proper manner. This is because supervisory bodies can easily discover when a company violates software copyright as well as rules for licensing (Garett and Lewis, 2010: 10). Having a compliance officer will ensure that there will be no instances of the illegal use of software. The company also plans on making legal consultations with the law officers for any arising issues to ensure that the company’s reputation is not tarnished. However, since most of the software developed by the company is published, Epitech plans on ensuring that all of its employees are well-versed on the ethical concerns surrounding use of open-source codes (Garett and Lewis, 2010: 10).
Code of Ethics for Epitech Technologies
Epitech technologies Company and its personnel follow the four obligatory canons that are instituted by the code of ethics.
1.
Code of Ethics Preamble:
To ensure the safety and welfare of the nation at all times.
To be of diligent duty and service to the principals of Epitech Technologies as well to the fellow employees.
Follow and stick to the rules and regulations set by the company and display ethical behavior at all times.
2.
Code of Ethics Canons:
Protect the society that surrounds the company, the nation as well as the infrastructure that is placed in.
Act in an honorable manner at all times. Be honest and just in all company activities and be responsible and consider the law that has been set in place iii.
Employees and personnel are expected to offer hardworking and competent service to the executives or superiors of the company.
The employees have the duty to develop, advance or progress the profession of software development.
The following additional guidance is provided in furtherance of these objectives.
1.
Objectives for Guidance
In getting to the succeeding supervision, Epitech Technologies is wary and cognizant of its responsibility to:
Offer direction in finding apt solutions in moral v. moral and evil v. evil predicaments.
To embolden decent and moral behavior such as:
a.
Study and research
b.
Education
c.
Finding, mentoring, and supporting entrants for the profession
To discourage and refuse any behavior such as:
a.
Creating needless fright, anxiety, uncertainty, or doubt
b.
Providing unwarranted security or guarantee
c.
Consenting to bad practice
d.
Assigning weak structures to the public net
e.
Professional association with non-professionals
f.
Professional recognition of laypersons
g.
Correlating or giving the impression to associating with criminals or criminal behavior
It is obligatory and mandatory to comply with the canons preamble. Any arising conflicts or issues interrelated with the canons ought to be resolved in accordance to the ranking of the canons. It is imperative to note that the canons elucidated above are not of equal standing and any issues that arise between them are not purposed to generate ethical binds. These company values and ideals will be transferred down to the employees by implementing or executing an employee trainings and development program. This program will consist of aspects such as mentoring the employees and coaching them and also networking. The company will also undertake performance appraisals to ascertain whether such values are being displayed and demonstrated by the employees. Evaluation is imperative because the company will be able to understand the weak points and the strong suits of each and every employee.
Managing Social Responsibility
Social responsibility is described as the duty and responsibility of the management of an organization or company towards the society as a whole and also those can be perceived as stakeholders or concerned parties. Social responsibility is important and significant because organizations, companies or institutions are all entities of the society and therefore should react in kind to the demand that emanate from the society. It is imperative to note that if the management or top executives of a company do not respond towards the changes in terms of the demands made by the society, the society in turn will either give mandate for it to do so through rules and regulations or in turn the society will not allow the organization to continue being in existence. It is therefore because of this reason that the long-term concerns of the organization are deemed to be well considered and taken care of when the management takes up its social responsibilities (Trevino and Nelson, 2011: 318-321; Trevino and Nelson, 2011: 415).
The brand image and appearance of the organization or company is associated with the quality of the goods and merchandise produced as well as the customer service that they offer with regards to the magnitude to which it realizes and satisfies the expectations of the employees, the consumers, the owners, the government and the society as a whole. In order for any company or organization to attain success in the long run, it is imperative for the organization to have a proper appearance in the eyes of the public. Each and every organization or company is a part of the community and therefore the actions and activities in which it partakes has a great influence on the social order. As a result, it is imperative and significant for the top most executives to make considerations as to whether their rules, strategies and activities are expected to promote the good of the public, develop and progress the basic values of the community and increase the strength, strong suit and coherence of the society.
