Minimizing strategic deception through individual values

Abstract

It is widely held in the corporate environment that strategic deception is a legitimate strategic tool and means of competition. Organizations rarely pause to identify by-standing stakeholders such as customers and suppliers that could be victims of strategic deception. Why should deceptive strategies be good for organizations yet unacceptable in most peoples’ private lives? Many CEOs execute deceptive strategies that they would not if they were to apply a personal ethics framework. Beyond the ethical concerns, there are issues regarding the moral conduct of corporations while interacting with employees and other stakeholders,disproportionate use of the commons and pushback against rules and norms that would sustain the environment. While this problem has persisted, with corporate ethics consistently falling short of expectations, business scholars seem to be disconnected from their ethics counterparts. The study proposes a set of universal individual values and an ethical strategic framework that will minimize deleterious effects of corporate deception, while enhancing value-driven businesspractices.