ETHICS

• Ethics


  A system of moral principles
• Ethics


  • Concerned with what is good for individuals and society
  • Behavior which is the right thing to do, given the circumstances
• Key principles of ethical behavior

  • Honesty
  • Integrity
  • Fairness
  • Concern for others
• Approaches to ethics


  • Meta-ethics (deals with the nature of moral judgement)
  • Normative ethics (concerned with the content of moral judgements and the criteria for what is right or wrong)
  • Applied ethics (looks at controversial topics like war, animal rights and capital punishment)
• Business ethics


  A form of applied ethics that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that arise in a business environment
• Dimensions of business ethics

  • Normative (being a corporate practice and a career specialization)
  • Descriptive (academics attempting to understand business behaviour employ descriptive methods)
• Workplace ethics


  A group of moral principles, standards of behavior, or set of values regarding proper conduct in the workplace
• Behavior at work exemplify the employees' values, integrity, beliefs, and character
• Lapses in workplace ethics affects

  • Individual employees
  • Whole work teams
  • Whole companies
  • All of the stakeholders in the company
• Lapses in workplace ethics affects your essence as an individual, as an employee, and as a human being
• Needs for workplace ethics

  • To build customer loyalty
  • To retain good employees
  • To create a positive work environment
  • To avoid legal problems
• Principles of ethics


  • Universal (rational people thinking logically would have to agree that everyone should follow them)
  • The golden rule (treat others as they would want to be treated)
• Foundations of ethics in the workplace

  • Ethics (a set of rules that describes acceptable conduct in society)
  • Values (acts, customs, and institutions that a team of people regard in a favourable way)
  • Morals (a set of rules or mode of conduct on which society is based)
• Moral rules are rules that help society function in a civilized way
• Moral rules are universal, objective, and affect other people
• Integrity


  To be honest and sincere, adhering to a moral code in daily decision making
• Character


  Ethics is about character, which drives what we do when no one is looking
• Laws


  A series of rules and regulations designed to express the needs of the people, protecting people from the most blatant and despicable affront to morality
• Characteristics and components of workplace ethics

  • Workplace policy (in harmony with laws and regulations, precluding illegal or discriminatory actions)
  • Workplace ethics and behavior (crucial for company profitability, including acceptable behavior, integrity, accountability, teamwork, and commitment)
• Aspects of ethical behavior in the workplace

  • Behavior (following codes of conduct)
  • Integrity (honesty and doing the right thing)
  • Accountability (taking responsibility for actions)
  • Teamwork (working well with others)
  • Commitment (strong work ethic and positive attitude)
• Professionalism


  The conduct, aims or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or professional person; it implies quality of workmanship or service
• Ten golden rules of professionalism

  • Always strive for excellence
  • Be trustworthy
  • Be accountable
  • Be courteous and respectful
  • Be honest, open and transparent
  • Be competent and improve continually
  • Always be ethical
  • Always be honorable and act with integrity
  • Be respectful of confidentiality
  • Set good examples
• Ways to avoid ethical dilemmas

  • Call it by a different name
  • Rationalizing dilemmas away ("Everybody else does it", "If we don't do it, someone else will", "That's the way it has always been done", "We'll wait until the lawyers tell us it's wrong", "It doesn't really hurt anyone", "The system is unfair", "I was just following orders")
  • Seeking information
  • Thinking
• Professional ethics are meaningless unless they fit well with what we actually do in our day-to-day work
• Awareness of ethics codes is crucial to competence in the area of ethics, but the formal standards are not a substitute for active, deliberate thinking
• Ethical analysis requires us to question or depart from orders when others will be harmed or wronged
• Professional ethics


  Meaningless unless they fit well with what we actually do
• Individual professional ethics


  Need to fit what we actually do in our day-to-day work and take account of pressures, conflicting needs, ambiguities, subtleties, gray areas, and other realities
• Seeking information


  1. Can be crucial in approaching ethical issues

  2. Knowing what organizations, agencies, and committees set forth and enforce the ethical, professional, legal, and other standards relevant to our work and settings, and finding out their policies and procedures
• Awareness of ethics codes


  Crucial to competence in the area of ethics, but the formal standards are not a substitute for an active, deliberative, and creative approach to fulfilling our ethical responsibilities
• Principles


  • Honesty
  • Integrity
  • Promise-keeping & Trustworthiness
  • Loyalty
  • Fairness
  • Concern for Others
  • Respect for Others
  • Law Abiding
  • Commitment to Excellence
  • Reputation and Morale
  • Accountability
• Ethical violations by employees include Employer Intimidation, Safety Violations, Time Theft, Stealing, and Misconduct
• Attitudes


  An integral part of the workplace that directly impact employee behavior
• ABC Model


  1. Affect is the emotional component of an attitude

  2. Behavioral intentions relate to the action(s) an individual would take given the opportunity

  3. Cognition is a verbal statement regarding one's belief about a specific person or situation, which reflects perceptions and attitudes
• Attitude Formation


  All attitudes are learned, and our attitudes vary based on our experiences and learning environment
• Attitudes and Behavior


  The degree to which our behavior matches our attitudes has to do with relevance, personality factors, and social context
• Work Attitudes


  • Job satisfaction
  • Organizational citizenship behavior
  • Organizational commitment (affective, continuance, normative)
• Persuasion and Attitude Change

  1. Characteristics of the persuader, the individual being persuaded, and the message itself must be considered

  2. Persuasion occurs through either a central route or a peripheral route, or both
• Source Characteristics


  • Expertise
  • Trustworthiness
  • Attractiveness
  • Likability
• Target Characteristics


  • High self esteem
  • Resistant to change
  • Negative