One of the ways in which I plan on ensuring social responsibility at Epitech is through implementing the Four Way Test. This is a method that was devised by Herbert Tayloy who was an entrepreneur and member of the Rotary Club at the period of the Great Depression. This test was initially developed as a course of action and as a guiding principle for reinstating wavering businesses. However, it was espoused later on as the main standard of ethics by the Rotary Club. This particular assessment is still perceived as a standard of ethics and social responsibility in the field of corporate management. Through this method, Epitech will make an assessment of its activities and undertakings by making consideration of four key questions. To start with, the company will consider whether its activities are truthful. Secondly, there is consideration as to whether these activities and undertakings are fair to all those who are concerned. Third of all, the company will consider whether these actions will result in better associations or increase the goodwill of the organization. Lastly, the company considered whether all the activities are of benefit to anyone and everyone that is concerned and has vested interest in the company.
The following diagram illustrates all of the stakeholders who Epitech ought to be socially responsible to:
Another way in which I will manage social responsibility at Epitech is to realize and recognize that aside from profit maximization of the company, being the CEO of the company I should ensure that the managers of the company take into account the interest of the other stakeholders of the company such as the employees, the clients, the government administration and the society in general. These vested different groups are influenced by the activities undertaken by the company in a direct or indirect manner as they are the stakeholders of the organization.
1.
Social responsibility towards owners
Being the founder and CEO of the company, I have to ensure that I do not have any biasedness by ensuring that the owner attains a fair-minded and evenhanded rate of return on capital and also a nondiscriminatory profit on return. As part owner of the company I have to ensure that the value of capital of the company increases but the whole process is done in a just and fair manner (Goyal and Goyal, 2009: 456).
2.
Responsibility towards the government
Encompassed in its social responsibility, I will ensure that Epitech conducts its business activities in a legal manner and one which is honorable and just. This consists of paying the taxes that are due and also ensures that the company does not partake in corrupt activities. I will also ensure that Epitech does not participate in any kind of exploitative and obstructive trade practices. I also plan on ensuring that Epitech’s commercial activities take into account of the economic and social guidelines of the government (Singla, 2009: 24).
3.
Responsibility towards the society and to the community
Epitech will ensure that it will be socially responsible to the society with regards to protecting the environs and regulation of pollution and effluence, hiring individuals who have disabilities and not turning them down, and offering reprieve and assistance to those in the society who have been adversely affected by natural disasters (Goyal and Goyal, 2009: 454; Trevino and Nelson, 2011: 394).
4.
Responsibility towards employees
Managing social responsibility towards the employees of Epitech is to ensure that the workers are remunerated and paid their wages as well as salaries in a fair manner and at the right time. It is also to ensure that the employees of the company have a work setting that is suitable and satisfactory, proper well-being of the employees and labor supervision relations. Epitech has to ensure that the employees’ wages are fixated with regards to the level of productivity, the set out wage rates in the state and also with regards to the significance of the tasks being undertaken. Epitech will socially be responsible with regards to the employees by ensuring that there is a cordial association between them and their superiors and juniors (Trevino and Nelson, 2011: 372). Another feature of social responsibility towards employees is for Epitech to make certain that it provides satisfactory welfare amenities such as well-being and safety of working conditions, medical services, and housing, cafeteria, leave of absence and retirement benefits (Goyal and Goyal, 2009: 456).
5.
Responsibility towards consumers
With such intense competition in the marketplace, giving proper service to the consumers ought to be one of the key concerns of the top executives in any organization. Epitech ought to be socially responsible by ensuring that its consumers and clients are not mistreated or offended by any unfair practices undertaken by the company and also any kind of unethical conduct in the business activities undertaken by the organization. One of these ways will be to make sure that the executive expect any sort of developments, ensuring the needs of the consumers are taken care of and that their interests are protected (Goyal and Goyal, 2009: 456). Epitech has to ensure that its software technology products developed and retailed have to be of the proper and set standard in terms of quality and accessibility of such products in suitable or satisfactory quantities and retailed at equitable and evenhanded prices. Part of being social responsible will be to ensure that the company does not resort to creating or generating simulated scarcity as well as fabricated and deceptive advertisements. This is for the reason that these consumers believe and follow the advertisements and therefore could end up being harmful if at all they are false and incorrect (Goyal and Goyal, 2009: 457).
