Megan Fuller
Teri Harbacheck
Admins 231 Business Writing
September 27, 2016
The Bottom Line On Ethics written by Don L. Boroughs discusses investing in employees
well-being and how it can benefit companies. In 1980, Gary Edwards of the Ethic
Resource Center recalled that his team of researchers could find only seven companies that
offered ethics training. Today more than half of large corporations have ethics training.
They ask why would a profit-driven company want to give ethics and social responsibility
such a push? The answers are numerous, however, it came down to pressure from the
consumer. Steve Dyott, of the Council on Economic Priorities, says, “the overall
satisfaction of workers has also risen.” He states that scandals have played out in the
headlines across the country and in turn has frightened corporations into changing ethic
training guidelines.
It gives specific examples of area’s that have benefitted from increasing their ethical
influence. Web Industries is their first example, Web started a stock ownership program
that takes a portion of each year’s profits and purchases shares in the company. The stock
is then given to the employee’s. In addition, employees are eligible for a monthly cash
bonus that equals a portion of their plant’s profits. Web also works in teams instead of a
clear hierarchy structure. Groups of employees work on the schedules, order supplies, hire
and fire, and they also include their employees in financial records and decisions. Web
anticipates a 14 percent increase in profits this next fiscal year.
