ETHICS

“I hope I shall possess

firmness and virtue enough
to maintain what I consider
the most enviable of all titles,
the character of an honest
man.”
George Washington
ETHICS DEFINED
 Ethics—a moral standard of right and
wrong
 Just as your personality is shaped by
outside influences, so is your ethical
make-up
 Ethical behavior is a reflection of influences
 Ethical behavior starts with the
individual
INFLUENCES ON ETHICS AT
WORK
Ethical issues arise daily at work
 Issues must be kept confidential

 Implied confidentiality—do not share

information with individuals with

whom the business is of no concern
 If you are uncertain about sharing

information, check with your boss first

INFLUENCES ON ETHICS AT
WORK
Ethical Behavior
 Ethical behavior includes dependability and

conduct during company time

 It is inappropriate to consistently spend your time
on non-company activities such as:
 Surfing the Internet for personal business
 Taking and making personal telephone calls
 Exceeding allotted breaks and lunch periods
 Playing computer games
 Using company supplies for non-business purposes
POWER AND ETHICS
Power
 Power—the ability  Seven bases of
to influence power:
another’s behavior  Legitimate
 Coercive
 Everyone at work  Reward
has power  Connection
 Charismatic
 Information
 Expert
CORPORATE VALUES/CULTURE
 Each company has a corporate
culture—the way a company’s
employees behave
 This is based upon the behavior of its leaders
 This behavior reflects an organization’s
ethical behavior
CORPORATE VALUES/CULTURE
 A company may have an ethics
statement to address the issue of
ethical behavior
 Included in an ethics statement should

be a conflict of interest statement to

reduce unethical decisions from those
who are in a position to influence a
decision for personal benefit
MAKING ETHICAL CHOICES
 There are three levels of ethical
decision-making:

The first is the law

The second is fairness
The third is your conscience
MAKING ETHICAL CHOICES
Levels of Ethical Decision Making
1. The Law
 Ask yourself if the action is legal
 If it is illegal, it is unethical
MAKING ETHICAL CHOICES
Levels of Ethical Decision Making
(cont.)
2. Fairness
 Your actions should be fair to all parties
involved
 If someone is going to be harmed, the
decision is probably not ethical
 Even when being fair, not everyone will be
happy with the results
MAKING ETHICAL CHOICES
Levels of Ethical Decision
Making (cont.)
3. One’s Conscience
 When one knowingly behaves
inappropriately, he or she will ultimately
feel badly about this poor behavior
 Sometimes a behavior may be legal and
fair, but it still may make us feel badly; if
so, it is probably unethical
WHEN OTHERS ARE NOT
ETHICAL
 If someone is breaking the law, you
have an obligation to inform your
employer immediately
 If the accused are executives, you are

protected by the whistle-blower law; you

cannot be fired for informing authorities
of a coworker’s or an employer’s illegal
conduct
WHEN OTHERS ARE NOT
ETHICAL
Accusing
 DocumentedOthers of Wrongdoing
facts and evidence
 You have three choices:
 Alert outside officials if the offense is illegal and
extreme
 If the offense is not illegal and extreme and is
accepted by management, you accept
management’s decision
 If the offense is not illegal and extreme and is
accepted by management, yet you are bothered,
decide whether you want to continue working for the
company
WHEN OTHERS ARE NOT
ETHICAL
Company Theft
Company theft is not always big items;
more often it is small items, such as:
 Office supplies
 If not used for company purposes

 Time
 Surfing the Internet, making personal calls, and

taking extra-long breaks