Corporate Social Responsibility Plan
The corporate social responsibility strategy or plan of Epitech will consist of three aspects. The first part of the plan consists of charitable activities which the company will be involved in, though such activities might have probable benefits to the company. The second aspect of the strategy covers corporate social responsibility activities that are interdependent and mutually beneficial and projected to be of benefit to the net earnings of the organization as well as the social impact or environmental impact of their value chain associates, comprising the supply chain, distribution networks, or manufacturing processes. The third aspect of the plan covers activities and undertakings that are intended at essentially altering or transforming the company’s ecosystem. This change is projected to improve the position of Epitech in the long run, but regularly involves risks in the short run so as to generate societal importance.
1.
Charitable and Philanthropic activities
One of the components in the CSR plan for Epitech Technologies will be on philanthropy. This will be undertaken in the manner of providing funds to non-profit organizations and community service institutions. Epitech technologies will also offer charity in the form of in-kind contributions of merchandise and services to poor populaces as well as non-profit organizations. In particular, Epitech technologies hands out its charitable funds by foundations that are function and operate as separate entities from the main company. At the end of every fiscal year, the company contributes $20 million to different environmentally friendly, educational and altruistic establishments through the Epitech Charitable Foundation. In addition, every year, Epitech plans on donating $80 million in the form of software products to non-governmental organizations which can be of benefit in terms of their functioning and administration. These amounts can also be donated as funds to individuals who are in need (Rangan, Chase, and Karim, 2012: 7). With regards to this plan, Epitech takes part in corporate social responsibility not only because it a good deed to undertake but more so for the reason that the company is an organ of the society and therefore obligated to partake in satisfying the needs of the society. One of the ways in which the company will remain financially or economically responsible while being socially responsible is the fact that in as much as the company’s main objective is to increase environmental and social value, Epitech will at the same time generate a financial return. This will be due to the fact that planned philanthropy determinations possibly will yield intangible profits in the form of increase in recognition of the brand and , which sequentially might transform to commercial proceeds (Rangan, Chase, and Karim, 2012: 8).
2.
Improving the value chain
The main concern in this aspect of corporate social responsibility is enhancing business prospects level of profitability and at the same time generating both environmental and social values simply by enhancing the efficacy in operation all throughout the value chain. This encompasses effectiveness both upwards with regards to the supply chain as well as downwards with regards to the chain in distribution. Epitech technology plans on making use of this approach in corporate social responsibility for the reason that it makes recognition of the value in business with regards to inventing fresh technological solutions which bring a reduction in operational expenses and at the same time moderating and alleviating any kind of environmental effect. The enterprises of this aspect of CSR will be handled by the operational supervisor of Epitech who will not only place emphasis on ensuring that the company operations are more effective but at the same time increase revenue. The main objective in improving the value chain is because it enables the company to be able to improve on its net returns while at the same time being able to have a return on its social value. The most and approaches in this aspect make an effort to reconstruct a company’s whole value chain, together with any form of abstraction of natural resource and obtaining, production, freight and product distribution. Epitech Technologies plans on establishing a Code of Conduct that its whole chain of supply including the companies from which it obtains its computer products and devices from. The code of conduct of the company will necessitate that the employees ought to be fairly paid or remunerated and are not forced to work in an unhealthy and unconducive working environment and more so that the workers are given ethical kind of treatment at the workplace (Rangan, Chase, and Karim, 2012: 10).
3.
Conserving the Ecosystem
In this particular aspect of CSR, the business makes efforts to generate value in the society by substantially taking into account important not only social but also environmental needs that can be deemed to be within the scope of the company. It is imperative to note that different from the previous approaches conserving the ecosystem might not actually generate any instantaneous business profits. Epitech Technologies’ business operations do not directly have any massive negative environmental impact. However, it does discern that the customary separations that exist between the government sector, the business sector as well as the NGO sector are ineffectual and unproductive in resolving the global social and environmental problems. Taking this into consideration Epitech technology plans on making a change in alleviating global hunger as well as poverty in the long run. The company will undertake this endeavor by providing funding to organizations and foundations which aim to reduce the level of poverty that continues to negatively impact the global society (Rangan, Chase, and Karim, 2012: 11).
