BESR Lesson 6 - Belief System 1234561233

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1. BUSINESS ETHICS & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY The Impact of Belief System in Business Practices

2. What I Know?

3. What’s New? One day, you and your female friend went to the market to buy washable face masks. The stall owner, who was wearing hijab* approached the two of you. Your friend could not control her giggles while the Muhaajaba ** was talking. As a response, the stall owner got mad and shouted at you and your friend.

4. Belief System The unseen force underlying our actions is our belief system . Throughout our lives, human beings accumulate thousands of beliefs on all facets of life. We obtain them from things other people tell us , things we hear on the news , things we read , or any other external influences we are subjected to. All of these beliefs interact with each other, affect each other, and create a system together.

5. Belief System Along with other influences such as our personality , genetic set-up , and behaviors , our belief system, such as religion , is one of the greatest forces influencing every decision we make .

6. Belief System Religion highly affects our lives, whether personal or not. Some of the world’s major religions are Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism . Each has its own organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and worship, and each one offers prescriptions for a positive effort in both life and business.

7. 1. Christianity

8. 1. Christianity The Christian religion follows the Hebrew Bible by taking a positive view of physical and human creation and by seeing God as deeply concerned with the ethical behavior of human creatures towards one another.

9. 1. Christianity It also teaches that in the persona of Jesus of Nazareth, Christ entered history to redeem humanity from the self-inflicted wounds of sin and to create a new age in which humanity will come to live God's own life of love, peace, unity and justice. The Old and the New Testaments serve as the foundation of this religion.

10. 1. Christianity In Christianity, human dignity and concern for people are crucial. This religion also emphasizes a sense of justice in business such as strict adherence to contracts, compliance with regulations, and working for the benefit of the common good.

11. 1. Christianity Christians ought to focus on how business impacts individuals, the workers in particular. They should be well-paid and they should find their work meaningful and inspiring.

12. 1. Christianity A trading Christian does not try to win another's products or services for less than it is worth. One should not want to get a decent deal for his own wares by using extortion. If a person buys from a poor seller, that buyer must exercise charity and justice. He/she must pay the full price that the goods are worth.

13. 1. Christianity If friends and relatives are not interested in what a Christian vendor sells, the latter should not break off connection with them when they decided to choose differently.

14. 1. Christianity Christians should be transparent and honest with their dealings, products, and services. They should not push people to buy goods or services because it does not reflect the heart of the Father, but that of mammon’s (according to Webster Dictionary, mammon means material wealth or possessions especially as having a debasing influence).

15. 2. Judaism

16. 2. Judaism Jews believe there is one God, who not only created the world, but who every Jew should have an intimate and interpersonal relationship with. They believe that God works continuously in the world and affects all that people do. Further, there is a covenant relationship between God and the Jews in exchange for the many good deeds God has done for the Jewish people and continues to do.

17. 2. Judaism Judaism, which for its written law relies on the Torah, has greatly influenced marketing and business ideology. Jewish culture, values and ideas, including the modern market, have penetrated many aspects of modern life. Some important points include market honesty, fair pricing, and business relationships.

18. 2. Judaism Honesty on the market. It is illegal for traders to falsify the weight and measurement of the goods or products.

19. 2. Judaism Fair pricing. There should be good value for money. You shall not cheat each other when you sell something to your neighbor or buy something from him or her. Likewise, if a person is ignorant of the true worth of an item and wants to sell it, the buyer should not take advantage of the confusion and underpay the seller. The Talmud (comprehensive written version of oral laws of the Jews) cares much about price control.

20. 2. Judaism Business relations. Employers are obligated to pay workers on schedule. One of the guiding principles for business ethics highlighted in the Jewish tradition is the legitimacy of business activity and profit, conducted within a framework of religious and ethical norms.

21. 2. Judaism Truly, business ethics occupies such important place in Jewish laws, culture, and tradition that at the final judgment, the Talmud has this to ask an individual: "Were you honest in your business dealings?"

22. 2. Judaism In Judaism, work, including manual in nature, is held in great esteem like a sort of human partnership with the divine.

23. 3. Islam

24. 3. Islam Muslims believe in the Oneness of God—- that all things are created by God and that He is all-powerful and all-knowing. They further believe that God has no offspring, sex, class, body, and He is not affected by human life's characteristics.

25. 3. Islam For Islam, the source of rules is the Qur'an. Islamic teachings place great emphasis on respect for ethical and moral codes in human behavior. Islamic principles prevent abusing people through putting restrictions on misleading advertisements. Under Islamic law, if a seller sells an item by making false statements, the buyer shall have the right to cancel the transactions.

26. 3. Islam Additionally, according to Hayes (1998), the following principles are expected among Muslim businessmen: Contracts must be fair to both or all parties. Speculation, such as gambling, is not allowed. If the money comes from the gambling industry, one will not be allowed to invest in the Islamic Mutual Fund.

27. 3. Islam Interest is prohibited. That is probably the most common thing that is identified with Islamic finance. One moral practice is that one is not allowed to charge or take interest.

28. 3. Islam When a business is in trouble, compassion is required. In every country that has Islamic traditions in its legal system, when anyone is in bankruptcy or is suffering financial reversals, one should not put pressure on them. Because when someone is down, it is not the right thing to do. When they are down, one does not kick them.

29. 3. Islam Muslims also believe that business should be conducted in accordance with the rules of nature which God governs.

30. 4. Buddhism

31. 4. Buddhism Founded on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who is called “Buddha” or “the enlightened one”, is Buddhism.

32. 4. Buddhism From the beginning, the basis of Buddhist practice was meditation and the observance of moral precepts. The five fundamental moral precepts practiced by members of the monastic orders and the laity are: refraining from taking property, behaving unchastely, speaking wrongly, stealing, and drinking intoxicants.

33. 4. Buddhism In business, Buddhists are guided by the following principles: The goals should be defined The principle of cause and effect should be followed Empathy and compassion for the customers have to be developed Be flexible, innovative, and mindful of impermanence Your team, yourself and the consumer have to be respected.

34. 4. Buddhism The Buddhist business code and professional ethics are also closely tied to being environment-friendly. Buddhists pursue the "right livelihood" and are usually against businesses that do not really care for the environment or harm animals. Essentially, according to Buddhist teachings, the principles of ethics and morals are governed by examining a certain action that must avoid any harm.

35. 5. Hinduism

36. 5. Hinduism Hindus believe in one true, formless, boundless, all-inclusive and eternal God called Brahman. He is not an abstract concept but a real entity that everything in the universe (seen and unseen) encompasses.

37. 5. Hinduism Hinduism is not an organized religion, and its value system has no single, systematic approach to teaching nor do Hindus have a simple set of rules, like the Ten Commandments to follow. Whatever practices (local, regional, caste and community-driven)—throughout the Hindu world influence the interpretation and practice of beliefs.

38. 5. Hinduism Hindus have a positive attitude towards business and wealth creation, yet wealth is not the ultimate goal. What is more important are ethics (dharma), and salvation (moksha).

39. 5. Hinduism For business, prices and profits should be fair. Tax system should give reasonable rates, should be economical in its implementation, and should not have adverse impact on economic growth. There must be high taxes on luxury goods. Workers should receive fair and just wages, depending on their ability and productivity.

40. Belief System It is worth noting, overall, that every faith has its own biases. Nevertheless, each of them has the core concept that faith would give rise to a commitment to maintain a desirable work climate. This is why our society cannot remove the effect of religion on modern business.