Welcome to MT140
Ethics and Social Responsibility
Dr. Bill Whitley
Unit 8 Objectives
• Understand corporate social responsibility and diversity in
the modern workplace
• Discuss the process of making ethical decisions
• Identify how companies influence their ethics environment
Ethical Systems
• Universalism: all people should uphold certain values
• Egoism: acceptable behavior maximizes benefits for
the individual
• Utilitarianism: seeks the greatest good for the greatest
number of people
• Relativism: defines ethical behavior according to how
others behave
• Virtue Ethics: good morale character
Ethics Programs
• Compliance-based
• Integrity-based
Evaluate your Ethical duties
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2.
3.
4.
Would you be proud to see the action widely
reported in newspapers?
Would it build a sense of community among
those involved?
Would it generate the greatest social good?
Would you be willing to see others take the same
action when you might be the victim?
Evaluate your Ethical duties
5. Does it harm the “least among us”?
6. Does it interfere with the right of all others to
develop their skills to the fullest?
Ethical Dilemmas YOU may face:
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Brands
CEO pay
Commercialism in schools
Religion at work
Sweatshops
Wages
Corporate Social Responsibility
Management: Bateman/Snell
What would you do?
You are international vice president of a multinational
chemical corporation. Your company is the sole producer
of an insecticide that will effectively combat a recent
infestation of West African crops. The minister of
agriculture in a small, developing African country has put in
a large order for your product. Your insecticide is highly
toxic and is banned in the United States. You inform the
minister of the risks of using your product, but he insists on
using it and claims it will be used “intelligently.” The
president of your company believes you should fill the
order, but decision is ultimately yours.
What is diversity?
What is diversity?
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Gender
Age
Religious affiliation
Disability status
Military experience
Sexual orientation
Educational level
Components of a Diversified Workforce
Management: Bateman/Snell
How can you manage diversity?
Managing Diversity
• Involves recruiting, training, promoting, and utilizing to
full advantage individuals with different backgrounds,
beliefs, capabilities, and cultures
• Understanding and deeply valuing employee
differences to build a more effective and profitable
organization
• Valuing the connections that arise and develop between
diverse employees.
Tomorrow’s workers
• The number of women, Asian Americans, African
Americans, and Hispanic workers are growing faster than
the number of white male workers
• Lower birth rates in the U.S. will result in a smaller labor
force leading to outsourcing to firms in developing nations
• Median age of America’s workforce is increasing
• 70% of workers between the ages of 45 and 74 intend to
work in retirement
What constitutes sexual harassment?
• Who is involved?
• Is it only verbal?
• What other means of sexual harassment might be
used?
Sexual Harassment is…
• Two categories
-Quid pro quo: submission to or rejection of sexual
conduct is used as a basis for employment decision.
-Hostile environment: when unwelcome sexual conduct
“has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering
with job performance or creating an intimidating,
hostile, or offensive working environment.”
Case Study:
A hospital had a sexual harassment policy that was
strictly enforced. They also held all vendors to the same
standard. One evening a vendor who was working at
the hospital followed one of the employees to the
parking lot and started harassing her in the hospital
parking lot. What should the hospital do?
Assignments
• Review
• Discussion Assignment
• Dropbox Assignment
Questions?