Ethical Behavior Lesson - PowerPoint Presentation

Ethical Behavior Lesson

Key Terms Ethics: A set of principles of right conduct. Personal Code of Ethics: A set of principles and rules used by individuals to govern their decision making in choosing between right and wrong.

Benefits of Ethical Behavior Ethical behavior promotes a strong public image for the organization. People respect an organization that makes ethical choices. Customers like doing business with an organization they can trust. Ethical behavior makes the best use of resources. Money, time, and effort are put into productive activities rather than diverted for questionable purposes or personal gain. Ethical behavior on the part of all employees also helps maintain quality and productivity. When employees follow ethical standards, they do not cut corners or short-change the company or its customers. Ethical behavior assists the organization to comply with laws and regulations. What is ethical is also legal. Ethical behavior ensures good and proper relationships with customers and vendors. Ethical behavior boosts morale and promotes teamwork. When employees can trust one another and management, they can work together more harmoniously and effectively.

Examples of Unethical Behavior Unethical Behavior Among Individuals Lying to your spouse about how much money you spent. Lying to your parents about where you were for the evening. Stealing money from the petty cash drawer at work. Lying on your resume in order to get a job. Talking about a friend behind his back. Taking credit for work you did not do. Cheating on a school paper by copying it off the Internet. Taking $20.00 out of your friend's wallet when he is sleeping. Using your position of power at work to sexually harass someone. Selling a house and not disclosing known defects to the buyers. Selling a car and lying about the vehicle's accident history. Unethical Behavior Among Businesses Dumping pollutants into the water supply rather than cleaning up the pollution properly. Releasing toxins into the air in levels above what is permitted by the Environmental Protection Agency. Coercing an injured worker not to report a work injury to workers' compensation by threatening him with the loss of a job or benefits. Refusing to give an employee a final paycheck for hours worked after the employee leaves the company. Not paying an employee for all of the hours worked. Incorrectly classifying an employee as an independent contractor and not as an employee in order to reduce payroll taxes and avoid purchasing unemployment and workers' compensation insurance. Engaging in price fixing to force smaller competitors out of business. Using bait and switch or false advertising tactics to lure customers in or convince them to buy a product. Rolling back the odometer on a vehicle that is for sale. Refusing to honor a warranty claim on a defective product.

Examples of Unethical Behavior (Continued) Unethical Behavior By Professionals Doctors, dentists and lawyers dating their clients. Not telling a patient his true diagnosis because the physician didn't know the details of the diagnosis. A dentist preforms unnecessary procedures on a patient in order to receive the insurance payment. Using a patient as a teaching tool for students for long periods of time without the permission of the patient or patient's family. A lawyer will not returning money which was being held for a client. A lawyer represents parties on both sides of a legal transaction. Unethical Behavior Among Politicians and the GovernmentUsing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to target groups that you do not like by auditing those groups or refusing to give them tax exempt status. Obtaining private tax information about your political opponents from the Internal Revenue Service and using that information in a campaign. Knowingly telling lies about your own political position or about the political position of your opponent just to get elected. Accepting excess campaign contributions that violate campaign finance laws. Using money that was donated to your campaign for personal, non-approved expenses. Using your position of power to coerce lobbyists into buying expensive gifts for you and for your wife. Secretly spying on U.S. citizens in violation of the Fourth Amendment and lying about the spying that is going on. Using your position of power to close traffic lanes in order to intentionally create a traffic jam that affects residents of a city because residents in that city are not likely to vote for you in an election.

Reasons for Unethical Behavior People act unethically for a number of reasons. Unethical behavior is defined as behavior that contravenes rules designed to maintain the fairness and morality of a situation. An example of unethical behavior is a representative of a company taking kickbacks from a salesman for preferential treatment. Behavior like this is motivated by various things. Some reasons for unethical behavior are: Greed Environment Career AdvancementIgnorance

Greed One of the main causes of unethical behavior is greed. A person often chooses to act immorally or unethically for personal financial gain. In business, there are a number of opportunities for employees and employers to do the wrong thing. For example, an employee who has contact with a client may be willing to give them a discount in exchange for a kickback. An employer may have an opportunity to sell the company's stock when he has inside information about a drop in profit.

Environment Sometimes, a person acts unethically in business because his employer condones the behavior. For example, in the late 1990s, traders at Enron conducted trades that cost the state of California millions of dollars in electricity payments. This was unethical, but the behavior was so common on the trading floor that it was never questioned.

Career Advancement A person acts unethically because she believes it helps her career. An unethical act is used as a means of impressing a superior or hurting the career of a competitor. For example, a person sabotages a co-worker's project as a means of making herself look better in comparison.

