Sustainable Business in Namibia: Operations, Ethics and Society
Recent headlines in Namibia – from the Ohorongo-Cheetah Cement merger decision, teachers’ salaries failing to keep pace with the cost of living, and major employers not […]
Recent headlines in Namibia – from the Ohorongo-Cheetah Cement merger decision, teachers’ salaries failing to keep pace with the cost of living, and major employers not meeting employment equity requirements to the illegitimate use of athletes at the recent Public Enterprises Games – all point to a deeper question: To what extent can we consider Namibian business systems and operations ethical?
More importantly, ethics intentionally embedded in our daily commercial practices, or treated as an afterthought?
As a scholar and practitioner of business management, I see ethics not as a peripheral issue but as central to how we design and manage operations.
Businesses, whether in Namibia or elsewhere, are complex systems because they are run by human beings – beings capable of honesty and care, but also of self-interest and neglect. This duality makes it essential for society to be deliberate about ethics in commerce.
Research increasingly shows that while profit may be the immediate goal of many enterprises, ethical behaviour is the most sustainable long-term business strategy. Yet the right course of action is not always clear to managers and leaders.
