The Ins and Outs of Ethics is a Business Week Online magazine article from May 13, 2001, it was written by Eric Wahlgren. In the article he interviews Michael Rion, the author of The Responsible Manager. Rion is also a leading business ethics advisor who consults many Standard and Poor’s 500 companies. In the article Wahlgren asks Rion why it is important for businesses to have a high ethical standard. In his responses, Rion explains that effective organizations utilize ethics programs to clearly define ethical expectations, resolve ethical issues quickly, and to remove moral constraints. Additionally, employees who understand how to deal with ethical dilemmas will also be more productive and have strong core values to guide them. According to scripture, Rions concepts are biblically sound, relevant, and desirable, proving that ethical organizational behavior is shaped and influenced by sound ethical principles.
Effective organizations are able to clearly define their ethical expectations by setting high moral standards, writing codes of conduct, and utilizing mentoring programs. “Masters provide your servants with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven” (Col. 4:1). When organizations clearly define their ethical expectations to their subordinates, they are much more likely to treat their customers fairly. Customers who are treated fairly are much more likely to be loyal consumers of the products or services that the company provides. This helps to establish a loyal customer base that a business can depend upon, thus providing a predictable source of annual revenue. If an employer treats their employees with respect, honesty, and with candor they’ll give the customer 110% (Rion, 2001).
“If ...
... middle of paper ...
...ints this can be accomplished by applying the remedies discussed by Rion. Applying these principles will be helpful in building relationships with customers, employees, and stakeholders. Associates who know how to handle ethical concerns are also more productive, they possess strong core values that reinforce their sense of purpose. Rion’s concepts are ethically sound, relevant, and can be supported by biblical verses like Col. 4:1, 1 Jn. 5:4, and Ro.3:31. “If you build that foundation, both the moral and the ethical foundation, as well as the business foundation, and the experience foundation, then the building won't crumble” as cited by Henry Kravis N.D.
Works Cited
Kravis, H. (N.D.). Retrieved from: www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/ethical.htm
Wahlgren, E. (2001). Retrieved from: http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2001-05-13/the-ins- and-outs-of-ethics
The first case that I have chosen to analyze is case #3. The standards from the Code of Ethics that comes into play regarding this particular case would be the first and most valuable one will be commitment to client. With this code the social worker primary responsibility is to promote any type of well-being to the clients. The social worker has to remain loyal to their clients. Another standard from the Code of Ethics would be the privacy and confidentiality with this code only as a social worker you are only allow to discuss with persons who are legally incapable of giving informed consent and also their legal representative. Social workers can not disclose confidential information that could lead to identification of a client/ patient with
For a company to be successful ethically, it must go beyond the notion of simple legal compliance and adopt a values-based organizational culture. A corporate code of ethics can be a very valuable and integral part of a company’s culture but I believe that it is not strong enough to stand alone. Thought and care must go into constructing the code of ethics and the implementation of it. Companies need to infuse ethics and integrity throughout their corporate culture as well as into their definition of success. To be successfully ethical, companies must go beyond the notion of simple legal compliance and adopt a values-based organizational culture.
An organization needs to adhere to ethics in order to effectively implement its mission, vision, and objectives in a way in which offers a solid foundation to management and their subordinates to properly develop and implement its strategies. By doing so, the organization as a whole is essentially subscribing to one commonality that directs all of the actions of the employees of the organization. Additionally, it assists in preventing such employees from divergence in regard to the proposed strategic guideline. Ethics additionally ensures that a strategic plan is developed in accordance to the interests of the appropriate stakeholders of the organization, both internal and external (Jin & Drozdenko, 2010). Likewise, corporate governance that stems from various regulatory parties makes it necessary for organizations to maintain a high degree of ethical standards; this is done by incorporating ethics within the organization’s strategic plan so as to foster a positive corporate image for the stakeholders and general public (Min-Dong Paul, 2009).
Ethics in business is a highly important concept, as it can affect a company’s profits, salaries paid to employees and CEOs, and public opinion, among many other aspects of a business. Ethics can be enforced by company policies and guidelines, set a precedent when a company is faced with an important decision, and are also evolving thanks to new technology and situations that arise due to technology usage. Businesses have a duty to maintain their ethical responsibilities and also to help their employees enforce these responsibilities in and out of the workplace. However, ethics and the foundation for them are not always black and white. There are many different ethical theories, however Utilitarianism, Kant’s Deontological ethics, and Virtue ethics are three of the most well known theories in existence. Each theory is distinct in that it has a different quality used to determine ethicality and allows for a person to choose which system of ethics works best with both the situation and his or her personal ethical preferences.
