Unlock document.
This document is partially blurred.
Unlock all pages and 1 million more documents.
Get Access
Chapter 5
Ethics At Work: Your Attitude and Responsibility
FOCUS
The purpose of this chapter is twofold. The first is to highlight issues that comprise ethics. Given
the complexities of ethical decision making in today’s work environment, students must be
familiar with the problems, and issues they will face. The second purpose is to present
information that will help students become better decision makers so that misconduct can be
ultimately reduced.
CHAPTER PREVIEW
OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
TEACHING-LEARNING SUGGESTIONS
Supplementary Exercise 5.1
Introduce chapter 5 with a question: Why is ethical behavior important in the business
world? Ask students to give recent examples of unethical business or professional
practices described in the news media. Discuss the actions leading up to that activity and
the consequences of some of those behaviors while focusing on the role values and ethics
had in each situation. Encourage student discussion about the importance ethics plays in
maintaining balance and fairness.
Answers to Jump Start
1. Answers will vary depending on past knowledge of this very public case.
2. Answers will vary but should begin to bring about students’ awareness of their
5.1 KNOWING YOUR PERSONAL ETHICS
Ethics is the study of the general nature of morals and of the specific moral choices to be
made by individuals in their relationships with others. Values tie into ethics as principles,
1
standards, or qualities one considers worthwhile or desirable, and integrity is the strict
adherence to those values. Societal issues, internal policy issues, and personal issues are
all ethical issues that both individuals and corporations must deal with on a day-to-day
basis. Business ethics are rules of conduct that apply to businesses and their employees
and put values into play in the business setting. Ethics have an overarching impact on
organizational productivity and human relations systems. Ethics are closely tied to life
and career skills, self-direction, and accountability and play a strong role in our everyday
decision making.
Answers to ask yourself
1. Answers will vary widely and may generate some humorous discussions of
2. Students should have an awareness of industries that are now or have struggled
5.2 UUNDERSTANDING ETHICS AT WORK
Issues of legality, personal morality, enlightened self-interest, corporate and professional
codes of ethics and other common practices are methods for evaluating ethical decisions.
The heart of ethical dilemmas is not whether you know what is right or wrong but
whether you will choose the right behavior. Many organizations will have established
policies or guidelines to follow, but in some cases the responsibility for the ethical
choices falls on employees. Being aware of company policies and following these
guidelines can be helpful in making smart choices.
Discuss Figure 5.1 The National Management Association’s Code of Ethics. Ask
students to pick two of the codes they feel are the top two most important to follow.
Identify the two that get the most votes from the students and ask the students to discuss
why they think these were the top choices. Encourage discussion about the other codes
and the dilemmas of picking just two from the ten.
Answers to Ethical Connection
These questions should generate lively discussions about social networking and the
Supplemental Exercise 5.2 with T.M.5.1
Ethics bring our value systems into play. Use the exercise in Teaching Master 5.1 to
demonstrate that individuals have very different value systems and, therefore, view
ethical issues differently. Duplicate the T.M.5.1 for students to complete. Students are to
2
Answers to Ethical Connection
These questions should cause interesting conversation and some controversy over the
Answers to Ask Yourself
1. This discussion centers around how unethical dilemmas can be avoided and how
2. Student answers will vary. Instructor should encourage students to identify what
5.3 ADDRESSING BUSINESS ETHICS
Organizations are taking steps to incorporate ethics and core values into their operations
by facing ethical problems and providing guidelines to their employees for dealing with
contractor, competitors, and customers. One of the more prominent concerns in business
and industry today is social responsibility--the obligation to make choices or decisions
that are beneficial to the whole of society. While the Foreign Corrupt Policy Act of 1977
began the government’s intervention in requiring United States companies to operate
ethically in their worldwide business dealings, it also prompted a greater public
awareness for fair and ethical behavior practices in business dealings. Today, the general
public has a genuine interest in what corporations are doing to protect the environment
and in other social issues affecting their communities. Corporate social responsibility is
the idea that corporations have an ethical obligation beyond their economic, profit-driven
purpose to stockholders and owners. Everyone has a stake in the welfare of the
community.
Answers to In the News
3
Answers to Global Connection
Supplemental Exercise 5.3
Ethical Dilemma: Some individuals have sued cigarette manufacturers and held them
responsible for damages to their bodies from smoking. Have students respond to the
following questions: Should cigarettes continue to be available? Are warnings on
cigarettes ethically satisfactory? Should individuals take responsibility for their own
behavior? Should companies have to pay for employees to stop smoking? What rights
should second-hand smokers have? Encourage discussion on any other ethical issues
related to this topic.
Answers to Global Connection
Supplemental Exercise 5.4
Ask students to think about recent whistleblowers mentioned in the media and what the
Answers to In the News
Answers to Ask Yourself
1. The instructor should invite students to share ideas about how they would solve
4
2. Student answers will vary. Challenge them to concentrate on the reasons for the
3. Student answers will vary and discussions may include topics on greenwashing or
5.4 MANAGING YOURSELF ETHICALLY AT WORK
Behaving ethically and responsibly enhances your life, makes human interactions less
stressful and more rewarding, and boosts self-esteem. You can practice ethical behavior
by knowing your own value system, learning about and respecting the value systems of
others, learning about the ethics and the norms of your place of business, taking time to
think when you are confronted with something that feels uncomfortable, and making your
own decisions.