Ignorance Ethical conflicts or violations are not always transparent, and it's easy for an employee to perform an unethical act without knowing it. For this reason, it is important for companies to make employees aware both of the company's general ethics policy, and specific examples of ethical and unethical behavior.

Ways that Others are Harmed by Unethical Behavior There are at least three ways unethical behavior can harm other people - even people not directly connected to the bad acts: First, it might discourage people by making them feel inadequate. People are apt to regard the successful other as a standard bearer, especially if they believe that the performance was achieved fairly and that they should be able to attain similar levels of performance. Second, it might make people act recklessly. People might believe that risky behavior is the only way to get ahead. This might account for some of the risky behavior in the financial markets - the only way to get ahead was to act in increasingly risky ways. But, this behavior isn’t exclusive to highly-paid athletes and CEOs. Even normal people can sometimes take competitiveness too far. For example, the website Strava (link is external) provides cyclists with opportunities to post the routes they have ridden, as well as best times and performances. The fastest rider on a particular route becomes “King of the Mountain.” Although it only a title on a website, the KOM title is valued by subscribers and can lead people to engage in risky behaviors to obtain them. For example, there have been a number of instances in which people striving to obtain the KOM title have been involved in accidents, with tragic outcomes for themselves and others. Just last year (link is external), one rider was descending a hill at 10 miles over the posted speed limit, flipped on his bike, and was fatally injured. Finally, it can lead other people to act unethically. If unethical behaviors are known (or rumored) and the performer still gets rewards, it can create the impression that these bad behaviors are acceptable. In this way, one cheater can lead to more cheating by others: first, by creating a standard that can only be met by cheating; and second, by contributing to a belief that everyone is doing it. You can imagine these dynamics at work in the Tour de France peloton (link is external). For years, doping and use of performance-enhancing drugs was an open secret (link is external) among the riders. The accolades (and prize money) won by those engaging in doping created a standard of performance; and the belief that everyone was doing it created a norm in which doping was acceptable. In these ways social comparison can make unethical behavior contagious. By comparing performances and behaviors to others, people treat enhanced-performances as standards and come to believe that the only way to get ahead is through repeating questionable behaviors.

Factors That Demonstrate a Strong Work Ethic Integrity : Integrity stretches to all aspects of an employee's job. An employee with integrity fosters trusting relationships with clients, coworkers and supervisors. Coworkers value the employee's ability to give honest feedback. Clients trust the employee's advice. Supervisors rely on the employee's high moral standards, trusting him not to steal from the company or create problems. Sense of Responsibility: A strong sense of responsibility affects how an employee works and the amount of work she does. When the employee feels personally responsible for her job performance, she shows up on time, puts in her best effort and completes projects to the best of her ability .Emphasis on Quality: Some employees do only the bare minimum, just enough to keep their job intact. Employees with a strong work ethic care about the quality of their work. They do their best to produce great work, not merely churn out what is needed. The employee's commitment to quality improves the company's overall quality.Discipline: It takes a certain level of commitment to finish your tasks every day. An employee with good discipline stays focused on his goals and is determined to complete his assignments. These employees show a high level of dedication to the company, always ensuring they do their part. Sense of Teamwork: Most employees have to work together to meet a company's objectives. An employee with a high sense of teamwork helps a team meet its goals and deliver quality work. These employees respect their peers and help where they can, making collaborations go smoother.

References Ethics. (2015). The Free Dictionary. Retrieved August 22, 2015, from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ethics Examples of Unethical Behavior. (2015). Retrieved August 22, 2015, from http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-unethical-behavior.html Jenkins, A. (2015). 5 Factors That Demonstrate a Strong Work Ethic. Retrieved August 22, 2015, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/5-factors-demonstrate-strong-work-ethic-15976.html Johnson, C. (2012). Unethical Behavior Can Become Contagious. Retrieved August 22, 2015, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/its-all-relative/201206/unethical-behavior-can-become-contagious Personal Code of Ethics. (2015). Your Dictionary. Retrieved August 22, 2015, from http://examples.yourdictionary.com/code-of-ethics-examples.html Why Is Ethical Conduct Important. (2011). Business and Legal Resources. Retrieved August 22, 2015, from https://hr.blr.com/HR-news/HR-Administration/Workplace-Ethics/Why-is-Ethical-Conduct-Important Wolfe, E. (2015). What Are the Causes of Unethical Behavior in the Workplace. Retrieved August 22, 2015, from http://www.ehow.com/info_8182488_causes-unethical-behavior-workplace.html

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