Business Ethics
Background
•Business Ethics: the term itself was once considered an oxymoron
•The question was whether a business run for profit be ethical
•1990s saw an explosion of ethical awareness after the ‘greed is good’
era of 80s
Ethical behavior means doing the right thing given the circumstances.
Mary E Guy
Growth
Reason- to be more socially responsible, also ethical practices make
good business sense.
Benefit: less litigation, less resentment, less government regulation
Result: companies have ethics officers, hotlines, workshops, training
programs, workshops
Common Ethical Violations
•Cutting corners on quality
•Covering up incidents
•Abusing or lying about sick days
•Deceiving customers
•Lying to supervisor or underling
•Taking credit for a colleague’s ideas
New Work Culture
Work pressure &
limited resources
Ethical lapses
Breakdown in
traditional attitudes
of trust & loyalty
Principles Of Ethical Behaviour – Michael
Josephson
Honesty
Integrity
Fairness
Concern
Five Common Ethical Traps
The false-necessity trap
(convincing yourself that no other
choice exists)
The doctrine-ofrelative-filth trap
(comparing your unethical
behavior with someone
else’s even more
unethical behavior)
Five Common Ethical Traps
The rationalization trap
(justifying unethical actions with excuses)
The self-deception trap
(persuading yourself, for example, that a lie is not really a
lie)
The ends-justify-the-means trap
(using unethical methods to accomplish a desirable goal)
Goals Of Ethical Business Communication
•Abide by the law.
•Tell the truth.
•Label opinions.
•Be objective.
•Communicate clearly.
•Give credit.
Tools for Doing the Right Thing
•Is the action you are considering legal?
•How would you see the problem if you were on the other side?
•What alternate solutions are available?
•Can you discuss the problem with someone you trust?
•How would you feel if your family, friends, employer, or coworkers learned of your action?
Do unto others as you would have others do unto you!
Correction Key
T- tense
Sp- spellings
A- apostrophe
Ww- wrong word
IaP-inappropriate phrase
IaE-inappropriate expression
Stx-syntax
SVA-subject-verb agreement
?-didn’t understand
?????-what does that even mean?
a