Page 57 - The Ethics of ASEAN

Practical Ethics in a Diverse ASEAN

Prof Eko Suwardi: ASEAN Diversity means
that businesses must cooperate
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen many businesses close
down and millions struggle to stay financially secure. While
government policy is key in tackling this crisis, Dr Eko Suwardi
believes that businesses themselves need to make ethical
choices regarding their influence on all people in such a crisis.
Dr Eko Suwardi is the former Chairman of the ASEAN
University Network for Business and Economics (AUN-BE). He
was also the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business
in Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia (2016–2021) and a Figure 3: Prof Eko Suwardi is
lecturer at the Department of Accounting. His teaching and the former Chairman of the
research interests include business ethics, auditing, and ASEAN University Network
for Business and Economics
public sector accounting. (AUN-BE) and Dean of the
Faculty of Economics and
Dr Eko discussed how governments attempted to tackle Business at Universitas
the Covid-19 pandemic with lockdowns and their effects on Gadjah Mada, Indonesia
economic activity resulting in a drop in growth of 5.4% for
the region. Dr Eko underlined the ethical role that businesses
will play for the recovery, from pharmaceuticals producing
vaccines in the region to directly influencing the number of
people who remain employed.
Ethically, businesses need to consider how their
decisions affect society at large and what the results of
ethical action are. He notes four important practical ways
in which businesses have an ethical influence on society:
policies, health, employment, and culture. Ethics encompass
various issues including fair work and rights of migrant
workers. Beyond this, businesses contribute to progressive
ethical norms, including working conditions, fighting
corruption, promoting education, respecting human rights
and managing social conflicts.
Dr Eko discussed the ethics of economic recovery, such
as supply chains, information access, and the environment.
ASEAN should rely on its ethic of cooperation when dealing
with such a crisis. Just as governments, communities, and
academic institutions can come together to solve common
problems, Dr Eko believes that businesses should also
cooperate with each other to contribute to the resilience as
well as development of the region.

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