Incorporating Ethics into Strategic Management with regards to Generation Y's view of Ethics

Abstract

Generation Y also called the Net Generation or Millennials (Tyler 2007) refers a collaborator of the population larger than the Baby Boom generation. With approximately 80 million people born from mid-1980's to 2000 this group is the most recent generation to enter the workforce. Workplaces are being redefined and organizations are being pressed to adaptation as this new wave of workers inspire into business environments. It is widely accepted that distinct generational experiences shape ethical ideologies and thus ethical ideologies in turn affect the way people function in the workplace. Age-based differences in perspective and complaints about other generations are certainly not a new phenomenon. Businesses committed to high ethics standards know how important it is to create a shared sense of values and a cohesive culture rooted in integrity where organizational values and personal values align. Shaped by significant events societal trends and the cultures of their organizations each generation develops its own unique perspective of what constitutes right and wrong behavior on the job. Correspondingly Gen Y's unique collaboration experiences are likely to shape their ethical ideologies and consequent workplace judgments and actions. In this study we examine Gen Y's ethical ideology and its reflections on strategic management essentials. This group of people is an important part of the workforce since they are the near future managers of the business life. The purpose of the research is to better understand the impacts of Generation Y's ethical ideology and how this ideology reflects to their practice in business. In order to analyze their ethics view qualitative approach is held. Interviews with individuals whom are to be considered as employees from Gen Y are conducted to identify ethical attitudes and behaviors. Especially the changing ethics view on corporate business life and the effects on strategic management are focused in this research. The research will try to explore how ethical ideology has changed conditionally with the changing generation behaviors. The interviews are held with 8 employees. The interviews are transcribed into data which are analyzed by the researches to identify the findings. Qualitative approach is advantageous since it helps to gain detailed feedback about feelings attitudes and behavior. The research will contribute to the literature by considering the impact of varying ethics view for Generation Y and how it reflects to the business life environment in today's global world. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.