2008 Woodie Awards
Make note of your business ethics
Eric Gnadt
Issue date: 2/15/07 Section: Features
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We all have heard of the Enron and WorldCom scandals. Corporate executives who decided that their paychecks weren't enough stole millions of dollars from their shareholders. These scandals brought into the light the issue of business ethics.
Clearly stealing corporate funds and fudging financial statements is wrong. But business ethics involves much more than telling business people not to steal.
It has been said that ethics is based on a set of values. The "Better Business Bureau" (BBB) breaks down the values of ethics into six categories. These are equality, truth, honesty, integrity, cooperativeness, and self-regulation.
Most of these values are pretty self explanatory, but honesty and integrity have more to them than one might think.
Honesty involves being open to other people, but also to ourselves. This includes not allowing people to be dishonest to you. Integrity includes following the law of the land, but also not taking advantage of other people's faults or gullibility, even though it is not against the law.
Ethical behavior defines who we really are as opposed to how we present ourselves. Ethical behavior will help a company earn the respect of its customers and promotes good will with the public.
When on the job, some ethical choices a person could face are very easy to decide. Everyone knows that stealing out of the cash register is wrong and can get you fired, but what about when the answer is not so clear?
It is always ethical to listen to your boss, right? Not always. Sometimes managers ask employees to do things that are unethical.
This could be as insignificant as a little "white lie" like running interference for him. Or it could be as serious as inflating profits. Either way it is best not to get involved in unethical behavior.
Experts suggest that in a situation as this, you should ask yourself some questions before you do something that you may think is unethical.
Ask yourself "Who will be helped if I do this, and who will be hurt?" Thinking through who is involved and how they are affected is important in any decision.
Clearly stealing corporate funds and fudging financial statements is wrong. But business ethics involves much more than telling business people not to steal.
It has been said that ethics is based on a set of values. The "Better Business Bureau" (BBB) breaks down the values of ethics into six categories. These are equality, truth, honesty, integrity, cooperativeness, and self-regulation.
Most of these values are pretty self explanatory, but honesty and integrity have more to them than one might think.
Honesty involves being open to other people, but also to ourselves. This includes not allowing people to be dishonest to you. Integrity includes following the law of the land, but also not taking advantage of other people's faults or gullibility, even though it is not against the law.
Ethical behavior defines who we really are as opposed to how we present ourselves. Ethical behavior will help a company earn the respect of its customers and promotes good will with the public.
When on the job, some ethical choices a person could face are very easy to decide. Everyone knows that stealing out of the cash register is wrong and can get you fired, but what about when the answer is not so clear?
It is always ethical to listen to your boss, right? Not always. Sometimes managers ask employees to do things that are unethical.
This could be as insignificant as a little "white lie" like running interference for him. Or it could be as serious as inflating profits. Either way it is best not to get involved in unethical behavior.
Experts suggest that in a situation as this, you should ask yourself some questions before you do something that you may think is unethical.
Ask yourself "Who will be helped if I do this, and who will be hurt?" Thinking through who is involved and how they are affected is important in any decision.
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