The results of the 2023 Türkiye Business Ethics Survey were shared with the public
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The results of the 2023 Türkiye Business Ethics Survey, conducted by the Türkiye Economic Enterprise and Business Ethics Association (IGIAD) and announced with the motto “Opportunism and Business Ethics”, were announced at the Istanbul Ticaret University Sütlüce Campus Conference Hall.
Making a speech at the opening of the program, IGIAD President Mr. Ayhan Karahan noted that the “2023 Türkiye Business Ethics Survey” conducted by IGIAD provides healthy information to everyone in the business world about the state of Business Ethics in Türkiye, as before. Mr. Karahan continued his words as follows, “Business ethics refers to the moral ideals and principles that guide individuals and organizations in their behavior in the business environment. Ethical concepts and standards need to be applied to various aspects of business activities, from the behavior of employees, to relationships with suppliers and customers, to the handling of private information, and to the impact of business operations on society and the environment. Business ethics ensures that business practices are fair and ethical, adhering to legal and regulatory obligations. In the business world, ethics plays an important role in shaping organizational behavior and decision-making processes. As a non-governmental organization that understands the importance of business ethics, we are sharing with you the 2023 IGIAD Türkiye Business Ethics Report, the fourth of the Türkiye Business Ethics Reports, the first of which we introduced to the readers in 2008, after a five-year break. During this five-year period, we have witnessed various events that affected social life and business environments both in the world and in our country. We observed that businesses need business ethics more than before. The pandemic period we have experienced has made the importance of business ethics more evident and revealed the need to handle relations between parties in the business world with sensitivity. In this fourth report of IGIAD Türkiye Business Ethics Survey, comparisons were made with the results of the previous three reports. The special theme of the 2023 Survey was determined as opportunism, and the issues related to business ethics addressed in the survey were analyzed within this framework.”
Dr. İsrafil Kuralay, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Istanbul Ticaret University, said the following in his speech, “Engaging in unethical behavior in business can lead to serious consequences in the long run. The credibility of the person or business may be shaken and reputation may be damaged. These consequences may jeopardize the long-term success of that individual or business. Therefore, by acting in accordance with business ethics, we not only do the right thing, but also build our business and relationships on solid foundations in the long run. Although opportunism sometimes provides gains in the short term, it often leads to harmful consequences in the long term. Abuse of a situation or acting to the detriment of others not only damages the trust between individuals, but can also have serious social consequences as it undermines the general sense of trust of the society. That’s why we must always be conscious and not compromise on truth, honesty, transparency and justice. When making our decisions, we must act in accordance with moral principles and respect the rights of others.”
After the opening speeches, the presentation about the survey began. 2023 Türkiye Business Ethics Survey authors Prof. Dr. Ömer Torlak, Prof. Dr. Erkan Erdemir and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhammet Ali Tiltay informed the participants about the survey.
In the presentation, it was stated that fraud, opportunism and lying take the first place in the list of general immoral behaviors, and the common point of these three immoral behaviors is the idea of gaining financial benefit without considering that the other party may be harmed. It was underlined that the issue of “opportunism” was specifically addressed within the scope of the survey.
Prof. Dr. Ömer Torlak made the following statements in his presentation, “In order to assess individual moral approaches within the scope of the survey, a six-item scale, which reflects the moral approaches that the participants primarily focus on and was also used in the previous surveys, was used. According to the findings of the survey, it turned out that the most effective factor in participants’ business ethics decisions was “consulting with conscience”, followed by “career and financial returns” and “giving people their dues”. It has been determined that the number of participants for whom the benefit of the business and the level of happiness it provides to the person has a primary impact on making business ethics decisions is relatively low. As people who prioritize their individual interests and try to maximize their own gains at the expense of others’ gains, opportunists have an understanding that includes thinking only about themselves. The emergence of opportunism depends significantly on sudden changes in the market. These changes may occur as a result of unplanned crises or as a result of changes made by the state to take precautions on some issues. In such cases, the behavior of people who act in their own favor and to the detriment of others is seen as immoral behavior. Preventing opportunistic behavior requires ensuring stability in the market and the demonstration of relevant leadership by public administrators, as well as the business world establishing self-control mechanisms for itself, a legal system that treats everyone equally, and an effective supervisory structure. In addition, individual and social moral values need to be kept alive in a way that does not allow opportunism or other behaviors that do not comply with business ethics.”
