Managers as Ethical Role Models

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When this class first began, I questioned my understanding of ethics. Was it simply breaking the law? Was it an action or inaction against a written policy? Did it only involve hurting others or could you perform an unethical act against yourself. These thoughts led me to the dictionary where I sought the definition of ethics. Dictionary.com defines ethics as “that branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions.” This definition directed me to consider my ethical behavior. Had I acted unethically in the past? I will answer that question later.

It is important to note that I consider myself an honest person with values and try to treat others as I want to be treated. I am considerate, caring and trustworthy. But what about my behavior on the job? Do these values transfer to my role as a public employee at California State University, Northridge (CSUN)?

With the State of California surviving in a cloud of budget uncertainty, how do we, as public administrators, do our jobs ethically amidst shrinking resources and limited time constraints? Under these conditions, it seems very easy to put our own needs above written policy in order to achieve our goals. This is especially plentiful in the education environment where ethical lapses are abundant. From “sports violations, research manipulation, gender discrimination, [to] other ethical lapses...[which can and do] affect an entire institution...” (Kelly & Chang, 2007). Geuras and Garofalo (2011) point out a term called Ethics Aversion Syndrome (EAS) and state that one symptom of EAS is “ethics would a...

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