Supplemental Exercise 5.5 with T.M.-5.2
Ethical dilemmas: Ask students to apply the methods for resolving ethical decisions to
the dilemmas described on Teaching Master 5.2. Have students verbalize their thought
process as they work through the various questions and the methods they use with each
dilemma. This exercise can be done in groups of three or more with time allowed for
each group to prepare a mini-presentation on how they reached their conclusions and if
their values were in complete harmony or if the opinions widely varied and why.
Answers to Technology Connection
Answers to Ask Yourself
5
5.5 SOLVING ETHICAL DILEMMAS
Ethical dilemmas arise when your sense of values or social responsibility is questioned
internally or challenged externally. Often the rules or laws for handling dilemmas or
questionable situations are covered by company procedures or government regulations.
However, in many cases the employee is the one responsible for knowing what the best
ethical choice will be for a win-win outcome.
Supplemental Exercise 5.6
Discuss and resolve each of the four ethical dilemma scenarios described at the opening
section of 5.5. They are meant to help students think about their behavior if they are ever
faced with a similar situation. These discussions can be done as a class or in small
groups and reported back with discussions on differences encountered within the groups.
Discuss Figure 5.2 Example of Unethical Behaviors
This can be used as an interesting exercise in how the student will choose to handle each
of the situations. Most of these are likely covered in a company’s code of ethics, office
policy and procedures manual, or government law or regulation. The employee is still
responsible for knowing how these affect them at work and how to react when faced with
a quick decision to make about the dilemma. Would they know what steps to take?
Discuss each of these situations and randomly select a student to offer a quick ethical
resolution.
Answers to Ask Yourself
1. Answers may vary but must pinpoint the concept of ethical conclusions being the
2. Answers will vary here depending on the questions bothering the student that they
KEY TERMS DEFINITIONS
Ethics the study of the general nature of morals and of the specific moral choices to be
made by individuals in their relationships with others; a set of moral principles or values.
Values principles, standards, or qualities considered worthwhile or desirable.
Business ethics rules of conduct that apply to business and their employees.
Code of Conduct a set of rules for required behaviors and responsibilities expected of a
company and its employees or members of a group.
Intellectual properties the knowledge or confidential business information an employee
may have about the company.
Non-disclosure agreement legal contracts between you and the company that forbid you
from disclosing certain information defined in the document.
6
Trade secret certain confidential business information protected by law under the
Social Responsibility the obligation to make choices or decisions that are beneficial to
Corporate social responsibility the idea that corporations have an ethical obligation
Classical perspective the belief that businesses need not feel responsible for social issues
Accountability perspective a view that businesses are accountable for their actions,
Public perspective links businesses with the government and other groups to solve social
Foreign Corrupt Policy Act a law requiring companies to operate ethically in their
Sarbanes-Oxley Act a set of complex regulations that protects investors and enforces
Whistleblower a person who identifies organizational wrongdoing or unethical practices
Ethical dilemma arises when our sense of values or social responsibility is questioned
SUGGESTED RESPONSES TO REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Ethics: the study of the general nature of morals and of the specific moral choices to
2. Methods used in determining ethical standards include legality, personal morality,
3. Ethical dilemmas are conflicts of values that arise when our sense of values or social
4. Methods used in dealing with ethical dilemmas include finding out what your
5. Companies are moving to improve their standards of ethics by including some or all of
7
SUGGESTED RESPONSES TO CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS
1. Student answers will vary. The instructor should help students clarify their thoughts
2. Students answers will vary. The instructor should help students focus on their own
3. Student answers will vary. The instructor should ask students to bring copies of the
4. Student answers will vary. This question should lead to a lively discussion.
ANSWERS TO CASE STUDIES
Answers to 1 Questions (All Money is Green)
1. Guy has asked Glenda to violate company policy so he can have the funds to finish his
2. Guy means that the money, regardless of where it comes from, is the same and will
3. Answers will vary. Attempting to talk out her concerns, going to a mentor and
4. Student answers will vary.
Answers to 2 Questions (Anxious Alan)
1. Answers will vary but should pinpoint that all employees should be aware of their
2. Student answers will vary here. Alan might have approached the company’s
3. Student answers will vary but should mention the accounting system had only been
8
HUMAN RELATIONS IN ACTION
Encourage students to choose an interesting company to form when they are thinking
about a company they may want to be theirs. Encourage students to research other
companies with similar backgrounds and determine what kinds of ethics may be most
important in that line of work. For example, some ethical codes are more stringent or
definitive about factory workers than codes for a software company developing computer
games. Students should be reminded to keep notes as they develop their list and make
notes about the conversations that led to the choices they made. The one-page report
should be an interesting account of the entire process and the decisions that helped them
arrive at the final product–the code of ethics.
9
