What is Ethics?
According to DuBrin (2007) ethics "is the set of the moral choices a person makes based on what he or she ought to
do. Ethics is based on an individual's beliefs about what is right and wrong or good and bad" (DuBrin, 2007, p.73).
It sounds easy enough, but the challenge lies with the fact that different people have different beliefs about
what is right and wrong.
Read more about the meaning of ethics in the article
What is Ethics?
Take a short on-line
quiz to learn your ethical style.
Business Ethics
The Ethics Resource Center offers an interesting overview of business ethics from the 1960s to the present.
See
Business Ethics Timeline.
Check out the International Business Ethics Institute's
Business Ethics Primer.
The Center for Ethical Business Cultures discusses
Why Ethical Leadership is Good Business.
Laws
Some ethical issues have led to the enactment of laws to prohibit certain conduct. In this case, the behavior is more than unethical; it is illegal.
See a sample of
United States laws that address organizational ethics.
How does Ethics Relate to your Job?
You may be thinking... my job has nothing to do with ethics. I don't work in finance, I'm not a manager, etc. However, you may be surprised to see how
ethics can relate to your job. For example...
- Do you make decisions about software or hardware purchases?
- Do you develop software programs or games?
- Do you have access to proprietary information?
- Do you work in a team with co-workers?
- Do you ever serve as a project team leader?
- Do you compile and submit expense reports?
If so, then it is likely that you may have to make ethical decisions at some point.
Check out an article about
Everyday Ethics.
Suggested Learning Activities
Ethical Decision Making
Have you ever had to make an ethical decision at work? How did it turn out? Do you feel that you made the right decision? Try the following exercise to see how you did. Look at the Eight Step Guide to Ethical Decision Making on page 76 of the course textbook (Fundamentals of Organizational Behavior by Andrew DuBrin). Work through the decision process using the guide. Did you arrive at the same decision? Did you learn anything about your attitudes and values?
Company Ethics Policy
Does the company where you work have an ethics policy? If so, you probably signed an acknowledgement that you received and read the policy. Do you remember the details? Dig out your copy of the policy, grab a few co-workers, and try the following activity.
Ask everyone to read the policy. Then, as a group, discuss what the policy means and how it applies to your job.
Case Studies
Grab a few co-workers, friends, or family members and check out some of the case studies below. Ask everyone to read the case study alone or have someone read it aloud to the group.
(1) Discuss how each person would respond to the ethical dilemma. There are bound to be differences of opinion. When this occurs, try to determine the underlying values that contribute to the opinion.
(2) Next, pull out the Eight Step Guide to Ethical Decision Making on page 76 of the course textbook (Fundamentals of Organizational Behavior by Andrew DuBrin). Use the guide to work through the issue as a group. Did anyone arrive at a different decision? To conclude, ask everyone if they learned anything about their attitudes and values.
Intellectual property
Not a bang--just a whimper. What's going on?
Biotech startup company
Corporate giving
Farm challenges: stay in business or save the environment
Product safety
How to keep the chips from falling
Life saving technology
Smoothing the factory's accounts
International business - bribery
International business - working conditions
Various business ethics scenarios
Do you want more case study practice? The
Business Ethics web site has a whole page of links to case studies galore.
References
Brey, P. (2007). Is information ethics culture-relative? International Journal of Technology and Human Interaction, 3(3), 12-24.
Comer, D.R. & Vega, G. (2008). Using the PET assessment instrument to help students identify factors that could impede moral behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 77, 129-145.
DuBrin, A.J. (2007). Fundamentals of organizational behavior. Mason, OH: Thompson South-Western.
Falkofske, J.C. (2000). A curriculum in legal, ethical, and business issues of Internet marketing. University of Wisconsin-Stout, 1-198.
Hannah, D.R. & Zatzick, C.D. (2008). An examination of leader portrayals in the U.S. business press following the landmark scandals of the early 21st
century. Journal of Business Ethics, 79, 361-377.
Helin, S. & Sandstro, J. (2007). An inquiry into the study of corporate codes of ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 75, 253-271.
Hurst, N.E. (2004). Corporate ethics, governance and social responsibility: Comparing European business practices to those in the United States.
Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, 1-68.
Klemm Verbos, A., Gerard, J.A., Forshey, P.R., Harding, C.S., Miller, J.S. (2007). The positive ethical organization: Enacting a living code of ethics
and ethical organizational identity. Journal of Business Ethics, 76, 17-33.
