STUDY GUIDE:
Define ethics. Principles that serve as a compass about how to behave
Define legal. An act that is allowed or is in conformity with the law of the land
Provide an example for each of @ Legal-Ethical: A company donating a pair of shoes for every pair that is
the following: bought
legal-ethical @ Legal-Unethical: Moving company labor overseas and making the
workers work in unsafe, yet legal in-country, conditions
legal-unethical @ lllegal-Ethical Conflicts: A judge not convicting a marajana possession
illegal-ethical conflicts charge where it is illegal, because they personally think it is not harmfy
and should be legal.
Define values. Stable life goals that people have that reflect what is most important to them
Define morals. Rules people develop as a result of cultural norms and values and are,
traditionally passed down through generations and characterize a cultural
group
Define organizational ethics. Rules, principles, and standards for deciding what is morally right or wrong
when doing business
List the four main levels of 1. Societal issues
ethical issues and provide an a. Issues that affect the world as a whole. Including pollution,
example of each. emissions, greenhouse gases, etc.
2. Stakeholder issues
a. Concerns policies that affect its customers, employees,
suppliers, and people within the community. Including
polluting communities around warehouses, irregularities in
quality of product, etc.
3. Internal policy issues
a. Concerns internal relationships between a company and its
employees. Includes paying employees, company policies, etc.
4. Personal issues
a. Concerns how people treat others in their organization. Include
gossiping, taking credit for others work, etc.
How does a company's ethical
A lack of ethics can lead to a number of problems for any organization. Many
behavior impact organizational modern organizations are finding that customer bases are more inclined to
outcomes? purchase from a company wha is “giving back” and has goad ethis
How does a company's A lack of ethics can lead to a number of problems for any organization. Moder|
unethical behavior impact organizations will become named in scandals, and other public forums,
leading to a decline in the customer base who are more inclined to switch to
organizational outcomes?
an ethical compan;
,MOD 1 Activity:
Provide an example| A person may have a side Check to see how your example aligns with the
of when personal business doing handwork and following: A police officer may personally believe
and professional fix-it projects. They learn that that a law that he is required to enforce is wrong.
ethics may conflict. their employeer is looking to However, under the Code of Conduct for the New
add in some bookcases, and Zealand Police, he is required to obey all lawful and
other built-ins around the reasonable instructions to enforce that law unless
office. They may be tempted td there is good and sufficient cause to do otherwise.
offer their own services A doctor may not personally believe that the course
through their side company as| of medical treatment chosen by a patient is the right]
afirst reference instead of one. However, under the Code of Ethics for the New
looking for other professionals Zealand Medical Association, she must respect the
to do the job. rights, autonomy and freedom of choice of the
—
What are some A company will benefit from Business ethics offer companies a competitive
benefits to an high organizational ethics advantage. Consumers learn to trust ethical brands
organization that because they will attract and remain loyal to them, even during difficult
has high employees who also have high| periods. Employees feel more at ease, are more oper]
organizational ethics. This also attracts. to taking educated chances, and have a more
ethics? modern consumers as they ar¢ pleasant work experience.
e e
Where do an And organizations ethics start They start at the top and trickle down
organization’s ethic: at the top (management)
NOTES:
Unit 2: Common Ethical Issues Introduction
Module 1: The Importance and Impact of Ethics
@ Ethics is a branch of philosophy concerned with the meaning of all aspects of human behavior.
Learning Objectives
@ Distinguish between personal and organizational ethics.
Lesson Introduction
organizational ethics is the application of ethical behavior in a business context.
Ethics Defined
Ethics: Principles that serve as a compass about how to behave
@ Ethics reflects beliefs about what is right, what is wrong, what is just, what is unjust, what is good, and
what is bad in terms of human behavior.
LLegal versus Ethical
Legal: An act that is allowed or is in conformity with the law of the land
@ Lawsare meant to protect one party from another.
Legal-Ethical: When the law and personal or organizational ethics are in accordance with each other
Legal-Unethical: Dilemma in which established laws are not in accordance or do not uphold the ethical choice
, lllegal-Ethical: Dilemma in which the ethical choice would be in violation of established laws
Pentagon Papers Case: lllegal-ethical conflict in which U.S. government officials leaked top secret papers to
inform the public about government actions during the Vietnam War
@ These were excerpts from a study prepared during the Johnson administration that revealed the true
nature of the conflict in Vietnam. The public learned for the first time that the United States had been
planning to overthrow Ngo Dinh Diem from the South Vietnamese government. They also learned that
Johnson meant to expand the U.S.'s role in Vietnam and bomb North Vietnam, even though he stated
publicly that he had no intentions of doing so. His administration had sought to deliberately provoke
North Vietnamese attacks in order to justify escalating American involvement.
