Jennings Ethics Program Essay

1. Describe some of the weaknesses in Jennings’ ethics program.

It is evident that based upon the information provided in this case, that Jennings’ ethic program is weak and is lacking vital information. According to an online article titled, “12 Steps to Building a Best-Practices Ethics Program”, the 12 elements that one should include in a strong ethics program are listed as, “Vision statement, values statement, organizational code of ethics, ethics officer, ethics committee, ethics communication strategy, ethics training, ethics help line, measurement and rewards, monitoring and tracking systems, periodic evaluation, and ethical leadership.” (Navran, 1997). Todd mentions how Jennings’ ethics code is very brief and does not provide any contact information for him to direct his questions and concerns to. Providing employees with a place to contact or report any unethical behavior they think is taking place in the organization is an essential part of an ethics program. If Jennings’ Department Store included this information in their company’s ethics code, then Todd would not find himself in an even stickier

Inappropriate behavior can include lying to managers or clients, engaging in fraud or embezzlement, failing to meet specific operational standards or other similar conduct. A code of ethics can help employee’s understand why these actions are inappropriate and the reasons companies expect better behavioral performance. Companies may also limit their legal liability from poor employee performance by using a code of ethics.” (Vitez, 2015). If Jennings’ had an in-depth company ethics code, then maybe their employees and managers would understand the importance of acting in an ethical behavior and see the damages their poor decisions can have on the future of the