Everyone knows that when a customer is making a decision on a business to conduct business with. They are usually concerned with what that business has to offer them. Although many of these times they are not looking for a materialistic item to benefit them. It is something as simple as using ethics in the mission or in everyday customer service where companies fall short. Making sure that the mission and the Employees have a clear understanding of the ethical precautions expected of them can go a long way with the
As a function, ethics is a philosophical study of the moral value of human conduct, and of the rules and principles it should govern. As a system, ethics are a social, religious, or civil code of behavior considered correct by a particular group, profession, or individual. As an instrument, ethics provide perspective regarding the moral fitness of a decision, course of action, or potential outcomes. Ethical decision-making can include many types, including deontological (duty), consequentialism (including utilitarianism), and virtue ethics. Additionally, subsets of relativism, objectivism, and pluralism seek to understand the impact of moral diversity on a human level. Although distinct differences separate these ethical systems, organizations
An integrative model for understanding and managing ethical behavior in business organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 9(3), 233-242. Doi: 10.1007/BF00382649
Ethics are the driving force behind good business. Every ethical choice made by a professional can and will have a much different outcome than any unethical choice. Bad ethics can ruin many aspects of a business and as (Gaye-Anderson, 2007) states how quite easily the lives and professional reputation of the employees can even be severally damaged (para. 3). Everything from morale to motivation can be severely affected by poor ethical choices. Customers will take their business elsewhere. Employees will abandon ship. Other, competing businesses reap the benefits of the bad moral choices. Ultimately, the entire business can be brought down by one poor ethical choice.
Having a code of ethics leads to improved employee behavior, which is a huge part of culture for a standard company. Because employees are the people who create value for the company, in which way, they need to have honest and candid altitudes to the company. Having a code of ethic is a useful tool to manage an organization’s values, responsibilities, and ethical duties. To make the codes work, companies must put the code of conduct into the business so that employees know how it applies to them. The code is also a way for employees to get advice about ethical problems or concerns. “According to the 2009 National Business Ethics Survey, eighty-nine percent of those polled felt management adequately discussed the importance of ethical conduct. Similarly, 2008-2009 Integrity Survey, published by KPMG Forensic, it was found that ethics programs, including codes of conduct, had a strong impact on how employees felt. Ninety percent of those surveyed who worked in companies with a code of conduct felt they were motivated to do the right thing. This compares with just 43 percent of people who work in companies without strong codes of conduct.” (NCARB) The code of conduct plays an important role in the business no matter
Ethics is the responsibility of each individual person, but starts with the CEO and the Board of Directors, setting the right tone at the top and moves down through the organization, including setting the tone in the middle. A company’s culture and ethic standards start at the top, not from the bottom. Employees will almost always behave in the manner that they think management expects them, and it is foolish for management to pretend otherwise (Scudder). One of the CEO’s most important jobs is to create, foster, and communicate the culture of the organization. Wrongdoings or improper behavior rarely occurs in a void, leaders typically know when someone is compromising the company
People tend to forget this major contribution and how significant this really is. Usually when we analyze leaders, people will directly link their work ethics to the internal culture of the company. Great leaders indirectly create loyal customers by cultivating an environment where employees can shine in producing excellent customer satisfaction levels. Good leaders are functionally productive and effective because they know the importance of hiring the right people for the job and how to help them to develop skills that are essential to interact with customers and maintain good customer relationships. In contrast, a dysfunctional leader’s poor behavior would indirectly lead to poor customer relationship held by employees and this can ultimately increase loss of company profits. A major role is held by leaders in empowering their customer facing employees to reach or exceed any customer’s needs and expectations. In addition, any good leader should always be the cheerleader, supporter, and encourager to their subordinates through any situations. A good leader must also lead by example by practicing good customer service traits for the employees to follow along. Leaders always remember to deliver access to information and provide training that gives employees the right start when first joining the company and this helps them to mature. A leader who emphasizes on quality customer service and strong employee
Rushworth M. Kidder has done a remarkable thing; he has assembled from all over the globe the answers of people to this question: "If you could help create a global code of ethics, what would be on it?" This act is so remarkable because he has taken the time to gather the opinions of twenty-four individuals from sixteen nations to create a global forum. What strikes me the most about his study is that the interviewees were not heads of state. They were average people viewed by their communities as ethical leaders. Kidder compiled their thoughts into a list of moral standards for the twenty-first century in his essay " Universal Human Values: Finding an Ethical Common Ground." I agree with his list of standards: love, truthfulness, fairness, freedom, unity, tolerance, responsibility and above all respect for life.
Ethics is central for any organization in treating employees fairly and helping the organization advance its mission. There is no single best way for dealing with ethical challenges, but it is very important for managers to develop ethical policies and procedures for implementation. To minimize possible unethical decisions by staff members, it is important to incorporate written standards grounded in organizational values in the code of conduct.
When thinking about what does an ethical behavior means to oneself it leaves to an open thought and answer situation. This answer comes what that person thinks is right, is morally correct for their situation or provides them with the best service or result for them personally or their company. Ethical Behavior means always acting in ways consistent with what society and individuals typically think are good values and moral principles. These morals consist of honesty, fairness, equality, dignity, diversity and individual rights. Broken down it is doing the right thing even if means in turn hurting your reputation or career in order to regain trust and the support of others. For example, when Neenan came in talked to us about there ethical
Ethics is a system of moral principles and a branch of philosophy which defines what is acceptable for both individuals and society. It is a philosophy that covers a whole range of things that have an importance in everyday situations. Ethics are vital in everyones lives, it includes human values, and how to have a good life, our rights and responsibilities, moral decisions what is right and wrong, good and bad. Moral principles affect how people make decisions and lead their lives (BBC, 2013). There are many different beliefs about were ethics come from. These consist of; God and Religion, human conscience, the example of good human beings and a huge desire for the best for people in each unique situation, and political power (BBC, 2013).