QUESTION: A judge believes that the use of cannabis should never be allowed regardless of the situation due to
personal principles of what is right and wrong. A law was recently passed, however, allowing individuals to use
cannabis.
Which type of issue does the judge face?
@ Values-morals
@ Legal-unethical
® Immoral-illegal
@ lllegal-ethical
Correct! The judge’s personal ethics are that cannabis use is unethical even though it is legal.
Personal Codeof Ethics
Personal Ethics: Codes, principles, and values that shape people's interactions with others
@ Ethics requires people to treat others as they expect to be treated and bring no harm to others.
Factors Influencing Our Ethics
@ A person analyzes ethical issues by asking what could happen, how likely it is to happen, what harm
might come, or who might be hurt.
The answers are not always obvious and are often influenced by a person's values, environment, beliefs,
nd culture,
Values: Stable life goals that people have that reflect what is most important to them
@ Businesses (and individuals) often use values to identify the best fit for employees and potential future
[ lemployees.
Morals: Rules people develop as a result of cultural norms and values and are, traditionally passed down
through generations and characterize a cultural group
@ These are typically shared, sanctioned, and integrated systems of beliefs and practices that are passed
down through generations and characterize a cultural group. This is where culture intersects with
ethics. As interpretations of what is moral are influenced by cultural norms, the possibility exists that
what is ethical to one group will not be considered so by another.
QUESTION: A job candidate asks questions during an interview to determine whether their personal life goals
align with those of the organization.
Which factor is the candidate using to guide the decision?
@ Values
@ Cultural norms
@ Morals
@ Personal experiences
Correct! Values are personal ideas about what is important and are consistent and relevant to establishing
goals.
n| C
Organizational Ethics: Rules, principles, and standards for deciding what is morally right or wrong when doing
business
@ Ifan organization can create an ethically oriented culture, it is more likely to hire people who behave
ethically.
There are four main levels of ethical issues within organizations. The table below summarizes these four levels.
Define ethics. Principles that serve as a compass about how to behave
Define legal. An act that is allowed or is in conformity with the law of the land
Provide an example for each of @ Legal-Ethical: A company donating a pair of shoes for every pair that is
the following: bought
legal-ethical @ Legal-Unethical: Moving company labor overseas and making the
workers work in unsafe, yet legal in-country, conditions
legal-unethical @ lllegal-Ethical Conflicts: A judge not convicting a marajana possession
illegal-ethical conflicts charge where it is illegal, because they personally think it is not harmfy
and should be legal.
Define values. Stable life goals that people have that reflect what is most important to them
Define morals. Rules people develop as a result of cultural norms and values and are,
traditionally passed down through generations and characterize a cultural
group
Define organizational ethics. Rules, principles, and standards for deciding what is morally right or wrong
when doing business
List the four main levels of 1. Societal issues
ethical issues and provide an a. Issues that affect the world as a whole. Including pollution,
example of each. emissions, greenhouse gases, etc.
2. Stakeholder issues
a. Concerns policies that affect its customers, employees,
suppliers, and people within the community. Including
polluting communities around warehouses, irregularities in
quality of product, etc.
3. Internal policy issues
a. Concerns internal relationships between a company and its
employees. Includes paying employees, company policies, etc.
4. Personal issues
a. Concerns how people treat others in their organization. Include
gossiping, taking credit for others work, etc.
How does a company's ethical
A lack of ethics can lead to a number of problems for any organization. Many
behavior impact organizational modern organizations are finding that customer bases are more inclined to
outcomes? purchase from a company wha is “giving back” and has goad ethis
How does a company's A lack of ethics can lead to a number of problems for any organization. Moder|
unethical behavior impact organizations will become named in scandals, and other public forums,
leading to a decline in the customer base who are more inclined to switch to
organizational outcomes?
an ethical compan;
,MOD 1 Activity:
Provide an example| A person may have a side Check to see how your example aligns with the
of when personal business doing handwork and following: A police officer may personally believe
and professional fix-it projects. They learn that that a law that he is required to enforce is wrong.