Conclusion
In the past five years, Epitech has grown from a small entity to a large company that appears to have great potential in the forthcoming periods. The company is best known for its Omega software system which is employed by numerous corporations for their everyday administrative use. Epitech was officially established on 2nd April 2009 by James Hunt. Five years since its inception, Epitech has been able to produce software for over fifteen companies. The company intends on improving its status to become one of the best institutions to work in. This is not only through having a proper work environment for its employees but it is also through ensuring that a code of ethics that will guide the company is put in place. The company makes consideration of all of its stakeholders ranging from the workers, to the employees, to the government and the society in general. Through this method, Epitech is able to make an assessment of its activities and undertakings by making consideration of four key questions. To start with, the company will consider whether its activities are truthful. Secondly, there is consideration as to whether these activities and undertakings are fair to all those who are concerned. Third of all, the company will consider whether these actions will result in better associations or increase the goodwill of the organization. Lastly, the company considered whether all the activities are of benefit to anyone and everyone that is concerned and has vested interest in the company.
Areas to develop and improve on There are a number of areas in which the company will have to place several considerations and improve on. To begin with, Epitech has to be wary of ethical issues because these sorts of ethical problems in the software sector can bring about legal consequences, for instance civil legal cases and penalties, and it can also bring about business consequences, for instance a tumbledown repute and status that will have an adverse effect on the company revenue transactions. Several companies in the software industry have in the past been discovered to be unethical in their practices and this has had a negative impact on not only its reputation but also on its consumer base and on its revenue levels. One major area that can be of great consequence to the company and that which needs to be highly considered is the use of open source codes. This is because the company cannot track every single move that is done by the software company as this will be unproductive. This ethical issue is bound to arise when the company’s developers or software engineers make use of an open-source code in their own code but do not adequately or correctly credit the source of the code (Garett and Lewis, 2010: 7). When regulatory bodies discover that the company has been in violation of these rules, it can be made to pay hefty and costly fines.
Another area that the company ought to improve on is in its leadership. It is with no doubt that transactional and democratic leadership is important for the company. This is because it ensures that there is a cordial manner of relationship within the company as the employees gain a sense of ownership within the company. More so, it has perks such as the refinement and development of relations and affiliations with different stakeholders of the organization. However, one major disadvantage of this leadership style is that it fails to place emphasis on novelty and invention. More so, in the present contemporary world that is continually moving forward as a result of advancements in information technology, the company might end up suffering a loss on its consumer base for the reason that consumers in this industry largely remain loyal with the company that retails quality products which are up-to-date and satisfactory to their advancing tastes and preferences. This in particular can be perceived with Apple Inc. which has had a change in style of leadership from a transformational style of leadership to a transactional style of leadership and has yet to unveil any new or novel product since this change (Reschke, 2014).
Personal reflection
Organizational leadership, culture, and structure are features and components of organizational behavior which create and shape or provide a framework of the way in which employees act on the basis of their outlooks and ideals and regulate how they implement the business standard and system of the organization. As shown above in the analysis of Epitech Technologies, it can be seen that through the style of leadership, the code of ethics, picking out leadership positions and also through social responsibility that the company is able to administer, control and regulate its personnel and execute its policies in various strategic levels (Stokyo, 2009: 65). I believe that Epitech Technologies Company has a bright future ahead of it. With the constant advancement and progression in the software development industry, there are vast potential and massive opportunities for the company to make the most of to ensure that it has become one of the biggest companies not only in the national industry but in the world as well. With investment, Epitech Technology will be able to increase its capacity in terms of software development by hiring more employees and increasing the number of offices. The main objective of the company is to grow globally and become one of the biggest multinational companies in the world. The future looks bright for Epitech.
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