ethics may conflict. their employeer is looking to However, under the Code of Conduct for the New
add in some bookcases, and Zealand Police, he is required to obey all lawful and
other built-ins around the reasonable instructions to enforce that law unless
office. They may be tempted td there is good and sufficient cause to do otherwise.
offer their own services A doctor may not personally believe that the course
through their side company as| of medical treatment chosen by a patient is the right]
afirst reference instead of one. However, under the Code of Ethics for the New
looking for other professionals Zealand Medical Association, she must respect the
to do the job. rights, autonomy and freedom of choice of the
—
What are some A company will benefit from Business ethics offer companies a competitive
benefits to an high organizational ethics advantage. Consumers learn to trust ethical brands
organization that because they will attract and remain loyal to them, even during difficult
has high employees who also have high| periods. Employees feel more at ease, are more oper]
organizational ethics. This also attracts. to taking educated chances, and have a more
ethics? modern consumers as they ar¢ pleasant work experience.
e e
Where do an And organizations ethics start They start at the top and trickle down
organization’s ethic: at the top (management)
NOTES:
Unit 2: Common Ethical Issues Introduction
Module 1: The Importance and Impact of Ethics
@ Ethics is a branch of philosophy concerned with the meaning of all aspects of human behavior.
Learning Objectives
@ Distinguish between personal and organizational ethics.
Lesson Introduction
organizational ethics is the application of ethical behavior in a business context.
Ethics Defined
Ethics: Principles that serve as a compass about how to behave
@ Ethics reflects beliefs about what is right, what is wrong, what is just, what is unjust, what is good, and
what is bad in terms of human behavior.
LLegal versus Ethical
Legal: An act that is allowed or is in conformity with the law of the land
@ Lawsare meant to protect one party from another.
Legal-Ethical: When the law and personal or organizational ethics are in accordance with each other
Legal-Unethical: Dilemma in which established laws are not in accordance or do not uphold the ethical choice
, lllegal-Ethical: Dilemma in which the ethical choice would be in violation of established laws
Pentagon Papers Case: lllegal-ethical conflict in which U.S. government officials leaked top secret papers to
inform the public about government actions during the Vietnam War
@ These were excerpts from a study prepared during the Johnson administration that revealed the true
nature of the conflict in Vietnam. The public learned for the first time that the United States had been
planning to overthrow Ngo Dinh Diem from the South Vietnamese government. They also learned that
Johnson meant to expand the U.S.'s role in Vietnam and bomb North Vietnam, even though he stated
publicly that he had no intentions of doing so. His administration had sought to deliberately provoke
North Vietnamese attacks in order to justify escalating American involvement.
QUESTION: A judge believes that the use of cannabis should never be allowed regardless of the situation due to
personal principles of what is right and wrong. A law was recently passed, however, allowing individuals to use
cannabis.
Which type of issue does the judge face?
@ Values-morals
@ Legal-unethical
® Immoral-illegal
@ lllegal-ethical
Correct! The judge’s personal ethics are that cannabis use is unethical even though it is legal.
Personal Codeof Ethics
Personal Ethics: Codes, principles, and values that shape people's interactions with others
@ Ethics requires people to treat others as they expect to be treated and bring no harm to others.
Factors Influencing Our Ethics
@ A person analyzes ethical issues by asking what could happen, how likely it is to happen, what harm
might come, or who might be hurt.
The answers are not always obvious and are often influenced by a person's values, environment, beliefs,
nd culture,
Values: Stable life goals that people have that reflect what is most important to them
@ Businesses (and individuals) often use values to identify the best fit for employees and potential future
[ lemployees.
Morals: Rules people develop as a result of cultural norms and values and are, traditionally passed down
through generations and characterize a cultural group
@ These are typically shared, sanctioned, and integrated systems of beliefs and practices that are passed
down through generations and characterize a cultural group. This is where culture intersects with
ethics. As interpretations of what is moral are influenced by cultural norms, the possibility exists that
what is ethical to one group will not be considered so by another.
QUESTION: A job candidate asks questions during an interview to determine whether their personal life goals
align with those of the organization.
Which factor is the candidate using to guide the decision?
@ Values
@ Cultural norms
@ Morals
@ Personal experiences
Correct! Values are personal ideas about what is important and are consistent and relevant to establishing
goals.
n| C
Organizational Ethics: Rules, principles, and standards for deciding what is morally right or wrong when doing
business
@ Ifan organization can create an ethically oriented culture, it is more likely to hire people who behave
ethically.
There are four main levels of ethical issues within organizations. The table below summarizes these four levels.
